Which is Hilly-er?

[Bluetree]

Ummm... All of the above?

I live in a relatively hilly area, so my idea of a good "climbing ride" has a minimum 5000 feet of gain, typically on very long climbs that average 4.5% or more. Anything averaging 7-8% over many miles is pretty tough, as that usually means long stretches of double digit grades.

In comparison, I would consider a "flattish century" to be around 4000 feet (I don't know if anything less is possible without doing loops). I think the first century I ever did had about 4800 feet, and my friends were being easy on me.

As for feet/mile, it would depend on the distance. Under 60 miles, 100 ft/mile average is fun. Extend that over a century and it would be classified as a real butt-kicker (or in Brandy's case... Tuesday)