I have finally gotten over my mental resistance I towards hills...maybe even enjoy them some now. I rode about 30 miles of hilly terrain last weekend and really felt like I had hit a new level in my cycling.

My gear shifting has improved a good deal to where I can usually maintain the same cadence going up hills. I do use my granny gear from time to time, but often stay in my middle chainring. One surprise was I stayed back with a slower rider on a long uphill. Often I become anxious about my ability to make it to the top and ramp up my heart rate and effort more than necessary. By taking the hill at a slower rate, I was able to make it up without the hard breathing and higher heartrate. My favorite style though is still to tackle the hill and enjoy that great downhill!

Riding home from the grocery store with my Big Dummy fully loaded (bike and groceries at 85 lbs or more), there is a hill that can still get to me. I just slap it in granny gear and go -- not feeling like I have to prove I can do it anymore. That's a relief.

All that said, I still kinda believe that the best hill is one that is already behind me!