Quote Originally Posted by Boudicca View Post
Sunday is the ride with my never-made-it hill. I remember it as about 4 miles, although it may be less than that. It starts deceptively in that it looks almost flat and just gets steeper as it goes. The last couple of hundred feet are the killer -- it hits 15 percent at the top.

After reading everything here, I am seriously thinking of switching bikes to the one with the lowest gear and leaving the road bike at home. I will be slower on the rest of the ride, but I might just make the hill.
Maybe this doesn't make sense for you, but can you stop half way up and rest a bit? I did a long hill yesterday in the heat, also about 4 miles. I stopped half way and called my spouse to give him a report. It helped me gather energy for the rest of the climb.