Getting ready for hilly rides??

[OakLeaf]

Gym work will help - leg presses and squats. Climbing is all about those thigh and low back muscles.

When I came back to cycling after a long hiatus, it was at a retreat in the northern California mountains. I was leg pressing 15 reps at 225# and hadn't been on a bike in 12 years. Okay, there was one climb I gave up on - but that was after I accidentally climbed to the top of another one when our leader got lost - and if either I'd had a little bit lower gearing, or I wasn't trying to remember how to unclip after 12 years away, I'm pretty sure I would've made it to the top of that one, too. I want to say it was the Oakville grade, for those familiar with the area.

Can you make a loop, so that you can at least do your hill a few times in a session, without having to make a U-turn? Will your RD accept a 28T - might be worth a change in cassette?