1989Pre 

A phenomenon I've noticed while riding long distance is that sometimes, I see a hill ahead, but when I get there, it's flat. Has anybody else experienced this? (It must have a name, like a false hill).

Machka 

It has to do with an optical illusion and foreshortening. The top of the hill seems about the same distance away as the bottom, or in other words, it looks like you're approaching a wall.

So, I keep repeating to myself over and over ... "It's not as bad as it looks." ... and it usually isn't as bad as it looks.

Nermal

I've also noticed that from the shore, the ocean looks like it's towering overhead, though maybe it's just me.

Berta

I had this same experience in LA, but not in New Jersey to North Carolina. The ocean looked slightly higher in Daytona. I remember the road illusion on these long stretches of rural roads many years ago when we'd go on vacation.

Retro Grouch 

Sometimes works the other way too. I've got a snotty little hill in our condo complex that doesn't look very challenging but that has me huffing and puffing to get up it.

10 Wheels

avidone1

Run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

avidone1

Here in my area of florida an appropriate response to OP would be "What's a hill"?
Seriously, the only hills I have near me are highway over passes

BobbyG

When I lived in the midwest I found this to be true. But, here in Colorado Springs the hills tend to be steep.

Homebrew01

Around here, the hills only get worse. I think there's a lot of tectonic activity because hills that weren't too bad a few years ago are more difficult now.

Retro Grouch 

Yes, that's true. When I was a boy we didn't have to walk uphill to school because the earth was still flat.

enigmaT120

One of the guys I run hills with around here used to own a large construction company. I asked him if he had any geologists working for him who could explain why the hills have become so much steeper and higher in the 20 years I'd been running them with him. I must be a terrible joker, as he thought I was serious at first.

SloButWide 

or as I call the phenomenon, "Kansas". I drove I-70 through Kansas at night. Because of the way the highway lines converged in the distance, the lack of references, and the long straight stretches, it felt like the entire state was uphill. It was uphill coming the other direction when I came back! I had to watch the engine rpms to convince myself I wasn't climbing a continuous hill. Pic not mine, and not Kansas:

frisky99

Here in Wisconsin frac sand mining is making the hills physically disappear.

ramzilla

If you want to ride up and down hills all day move down here to Atlanta. We've got brutal hills here.

CliffordK

A few months ago I went for a ride that took me back to the road where I grew up (about 5 yrs old to 12 or 13).

There was a hill that was about a mile or so from our house which always seemed like a really big, steep hill.

Going back there, I found the hill, but it just doesn't seem like much at all. Not that steep. Not that long. Did someone steal half of it?

GravelMN

There is a section of MN Hwy 10 between Detroit Lakes and Fargo where, when you are traveling east, what appears to be a series of rolling hills is actually a series of near flats with gentle descents in between. The phenomenon happens on several roads leading into the Red River Valley.

bmthom.gis

I am very familiar with this. I think it is a combination of momentum and a false perspective. I also notice that if I don't look towards the top of a hill as I am going up it, it seems easier.

1983

When you look at the hill, your seeing it relative to that position. When you are on the hill, you are viewing it relative to a much, much closer perspective.

Think about it this way: from space you can see the curvature of the earth, but when you stand on the ground the earth appears flat. It is not really flat, but it appears that way because on the ground you are only seeing a very small portion of said curvature.

cny-bikeman

One thing that has happened to me several times is while climbing a long grade I come to what I think is a flat section where I can coast for a bit - only to find out it's just less uphill. If one looks to the side you can tell if you're still on a grade.

Craptacular8

I drive this fairly often, but have never paid attention to see if what you're saying is true...mostly I'm pulling a trailer, and I'd have to say the hills closer to DL do read a higher rpm than they do on the flats, but I've never looked at gps data of the route. I ride gravel roads nw of dl most weekends. Roads that appear "flat" still amazingly have at least modest amounts of gain, in fact more gain than I experience riding in/around Fargo and climbing the "hills" also known as highway overpasses, which always surprises me.

GravelMN

The two spots I'm thinking of are from the intersection with Hwy 32 west to Hawley, then, after that short rise west of Hawley, there are a couple of more spots that appear to be rises but are actually flat between there and the intersection with Hwy 9. From Detroit Lakes to Hawley there is an elevation gain but I don't know how much because I've only ridden east of 32 a couple of times.

BTW, there are some great rollers, both gravel and paved, south of Hwy 10 in the Rollag - Hawley area. I agree, the Red River Valley between Hwy 9 and Fargo is about as flat as you can get.

Craptacular8

the rise, err hill for one mile from Hawley to the hwy 32 exit is 50' of gain. Lots of hills south of 10, I haven't ridden them yet though. I live on hwy 32, and ride primarily the east side of 32 from Ulen down to clay county 26. Crazy there is someone else in the same viciniy.

GravelMN

Well Hi neighbor. One of my favorite long ride loops starts in Ada, follows 200 to 32, south to 10 and the west through Hawley to Hwy 9, Hwy 11 or Old 81 in Fargo, depending on how ambitious I feel and how much time I have. I rarely see another rider on 32 or even 10. PM me if you are interested in meeting sometime (if we haven't already at some regional event).

hoodat

That actually happened here. There was a hill so steep the kids called it Suicide Hill and used to dare each other to coast down it without using the brakes. Then they flattened the top of it to put in a branch library. Still steep but not long enough any more the develop the coasting speed they used to get.