Hey there Smiley

You hit the nail on the head with the hill-climbing

You absolutely must settle in to a rythym on a hill that suits you, and not get sucked into trying to keep up with others who pass you. It is too easy to blow your heart rate going too fast up a hill, and when that happens you probably exceed your lactate threshold, and then its gonna be ten minutes recovering once you are over the top to disperse the lactate...

But if you chug on at your pace, you will have some sting in your legs at the top and hopefully be able to close the gap between yourself and those in front.

It is definately a head game and the more I play, the more I realise that. You have to get a plan in your head, know what feels right for yourself and know when you can push your limits and always endeavour to not get sucked into others attacks unless you know you can deal with it... and when you choose not to rush after them (like up a hill) keep telling yourself its ok, cause you are going to get up the hill in tact and able to keep riding with zing in your muscles once over the top.