Share how you came to love the hills

[Pascale]

I'm getting used to them, but what I really hate are steep DOWNhills - they scare the heck out of me - i ride the brakes constantly (yep, i'm a chicken!)

[lph]

I like hills - I like zoning out and reaching this place where I feel I can keep going forever at a steady pace, all the time knowing that it will end and I'll have a view and with luck a bomber descent to have fun on

I don't like flats though. I get bored, and it doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere. So I slack off, and then I'm REALLY not going anywhere.

I think low gears and a predisposition to day-dreaming really helps with long hills, though

[uk elephant]

I used to hate hills, and tried to avoid them whenever possible (which was rarely when living in Norway), but riding ALC changed my mind. Not that I love hills now, but I enjoy the challenge. On ALC there were some monster hills, and I was dreading them for months before going over because I was afraid I couldn't do it. But then I found my pace, used my gears and just enjoyed the scenery and the sence of accomplishment at the top and realized I can do almost any hill. Now I quite like the challenge and I have even started training on hills, riding up and down the only big hill within reach of home to get better at it.

[OakLeaf]

There are hills and hills, too.

The kind some of you are talking about - where you can sit and spin for long periods of time - those just don't exist around here. What we have is grades of normally 12-13% and up to 20%. The kind of hills where you're going to fall over if you don't mash the gears, and whatever your bottom gear is, you're in it. I was mostly joking about the hypoxia, but a hill here, you'll definitely see some pretty impressive heart rates. The only salvation is there's usually no more than 200 feet of elevation gain on any individual hill. That's actually why they don't bother to put a grade on them - it's because trucks can climb them without blowing their engines out.

Those long, shallow hills sound like fun.

+1 on hating the flats, though. I rode the flats all winter. Boring and WINDY. ALWAYS windy. (See the thread about wind...)

[MALcontent]

I don't think anyone else mentioned that at the top of the really long ones, you get to eat!

[sundial]

I rode the flats all winter. Boring and WINDY. ALWAYS windy.

You're right--it's always windy in the flats around here.

[Crankin]

I don't love hills, but I don't totally suck at them. I use my gears to my advantage and my granny gear is my friend. I prefer short steep climbs to longer shallower ones. I have been on 18-20% climbs in the Berkshires and in Europe that I just kept going on. I just turn the pedals over, even if I am going 4 mph or less! I have never walked up a hill.
However, living on a street with a 10% grade and a driveway that is even steeper has change my perspective on hills. I don't like knowing that I have to climb this (particularly the driveway) at the end of a ride. It brings my average way down and at the end of a commute, it's tiring.
What I don't like is false flats. For some reason those tire me out and play with my mind.
I have found that when I ride with people who seem stronger than me, a lot of the time I can pass them on a hill. I think it's because I ride on hills ALL of the time.

[alpinerabbit]

Mountains - the cyclist's natural enemies - Erik Zabel

...

however, I love the feeling once I'm up, and they make you stronger. so there.

[GLC1968]

Here's a flip side to this. I used to LOVE hills. All kinds...the super steap where I had to stand and even then could barely keep the gears turning, to the short ones I could almost pretend weren't there and wouldn't slow me down...and the super long mountain climbs where you have to put your brain in a zone and only look a few feet in front of you (and never around the bend above you)...

Now, not so much. Now I'm 30 lbs heavier than I was when I started cycling and I've hit the point where my weight has outgrown my strength. Now I find that all hills (minus a few rollers when I'm feeling particularly fresh) SUCK. And yes, I ride a triple.

Personally, I found that the secret to loving hills is having a good strength to weight ratio, good gearing, good weather and good mental attitude. Unfortunately for me, a bad strength to weight ratio out ranks the other three factors!

[Ana]

I'm getting used to them, but what I really hate are steep DOWNhills - they scare the heck out of me - i ride the brakes constantly (yep, i'm a chicken!)

I looooove the descent Which makes the hills somewhat bearable (well, except when the hill is flat at the top...that is such a disappointment) I like being head-and-head with the cars at a 35mph speed limit But alas, the often still find the need to pass me (maybe it's an ego thing....like "my car can go faster than you"...?)

[Trigress]

This was supposed to be a thread sharing how we got to love hills, right?

Well, I hate them. Born sprinter I'm made for short bursts of speed rather than infinite slow pedaling. However, even I have to admit that the hills back to my flat aren't killing me anymore, and my fellow Frøy riders sometimes give me a push back home, which makes me feel so included in the group!

I suppose riding hills is going to make it easier after a while. For me it's a great achievement that I'm no longer near maximum heart rate every time I struggle up the Nordstrand hill.

[7rider]

Are you supposed to love them???

I suppose I could say I love them because it gives me a chance to check out all the tight tooshes on the guys in the group ride as they zip up the hill ahead of me. But, they disappear too quickly to enjoy and I'm usually looking down anyway, grunting and struggling and wishing I were 15 pounds lighter (oh...yeah...like that would make all the difference in the world!).

[ehirsch83]

I love hills!

They are my chance to amble along, admiring the birds and trees and flowers. Folks say "Hi", and I admire their gardens. I get to enjoy first hand (literally!) how well balanced my bike is, as I push it one-handed. I love discovering the miracle of fork "trail" and how it makes my bike more stable as I stroll uphill playfully tipping the bike left or right. Hills are my big chance to drink some water, have something to eat, and call my sweetie on my cell phone. I can even take some fabulous pictures as I walk up hill.

Yup, hills are great!

Knotted-
I love your response!! You put the biggest smile on my face

[Ana]

Are you supposed to love them???

I suppose I could say I love them because it gives me a chance to check out all the tight tooshes on the guys in the group ride as they zip up the hill ahead of me. But, they disappear too quickly to enjoy and I'm usually looking down anyway, grunting and struggling and wishing I were 15 pounds lighter (oh...yeah...like that would make all the difference in the world!).

Regarding the hills: I think you've targeted some sort of cycling inadequacy I feel I guess I feel like I'm supposed to and I feel really pathetic when I'm going up at 0.00001 mph and pedaling my little heart out :P

As for the male-related scenery: LOL--I've never thought of it that way Not many riders are usually traveling in the same direction I am....I don't know why though. I like to wave to people and see if they wave back

[Tri Girl]

I wish I could've loved the monster hills we rode today. I sometimes hate my compact double because it doesn't have enough gears to get up some of our hills. I just pedal along in my tiniest gear and wince in pain as I stare intently 2 feet in front of me. I didn't have to walk though, so that makes me happy. I walk sometimes without guilt, but didn't have to today. Now tomorrow may be a different story..