Actually, the total gain has been eight minutes. That's my experience, YMMV. I don't doubt a stronger rider would have seen less of a difference, but in my case, having all those gears at hand keeps me at my optimum longer, and wears me out less so I'm stronger for the second climb. If I still lived in Florida or the Chicago area, I don't doubt the difference would have been much less, but here in hilly north Georgia, it means a lot.