Quote Originally Posted by Trek420
Also, you don't have to be a little-tiny-eetsy-bitsy-skinney-thang to excell at hill climbing, fact is your weight could even help as I'm sure much of it especially by this point is muscle. Climbing well I think is partly pure physical strength, but also technique, and psychological. Sometimes you just have to think your way through the climb (see cycling affiramtions thread somewhere here).

I saw plenty of big gals and guys on this last ride flying uphill past riders who looked like they were built to climb hills.
Well, that's an encouraging thought - I have gotten better and stronger on my little hill - I think it is just the right height for my current "power to weight" ratio! Saturday I must have been feeling my oats and I blasted up that hill past an old guy spinning his way up on a mtn bike - he yelled out "Wow, you're flying! What'd you eat for breakfast?" Which made me feel great - I was grinning all the way down the hill and halfway back to the car! (I'll admit that passing elderly recreational riders still makes me feel good!)

My worry about hills is that spinning for a long time seems to tire me out more than pushing hard for a short time - I feel like I have heavy legs when I spin, and strong legs when I push - I guess this is where the psychological part comes in...

I'm sure your "EZ ride" would be plenty (too?) challenging for me, but maybe I'll get some courage together and give it a go! The encouragment on this forum is pretty amazing.