Ladies, I was glad to read your posts and to discover that I'm not just a wimp. I do all the things that have been suggested and agree with all of them. Now that my asthma is under control, I can enjoy biking. But I still can't sprint up those hills. Training has helped me: the first kilometer of our after-work ride is directly out the drive way and uphill. Slowly, over the years, it's gotten easier and easier. It's just hard to be patient.

PS Finally the weather is warmer in Frankfurt. I went for my first ride of the season on Saturday. Heaven!