Thanks for the training tips RR. I am really working harder at doing hills. I used to despise them and now I only dislike them. I have a 1 km hill close to home that I am working on. Now that I've been up it a few times, I have markers where I try to maintain a certain speed (till I reach a certain house etc). I laugh at staying in your biggest gear etc because right now, I pretty well have to start in 3rd to last gear, and can only maintain about 15kmh for the first third, then drop down a gear and ride at about 10-12 kmh for a little bit, then down to easiest gear and slug up the last section at around 6-7 kmh. Did you know it's actually possible to ride that slow? That final section is the steepest part and I *almost* can't make it without my heart rate going over 175 and coming close to an asthma attack but I somehow managed to hang in. Anyway, I have begun to notice a difference, even in tiny increments - like adding 1-2 kmh in certain sections, or not going under 8 kmh at the end etc. I guess that's the best thing about hill repeats, actually seeing your progress. I have so far to go though...

There is a hill that dh and his brother climb every morning when we camp at the end of July. It's 9km up and about 5-6% grade I think. Just once I'd like to try it but at this rate, it would probably take me about 2 hours to do it, IF I had the endurance, which I don't. I'm going to keep practicing and who knows, maybe I'll do half of it next summer and try for the whole thing the following year. I've got two months...