Things that have worked for me to PR on short (under 5 minute) climbs.
- If the incline varies, don't tire yourself out so much on the steeper parts that you need to reduce your power and rest on the flatter parts. I don't have anything scientific here, but I think this has worked for me because keeping the power on when its flatter results in a higher percentage speed gain than it does in the steep sections. I feel like I can ride double the speed in the flatter parts, but maybe only 50% faster in the steeper parts.
- Be warmed up, but still extremely fresh. I have done better after warming up for 2-3 minutes than 10-12.
- stay in the saddle as much as you can... until the end. If the end is flat then just stay seated the whole time (of course use your judgement, some climbs might be best suited for a few out of the saddle stretches early on or midway through). When I'm going for a PR, I tend to give it everything when I'm out of the saddle, but according to my power meter I usually can only surpass my seated power for 10-20 seconds. And standing is a big aero disadvantage (not significant at 5mph however).
These are totally not scientifically supported, just my feeling. Please feel free to tell me if these recommendations go against the science that the pros use and I will see if I can use that knowledge to beat my PRs
