Almost summer time, and so many hours of daylight available. This is the time of the year when many of us are spending very long hours on the saddle. With dry roads probably the best time for exploring new routes and adventuring on long climbs.

In this post I want to talk about how to face a long climb segment with tips and advices based on my experience.

If the climb is long, try to set a comfortable pace which will allow us to sustain the effort.

When we don't know the road and the gradient so much in advance we need to avoid blowing out. It is better to go "crescendo" with our intensity rather than get stuck half way.

If the climb is long, try to set a comfortable pace which will allow us to sustain the effort. When we don't know the road and the gradient so much in advance we need to avoid blowing out. It is better to go "crescendo" with our intensity rather than get stuck half way.

Try to find a comfortable position on the bike; some people prefer climbing on the nose of the saddle, some others all the way back. As well, our hands position on the bars can change and needs to change every now and then to facilitate the circulation on the limbs. Also, always in relation to our posture, let's try to alternate sitting position to standing out of the saddle, that will make every single muscle of our legs working.

If it gets very steep try to balance our body so we keep the bike firm to the ground and we avoid the back wheel slipping.

Nutrition in long climbs is important but needs to be trained. If we are not used to eating while climbing then we should avoid solid food (we might struggle to swallow) preferring instead gels or liquid stuff.
Taking glasses off and opening up the jersey can improve our perception and feelings during a long climb especially now in these months that temperatures are peaking up. Just by doing that we will be able to appreciate the breeze and wind we often have while climbing.
Our little bike computer, as well, can help us understand how much we got before reaching the top, so we can manage & measure our energies left.
Last but not least. Please do not take the helmet off, like some cyclists from older generations do here in Italy. Danger can come from behind as well.