Originally Posted by
fa63
Probably; there are three distances to choose from: 35 miles, 70 miles (not sure where he got 75 from) and 100 miles. With that said, all three groups have to go over that same hill, and I would say 30-40 percent of the riders end up walking up the hill if it is the one I think it is. Actually, three years ago when I rode with a couple enthusiast friends who never climb anything in Tampa, I witnessed the horror in their face when we came up to this hill because they were afraid they were going to come to a complete stop and fall to their side because of not being able to clip out in time. I ended up climbing and waiting for them at the top.
This is the first organized ride I did when I started cycling back in 2008. I did the 35 miler on my hybrid. I remember going up that hill in the 30 tooth chainring and just kept shifting until I could handle it - I was spinnin' and grinnin', passing people grimacing on their road bikes.
For us flatlanders, hills are as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Even though I'm an older guy and not a strong cyclist, I overtake stronger folks on what passes for hills in Louisiana due solely to the fact that I've done hills before (in other places) and they haven't.