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VAM calculator

Find out how fast you gain height on a climb. Type the height and your time to see your VAM, the metres you climb in an hour.

m

The height from the bottom of the climb to the top.

Time to the top
hr
min
sec
%

Used for the watts per kg guess. The gradient calculator can work it out for you.

Your VAM, in metres climbed an hour

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Watts per kg, a rough guess
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Metres up each minute
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The watts per kg guess is a rule of thumb. It works best on steady climbs of 8% or more, where the wind matters less.

What VAM means

VAM is how many metres you climb in an hour. It tells you how fast you gain height, not how fast you move along the road.

The letters stand for the Italian words velocità ascensionale media. In English that means average climbing speed. The idea came from Michele Ferrari, an Italian sports doctor and cycling coach.

Some people say VAM stands for vertical ascent in metres. That is a handy way to remember it, but it is not where the letters come from.

How the calculator works

Type the height you gained and the time it took. The calculator divides the height by the time in hours. For example, 120 m in 15 minutes is a VAM of 480 m.

VAM is a good way to track your own climbing. Ride the same hill again in a few weeks. If your VAM goes up, you got to the top faster.

Watts per kg from VAM

Watts per kg is your power divided by your weight. On a climb it is the number that matters most.

A rule of thumb linked to Ferrari turns VAM into a rough watts per kg. Divide your VAM by 200 plus 10 times the slope. On a 5% climb that is 200 plus 50, so a VAM of 480 gives about 1.9 watts per kg.

The slope matters because on a gentle road more of your power goes on the air and your tyres. Less of it goes on lifting you up. So the same VAM takes more power on a gentle climb than on a steep one.

Treat the answer as a rough guess. It is most useful on steady climbs of 8% or more. Wind, a heavy bike and a fast run up to the hill all throw it out. A power meter or a smart trainer gives you a closer number.

Where the numbers come from

The meaning of VAM and the watts per kg rule both come from the Wikipedia page on VAM. 220 Triathlon gives a worked example. Climbing 1,090 m of Alpe d'Huez in 37 minutes is a VAM of about 1,768. On a 7.9% slope that comes to 6.34 watts per kg, and this calculator gives the same answer.

For a sense of scale, Wikipedia lists riders in the Tour de France climbing at about 1,100 to 1,800 m an hour. They are some of the best climbers in the world, so they are not a fair yardstick for anyone else.

Questions

Find out how fast you gain height on a climb. Type the height and your time to see your VAM, the metres you climb in an hour.

What is a good VAM for a beginner?

There is no single number, because VAM depends on the hill and on you. A good VAM is one that goes up from last time. Ride the same climb every few weeks and compare.

What does VAM stand for?

VAM stands for velocità ascensionale media. That is Italian for average climbing speed. It is the number of metres you climb in an hour.

How do I work out VAM by hand?

Multiply the metres you climbed by 60, then divide by the minutes it took. For 120 m in 15 minutes, that is 120 times 60, which is 7,200, divided by 15. The answer is a VAM of 480.

Can I get better at climbing on an indoor bike?

Yes. A smart trainer can make the pedals feel like a real hill, so you can practise climbing at home. Couch to Climb gives you a step by step plan to ride a famous climb on a smart trainer with no stops.

Updated . Written by Next Big Leap Ltd, who make the Couch to Climb app.

Ride up a famous climb on your indoor bike

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