If you are geared properly the "hilly" is a do-able ride on a fixed, without crushing you knees. The climbs are pretty steady and steep, so gear low. And, I am not the type of person that won't ride with you if you use brakes for slowing down on the backside. But, the reason that the ride is so popular, I found, is that it is broken up into two days. You are given eight hours to do fifty miles in one day. That makes the ride accessable to riders of all ranges.