Road Cycling - The best part of a hill

I have always found that the best part of a hill is going up, and I could never figure out why, don't get me wrong now I love the feel of going at insane speeds downhill but I am a horrible desender. On the way up I play many mind games with myself, and at the same time I remeber to keep my body from swaying and to keep my legs pumping a solid rythm. Now somtimes it feels like my heart is going 100 mph but I don't care about that, if it hurts I tell myself the faster I can go uphill the sooner it will be over, and the uphill is the best place to grind your buddies into the dust. Hey I don't have the ego I used to have but I think maybe that is why I loved going uphill more than downhill 'cause nobody that I had met on the road could beat me in the hills. Nowadays that is much different though especially since I am over 220 lbs and just quit smoking. I still love the hills and I think one day when I lose enough weight to ride my beautiful road bike I will hit those hills in proper style, but till then I am just a die hard roadie riding my mountain bike going slower than I should.

Hey! Can't argue with that. I love hill climbing myself. For me it's just the slightly more challenging aspect of it, and the satisfaction that comes with reaching the top of a long hill.

regards,
Chris

I also enjoy climbing hills. As a matter a fact that's part of the reason I moved to Arizona, there are some MONSTER climbs here. If you ever need any info on the best climbs here drop me a line. I have real good info on the hills in Arizona.

For me, the best part of a hill is.........leaving it behind!

The best part is the views! You see things you just can't see driving a car at 30mph.

I think the best part of a hill is the last 100 yards to the top. There's something very satisfying about getting to the crest of a hill and realising that it's all downhill for a while.

I love it when I get into a rhythm with the pedaling and the burning in my legs stops bothering me, and I feel like I'm being pushed smoothly up the hill, like I could climb forever. Plus, since I'm riding fixed most of the time, it's great fun to charge heroically past the group at the base of a hill, struggling to keep all the momentum I can.

The best part of this thread is when it's FIVE YEARS OLD

I'm just getting back to cycling this year and I guess my tastes have changed a bit from 13 years ago. Back then I purposely squandered almost every climbing opportunity in front of me, because I just really liked to go fast on the flats. What a shame too, because there's some nice climbs in upstate NY. Anyway, this weekend I drove 70 miles just to get to a sweet, hilly, semi-mountainous area.

The "climbs" I did were very modest, but the best part was getting to the point where I instantly realized that I was actually going to be able to make it past the crests. I could hear my mind tell me, "Damn, you ARE going to make it". It provided an instant adrenaline rush and got me to the top feeling great. That being said, the worst part of a climb is when your mind and body say, "No way, Jose" and you get off the bike and walk it up or just turn around and glide back down w/ your head hung in shame....

The best part of this thread is when it's FIVE YEARS OLD
So you think they're up the hill by now, then?

My favorite part of climbing is the feeling in my legs. After the climb and desent. When I start pedaling again.

Ahhhh! HILLS, the word is almost "orgasmic".

Corsaire :)

I'm not sure how to put it. Should a hill be described as fun? Yes, in a beautiful and masochistic way. Sure. I appreciate the feeling you get when you reach the top of a good climb. I also thoroughly enjoy the deafening sound of wind rushing by my ears. I know some guys on here have gone faster, but my max is just over 50mph. I loved every second of that downhill. My vote is for the downhill. It's only fun if you might die, right?

Ahhhh! HILLS, the word is almost "orgasmic".

I hope in a tantric sense. No point in riding in sticky shorts, eh?

I hope in a tantric sense. No point in riding in sticky shorts, eh?

Besides...a little suffering is good for the soul, nothing like feeling purged and cleansed on top of that killer hill,
doesn't it?

Corsaire :D

The best part of the hill is the very last 10 feet where you get out of the saddle and sprint to the top and the crest.

The best part of the hill is the part you're riding on at that moment. And hairpins, they're the best. You see it up ahead, you catch a glimpse of the road above, you shoot around the hairpin and start heading in a new direction, looking at the vista from a different direction as the newly discovered road section stretches out ahead of you.

And the part where you set a new personal best climbing rate. That's nice. I did that today.

It's too bad all hills aren't marked with a flag at the summit so you'll know when you've finally reached the top. On a recent bike ride I did they had one hill on the ride and at the base they had a frowny face painted on the road. At the summit they had a smiley face painted on the road. I thought that was a pretty nice touch.

The best part of a hill is
1. seeing it from miles away and letting it weasel its way into your head so you start bogging down even before the road tilts backward.
2. its name.
Where I live, all the hills have names of the farms they pass:
Friday Hill
Pepper Hill
Hadley Hill
And one that's called Bean Bag Hill for some reason.

I like getting to know a good climb, knowing where to shift, where to hammer to stay up with the pace, where it's mellow parts are and where to look at the views.

Names are fun to:
Welder's Hill
Briggs Hill
Old McKenzie Pass
Left Hand Canyon
Hamm Hill
Gimple Hill

We used to have a traditional attack over the Top of a hill that had about a 5 mile gradual downhill to flat into a small town. If you wern't on the pace at the Top, or were ahead and fried yourself on the way up, you would end up chasing a 35mph train all the way to town! Always fun to see people new to this route get caught with their shorts down.

So I guess that puts me solidly into the "best part is on the way down" camp.

I live in Chicago and we don't have hills. I was just in rural michigan and those things were tough to handle, I'm sure all the rocky mountain people will laugh and me calling Michigan hilly but it was to a city boy like me. I'd have to agree with others that the best part of the hill was the last 15 seconds going up. You know how much you accomplished and there's only a bit to the top and you can look forward to going down the hill. Its alot like Christmas eve

I'd have to chime in that the last 100 yards or so is the best part. You have all the hard work behind you, and you know you've beaten the hill. Time to savor the view for a moment before the descent...

The best part of the hill is the "downhill" part.

the best part of a climb to me is right at the beginning where you do all of your mental preps/systems checks and decide, "yep...good to go." the worst part is when you go through that same mental routine and realize you're about to put yourself through something sh!tty...and for what?
on lesser hills -- like a mile or so -- there's no preparation. you just know what it's going to take, and the best part of those(for me) is when you reach the point where you can let up mentally and relax for the downhill.

The best part of any hill is passing people. I don't care how slow I'm going as long as I'm not last up the hill.

I love the yellow road sign of the truck heading downhill. I've always thought that would make a great jersey.
When I see that sign, I know I've made it to the top.
There are a number of descents that are set up really nicely for "surfing the mountain." That is a couple of great back and forth turns that gives you the feeling that you are surfing home.

I love the yellow road sign of the truck heading downhill.

I like the signs with the truck heading uphill! Like this one:

Sonora Pass Road, east side (http://bike.terrymorse.com/kod0306/pages/P6290134.html)

I had some really angry riders by the time they got to the top of that road. Like this one (http://bike.terrymorse.com/kod0306/pages/P6290155.html). Another rider said that if I didn't say I was tired when I got to the top, he was going to hurt me. Funny guys.

[QUOTE=terrymorse]I like the signs with the truck heading uphill! Like this one:

Sonora Pass Road, east side (http://bike.terrymorse.com/kod0306/pages/P6290134.html)

The worst thing about that sign is that you get to think about the climb for 10 miles now

The best part of a hill climb is the feeling of satisfaction you get that later that evening when you go through the day's ride in your mind and revel in the feat it was to complete that climb. The sense of personal satisfaction in the quiet of your own mind is worth all the pain. (But so is that look of agony on the face of the guy behind you.)
On this continent, if you haven't ridden the Rockies, you haven't ridden hills.

On this continent, if you haven't ridden the Rockies, you haven't ridden hills.

Ha! Obviously someone who hasn't spent much time in the Sierra Nevada. They make the Rockies seem flat.

Ha! Obviously someone who hasn't spent much time in the Sierra Nevada. They make the Rockies seem flat.

I've done several rides in the Sierra Nevada, and some of those climbs kicked my fanny but good, plus it is such a beautiful place. The Rocky Mountains are the great mountains of the continent, stretching from New Mexico to British Columbia, and awesome in scope and diversity. Terry, before you make a statement like that, (I know it's April fools day), I have to ask if you have climbed Teton Pass near Jackson WY, and Victor ID? If you've done that climb and concider it flat compared to anything in the Sierra, then I am truly impressed. Teton Pass is one example, Red Mountain/Coal Bank Pass, Berthoud Pass, Loveland Pass, these are a few that have gotten my attention over the years in the Rockies. :eek:

Terry, before you make a statement like that, (I know it's April fools day), I have to ask if you have climbed Teton Pass near Jackson WY, and Victor ID? If you've done that climb and concider it flat compared to anything in the Sierra, then I am truly impressed. Teton Pass is one example, Red Mountain/Coal Bank Pass, Berthoud Pass, Loveland Pass, these are a few that have gotten my attention over the years in the Rockies. :eek:

Maybe quoting myself will thwart the strike-through text pranksters.


Of course, I haven't done all the climbs of the Rockies, although I have driven most of the passes you mention. The only substantial pass I've climbed in Colorado is Independence Pass. It was pretty, but it wasn't difficult. The mountains in Colorado are big, but the roads tend to be graded very gently. In contrast, the roads of the Sierra are a real test of climbing toughness. Sonora Pass is both high and brutally steep. The roads out of Bishop combine grades that are unrelenting with big vertical, high elevation, and exposure to weather.

The Eastern Sierra has been called a climbing mecca (http://www.everestchallenge.com/ec11.htm). The one thing that keeps it from being better known is its remoteness. That's fine, you only have to share the road with a few fishermen and the occasional eruopean tourist on his way to Death Valley.

Ha, no strike-through!

What's a hill?

Oh, you mean the part of the road that goes over an interstate? :D

Sorry, I'm a S. Jersey flatlander. I'll google it.

Sir Edmund Hillary when asked why he climbed Everest: "Because it is there."

gcasillo when asked why he turned around at the base of a little roller: "Because it is there."

Maybe quoting myself will thwart the strike-through text pranksters.



Ha, no strike-through!

I enjoyed the photos of Sonora Pass, thanks for sharing them, that one goes on my list. Did you say it's in the Bishop area? Also might note that the best and hardest climbs in the Rockies are dirt, mtn bike touring can be a thrill.

I enjoyed the photos of Sonora Pass, thanks for sharing them, that one goes on my list. Did you say it's in the Bishop area?

It's quite a ways north of Bishop, north of Yosemite. Mike of Chain Reaction Bicycles has a good page on Sonora Pass:

http://www.chainreaction.com/sonora_pass.htm

Hearing a car struggle past the same "hill"... PRICELESS

It's quite a ways north of Bishop, north of Yosemite. Mike of Chain Reaction Bicycles has a good page on Sonora Pass:

http://www.chainreaction.com/sonora_pass.htm

Thanks that's a great reference. Some of the photos are kind of scarry. :eek: :)