I live East of town. Everything going West is uphill. My rides always start out going West. Average speed is usually 14 MPH over a 15 mile ride. I can usually structure my ride so that going out I am heading up grade for about 8 miles. There are some flats interspersed but not too much down hill. Once I have ridden for an hour, I head East towards home which is usually only 2 miles away. That part of the ride is a great cool down. Most of the grades are smooth and gradual.