4. Be prepared
4. Be prepared
Knowing a climb helps you plan how to pace your effort. It helps psychologically, too, as you know where to pace it, where to back off and where to go for it.
Attack the climb on the steeper parts, the harder parts, to ensure you stay on top of it, then use the shallower gradients to get a bit of a breather.
If you’re not a local rider, it can be difficult to recce a climb before a sportive or race. Look at the route map and the profile, and research the climbs, and use that to plan how you are going to pace your effort for the ride.
Once you’re on the ride, knowing what’s coming up and how far there is to go definitely helps.
Being prepared is key so also make sure you have the right gearing. You don’t want to start by having a 21 as your biggest sprocket when you need a 28.
Having a bigger cassette fitted is the quickest way to gaining an extra gear or two. Have a nice, easy gear that you can spin in the saddle.