It's pretty hilly around here. All of my week-day rides are at least "rollers". Usually with on 6% to 8% grade thrown in.

I have a long flat route, but if I start from home, I have to climb out of the valley. There is at least one 15+% grade there.

This is my first season in this area and the first few weeks were pretty rough. Hell, it was a little rough today -- back-to-back steep graded hills (the short kind) at the beginning of a 4 mile hill that is otherwise 2% to 3%. I used to live in Delaware and that's pretty flat.

It must be the country roads. They just seem to have paved the cart paths.