Originally Posted by Longhorn
I'm new to this and getting stronger all the time but I have some big hills (they really are big!) on my commute (and in my neighborhood) that I can barely get up, even in my lowest gear. I am gasping for air and pushing as hard as I can and barely moving and, sometimes, I have to stop and rest. A couple of times when this happened, I was clipped in and when I tried to unclip, I wasn't strong enough on the first attempt and only managed to unclip as a panic reaction when I started to fall.
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Fair enough!
You'll find that as you use clipless pedals more, the unclipping will become second nature. If you do need to stop on a hill, you won't even think about it. Climbing hills makes climbing hills easier too... the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Unclipping is so natural to me these days, that sometimes I even try to unclip from the pedals when I drive the car... makes my wife laugh!