VAM Calculator
Measure your vertical climbing speed like the pros. VAM normalizes climbing performance across different gradients.
VAM stands for Velocità Ascensionale Media (Average Ascent Speed). It is a metric popularized by Italian doctor Michele Ferrari to express a cyclist's climbing ability in terms of vertical meters climbed per hour (Vm/h), regardless of the gradient.
Casual touring pace.
Good amateur club rider.
Very strong competitive amateur (Cat 1/2).
Professional domestic level.
World Tour GC contender level (on steep climbs).
For steep climbs (avg gradient > 7%), you can estimate relative power (W/kg) from VAM using the formula:
*A common approximation is simply VAM / 200 or VAM / 220 depending on steepness.