CliftonGK1

2500' is just a bit more than I do on my daily 30 mile commute. I started off with a commute that was almost dead flat, then we moved to the top of Redmond Ridge; a 2.25 mile long, 650' climb on the easiest route to the top. At first, this was enough of a hill for me to tackle.
Then I changed my route and threw another little hill in the middle of things. And another a few weeks later... and another...

Now, almost 5 months later, I've gone from under 800' total climbing to over 2200' of climbing daily. I'm still a big Sasquatch monster at 6'6" and 235-240 pounds, and that's not really changing. My climbing strategy is simple: low gears and high cadence. I have a 34t inner ring on my compact crank, and an 11-32t cassette on back. To teach myself a smooth pedal stroke at 90+ rpm, I do a few cadence drills.
- I take my fixed gear out on the bike path (dead flat) or the 2 mile (mostly flat) loop in my neighbourhood and do sprints. It's easy to top out the low gear ratio I have on there, but you can't stop pedalling because it's a fixed gear. You're forced to learn how to smooth out your pedal stroke.
- Find a clear, level, short (1/4 mile or less) straightaway. Pop your bike into the lowest gear you've got. Now: SPRINT! Yep, pedal like a maniac until you're going a whopping 5 mph! Low resistance forces you to smooth out your pedal stroke or you bounce on the seat like it was made of Flubber. Do a few reps of 200 yards at a time.
The cadence drills have really helped me even out my pedal stroke and quit mashing on the hills.