So, you are in Western Mass? Lived in WMass (Springfield) for 28 years. If you are out west of Westfield, I feel your pain. I've ridden around in Feeding Hills, Southwick and Westfield but never ventured out farther than that but I know the terrain.

Here is your problem. It did not take 6 weeks to get out of shape and you cannot erase years of being overweight and out of shape in 6 weeks. Unfortunately, all of us want to get back into shape in 6 weeks so we will all look good come summer as we don our bathing suits, right? Sadly, there is no pill.

I remember starting back up riding and I "though" I was in fairly decent shape for a 56 year old. I ventured out on a Redbox return of just 7 miles. Yes, a few upticks included. Well, I had to stop 4 times on that 7 mile route and then called in the SAG wagon to come get me. A real slap in the face.

The key thing here is that it takes time. Sorry, but you are going to have to suffer. There is no magic bullet. You are going to suffer. If it were easy, say riding down at the beach, everyone would be doing it. It is not and especially in the rollers you are dealing with, it is going to hurt. This IS the battle though. Mind over matter. You CAN do it but you have to stick with it. It will come slowly but eventually it does get a bit easier.

Now, let me define easier. I was told early on, the rides will still be hard but the key is how you feel after the ride. In other words, how fast will you recover. When I first started back and thought I was going to die, my day was pretty well shot after we got done with our 20-25 mile ride. Fast forward to now, some 5 years later and that same ride I can ride faster and when I am done I can go out and do some stuff in the afternoon without feeling totally wiped out.

The climbs will never get to the point of being easy. If they become easy, then you need to shift into a higher gear and go faster. Remember, LeMond said, "It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster!" This is true. Although the climbs will still be hard, over time you will see that at the top of the climb and going back down, you will recover faster and that is the key. Also try and up shift once you crest the hill. If you can do that, then you are getting in better shape.

Remember though, it does take time. You would be VERY wise to get a HR monitor. You do NOT what to go into your redline while climbing. If you do, that is not only dangerous for older folks but it just means you are taking away energy you might need for the next hilly section. You can only stretch the rubber band so far and so many times before it eventually breaks which usually means you have popped and are wrecked for the remainder of your ride. That can be a total bummer and I know that feeling all to well.

Best thing is to stick with it. Go low on the ring. Spin. Get into a gear that you can turn easily at least for most of the climb, then unfortunately, you are stuck grinding it out. On longer climbs, one thing that helped me was not looking to far ahead. I usually focus my vision about 5 feet in front of my wheel and then just grind it out. Before you know it, you are up and over. If you look to far ahead, you mind will be saying how far you still have to go etc. So, it is a mind game. Try thinking of something else besides how you feel and that this hill sucks. My mother-in-law used to say, "this too shall pass" and if you keep telling yourself this, it will pass. Again, climbing is a mind game.

Keep with it. I can attest that it will get better over time if you keep riding. From my that first crappy ride, less than 2 years, I was able to complete the Assault on Mt Mitchell which is the hardest ride in the SE at 11,000 vertical gain over 100 miles. Also, it will prolong your fitness if you don't ride at least 3 times per week. There is no substitute for time in the saddle.

john