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Old 07-07-20, 08:43 AM
  #21  
joey buzzard
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: La Alpujarras Granadina
Posts: 209

Bikes: Swift Folder, Haro Vector, Sundeal V1 mini-velo,1991 Peugeot 531 Reynolds road bike with Campy wheels and Ultegra 6600 groupset

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I like climbing.

Here's my 3 cents worth of advice:

1) Make sure you have the low gears you need on your bike. You might consider having a triple derailleur up front or perhaps even better a long cage derailleur with an extra low geared cassette on the rear.

2) If the climb is long and steep accept it and realise that for some certain amount of time you'll be climbing. Then, find your rhythm and climb. I've been staying the past few months in La Alpujarras in Andalusia. I've climbed all up and over the Contraviesa, Sierra Nevada and Lujar Mountains which surround the Guadalafeo River valley. While not the steepest nor longest climb I've done in the area, one I encounter very regularly and often with a backpack filled with groceries starts from the river near Orgiva and rises up and up past Tablones. Over approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) it rises 312 meters (1024 feet) to a junction at the top of the hill where the highway splits. When I come to it I just think to myself: welcome to up. Up is the next 25 minutes of life, and I get on with it. It's not terribly hard, you need only moderately good fitness, appropriate gearing and a positive mindset.

3. If you're on a long ride with many steep ascents, be careful not to burn out your legs. Find a good cadence and maintain it.
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