I think that if you ride at a higher cadence then spinning the whole time is pretty normal. just increase to a higher gear on the downhill, and maintain the cadence. the only thing I noticed when I rode the Seagull century a few years ago is that there always seems to be a head wind no matter what direction your going. the flat area doesn't break up the wind as much as the hillier terrain does and the road surfaces on the eastern shore seemed to be a lot coarser ,the tar and chip had a lot of chip in it. This definitely increased the rolling resistance. I much prefer the variable terrain when riding ,its not quite as mindless as all flat.