Everybody who is riding faster than you was once just as slow as you are. I remember my first MS150 from San Antonio to Corpus Christi in the 100F heat and 15 mph headwind...I got passed going up a hill by a woman who had to be 60, riding a flat bar cruiser bike with fat tires and a squeaky cassette. She turned to me as I suffered up the hill and said "Looking good!" in one of those insanely chipper voices that you can't ever be mad at, then sped away up the hill. That is when I realized it wasn't about speed or age or fitness, it was about attitude. The conditions that day sucked...but she was having a good time. I averaged under 12 mph for 30 miles the first time I rode in Chappell Hill about 10 years ago. Last Saturday, I averaged 19.0 mph to the 2nd rest stop on the long route before I slowed down and rode with my wife from rest stop 3 on. We still finished with an average around 15.6 mph. The more you ride, the faster you will get, and the less the hills will bother you. I used to despise hills...now I just kinda don't like them...but it isn't true hate anymore. I even managed a Strava best time so far this year for one of the really short steep hills on Dillard Road before the last breakpoint because I just decided I wanted to see how fast I could go up the hill if I really stomped on it and gassed myself. Of course I had to stop and wait for my wife once I went over the top, so I got a chance to catch my breath, but it was fun to just see what a sprint uphill felt like.

The best technique is the one that gets you up the hill without puking over the handlebars. I used to be the type that just spun up a hill trying to keep my cadence above 80 no matter what and dropped gears as much as I had to so that my heart didn't explode. As I have done more riding, dropped a lot of weight, and worked hard in spin class on my strength work, I have altered my style a bit. Now for the type of hills we have around here, I tend to push a slightly harder gear earlier in the hill to carry more of my speed from the flat, even if my cadence drops. When I get below about 65-70, I will stand for a while until it drops too much further, and then if I am not at the top, I will sit back down and start dropping gears to spin a cadence around 85. That works for me...but only time and experimentation will help you figure out the best style for you.