Help! Hills!

[Scrappy]

Some of the hills in the PNW are no joke. Investing in granny gears 42/32/22 really made the difference for me. What do you have on there now?

Scrappy

[kristinkeeley]

I'm a believer in the only way to get better at hills is to consistently do hills. I do a ride with hill repeats 1x week. Also, like others have said, increasing cadence helps on hills. Spinning faster and easier rather than slower and harder. I'm one that enjoys getting up out of the saddle on hills, but most times I reserve it for when I'm getting closer to the top. The clipless pedals will also be a benefit.

[rebeccaC]

Great ride!! I did the STP last July with some friends from Portland on the Sunday one day ride. There are hills but no really sustained steep climbs. There was a hill about 40 miles into the ride that’s probably the worst one, grade wise, of the ride and even that one isn’t that long. There are more rollers, flats and downhills than climbs.
I’d stay with the organized training series and supplement it with some hill intervals. You’ll get better and stronger through the spring and early summer if you do that. Plus you'll get to know people who are also going to do the ride!

Another important preparation is mental. Realize, for you, it’s going to be two days of long rides. You’ll get tired and your body will get sore. Come to grips with that and prepare yourself mentally to deal with it.