so what are YOU built for?

[betagirl]

"you are fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on our local climb we all practice on.. i'm lucky if i can do 10 mph up it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Caligurl, I live in IL so my idea of a moderate hill may be different than your idea of one I'd love to see what I'd do in some mountains, I suspect I'd be slower. We do have a few big hills up north of me, and on a century I did this year the last 10 miles had about a 2 mile climb at about a 7% grade. I did about 14 up that thing. Riding up to it it just looked like a big wall lined with trees. You don't see that a lot around here so I was like oh this should be fun.

On a related note I would love to do the Seattle-Portland ride, but I'm curious as to how I'd train for that other than going up to WI or something to get in some decent hills.

[SJCzar]

I guess that I'm more of a distance kind of gal. I finding that I'm getting better at hills (or maybe just less intimidated by them) but I really love to get on a stretch of freshed paved flat country road and ride for hours.

I think that I've been getting too hung up on increasing my average speed. I find myself constantly checking my computer on my commute to work. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm out there to have FUN, get exercise, save gas....not to be race training.

[wingsonwheels]

As in Long, Slow, Distance. Same thing when I ran. Nice and easy, keep going for hours, stay light on the pedals...

[yellow]

Oh, this is soooooo easy....

sleeping

[skibum]

I'm mainly an endurance kind of person. I can usually get in a groove and ride all day if I want.

I'm not the best climber but I love descending -- bring on the speed. I don't mind a tough climb if I get rewarded with a fun descent on the other side.

[Dianyla]

We do have a few big hills up north of me, and on a century I did this year the last 10 miles had about a 2 mile climb at about a 7% grade. I did about 14 up that thing. Riding up to it it just looked like a big wall lined with trees. You don't see that a lot around here so I was like oh this should be fun.

On a related note I would love to do the Seattle-Portland ride, but I'm curious as to how I'd train for that other than going up to WI or something to get in some decent hills.

I just did the STP last weekend and you sound like you're in way better shape than I am. The first 100 miles are not very hilly, it starts out pretty flat and then around mile 40 there is one large-ish hill that you actually have to gear down for, followed by gradual long 1-2% inclines and some rolling hills. The second 100 miles is certainly hillier, there are a handful of short steeper hills and then the last 50 miles are rolling hills all the way to Portland.

Considering our topography here in the Pacific NW is fairly bumpy, this ride probably does follow the smoothest possible path from Seattle to Portland. It's certainly not as flat as some people made it sound, but it's certainly not a hill ride.