Long rides at a steady pace are the best way to get started when training on your road bike. This usually means 3-4 hours in duration, but if right now 2 hours seems like a long time to be out, go with that and gradually build it up.

The idea of it being “steady” means you’re never getting your heart rate up so high that you feel stressed or in need of a rest. You should be riding at a level where you can chat to someone fairly easily, whether it’s on the flat or up the hills.

This means you need to get into the habit of shifting down the gears rather than pushing harder on climbs, so you maintain a constant level of exertion. Think of your legs as an engine ticking over at a steady, manageable pace.

If it gets steep you can’t just let the motor burn out – so keep the legs spinning at 80-100 rpm but drop down the gears until the climb becomes do-able without ever getting out of breath.