See, I found the "pedal fast" thing to work just fine if the hill was short (less than a kilometer). In fact on those ones, I will often stand and power over them.

But when the hill is like one I encountered in Queensland ... and 8% grade that went on for 20 kilometers ... that's when the pedal slowly trick came into play.

Before when I tried to climb long hills by pedalling fast, my heart rate soared, and I was breathing like a steam train, and by about 1/8th of the way up the hill I was spent and had to get off and walk. When I eased everything back, and just chugged along slowly ... I could make it all the way up even very long hills without any walking at all.

It's almost like riding into a headwind ... you just shift into a comfortable gear that you can maintain for the next 100 kms of headwind ... and go.