CoachingAnswer

WHAT DOES VAM MEAN IN CYCLING?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 10 July 2026

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The data-curious climber

You track watts and heart rate but want another lens on your climbing ability.

The sportive rider measuring progress

You ride the same local climbs regularly and want a number to track improvement beyond Strava segments.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

VAM is useful precisely because it strips a climb down to one thing: how fast are you going uphill? Watts per kilogram gives you a lab number. VAM gives you a field number that accounts for gradient, road surface, and wind in one composite output. It is not perfect — steeper climbs inflate the figure — but it is the simplest way to compare your climbing form across a season on your regular loops.

Where amateurs get into trouble is comparing their VAM against professional numbers without accounting for the gradient difference. A Tour de France climb averaging 8% will produce higher VAM for a given W/kg than a 5% drag. The comparison that matters is yours against yourself, on the same roads, month to month.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Dr Michele FerrariExercise physiologist, originator of the VAM metric
VAM was developed as a normalised measure of climbing performance that accounts for gradient. On gradients between 6-10%, it correlates closely with watts per kilogram, making it a practical field metric for comparing climbing ability across riders and across seasons.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Calculate your VAM on a local climb
VAM = (metres gained / time in minutes) x 60. If you climb 400 vertical metres in 30 minutes, your VAM is 800 m/hr. Record this monthly on the same climb to track fitness.
Use VAM for pacing on unfamiliar climbs
If you know you can sustain 900 m/hr, you can estimate how long an unfamiliar 600m-gain climb will take — roughly 40 minutes. This helps with fuelling and effort planning before events.
Compare against gradient-matched benchmarks
Only compare your VAM to benchmarks measured on similar gradients. A 5% climb and a 9% climb produce different VAM for the same rider at the same power output. Strava segments on your regular climbs are the best like-for-like comparison.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEComparing VAM across climbs with very different gradients.
FIXSteeper gradients produce higher VAM because air resistance becomes less of a factor. Compare like with like — same climb, different dates.
MISTAKEUsing VAM as a training target rather than an outcome measure.
FIXTrain by power or heart rate zones. Track VAM as a result to see whether your climbing is improving over time, not as a number to chase during a session.
MISTAKEIgnoring wind and temperature when interpreting VAM.
FIXA strong headwind on an exposed climb or extreme heat will lower your VAM without any change in fitness. Note conditions alongside the number.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a good VAM for an amateur cyclist?

On a climb averaging 6-8%, a recreational rider might hit 600-800 m/hr, a strong club rider 900-1,100 m/hr, and a competitive amateur 1,100-1,300 m/hr. These figures vary with gradient — use them as rough bands rather than hard thresholds.

How does VAM relate to watts per kilogram?

On gradients above 6%, VAM and W/kg are closely linked because air resistance contributes little. Roughly, every 0.5 W/kg increase corresponds to about 150-200 m/hr of VAM on a steep climb, though this varies with rider weight and gradient.

Does body weight affect VAM?

Indirectly, yes. VAM depends on your speed going uphill, which is driven by your power-to-weight ratio. A lighter rider at the same absolute power will have a higher W/kg and therefore a higher VAM on any gradient where gravity dominates.