fifao

When your out riding, do you say 'darn' louder when you see a huge hill or when you get hit by some nice wind, in every direction but the one you want it in. I'll take a hill over wind any day.

Treespeed

Hills eventually end. The worst wind is the tailwind you weren't aware of on the outward leg of your ride, then you have to get spanked by a headwind the whole way home.

Hipcycler

Headwind going up hills.
Bring it on baby....character builder!

merlinextraligh

Having grown up in West Virginia, and now living in Florida, I'll take hills over headwinds any day. Hills end, wind doesn't. Hills have downhills, wind very rarely has a true tailwind. (as a matter of vector physics the majority of wind directions are effectively headwinds.) hills give a sense of accomplishment, wind doesn't. Wind just makes you feel slow, often making you think you're really bad, not realizing how much the wind is affecting you. Also you look really bad hammering 13 mph in a viscuous headwind that every body going by in their cars can't even appreciate is there. At least crawling up a hill, bystanders can appreciate the effort.

Also hills give a change of pace, wind is constant suffering. Hills are the antidote to wind, when its windy ride hills, where the wind is much less of a factor. And finally you can lean your eyes against a hill.

substructure

Struggling downhill due to a strong headwind with a painful realization that the same wind is waiting for you on the upward battle.

Cromulent

That's my favorite. You ride out feeling like Lance Armstrong and you ride back feeling like Abe Vigoda.

I'll take hills.

jschen

I hate headwinds. I seek out hills.

Sharpknife

There was a time not very long ago I would have said I dislike the wind more than the hills.

Being in West Texas the wind is almost constant, if you don't think so you should see the wind farm sprawl that is currently going on aroud here. It conjures of images of Holland, (I've never been to Holland but they are supposed to have big windmills?) Anyways I have forced myself to ride in the wind and it has helped improve my overall stamina as well as really boosted my average speed. I am learning to like the wind. Intervals in the wind are your friend.
Insert: Bob Seiger Against the wind

woodcycl

Strong headwind and crosswinds SUCK comared to a good challenging hill! Besides, most hills end much sooner than a darn headwind!

SoonerBent

We fairly regularly get gusts of 35 to 40+. I've had gusts stop me dead in my tire tracks. Never had a hill do that.

SS

Veloduo

I have been described as the human air dam. I go in excess of 6'4," and even weighing every pound of two balloons, give me a hill any day. That 30-tooth cheater ring on my Ultegra triple has no equivalent to help me deal with a 20-mph headwind

zakk

wind. you can go down a hill. a headwind when you're homeward bound sucks

caloso

Hate wind. Unfortunately, here in the bottom of the Great Central Valley, it's all we got. I just put my head down and repeat my mantra: "If it was good enough for Eddy, it's good enough for me."

High Fist Shin

I'll take hills anyday. Nothing like cruising along at 20+ and getting blown down to nothing by a nice headwind.

Dante

Grasschopper

Wind sucks...hills are a challange that can be defeated. I love a big hill and the feeling of getting to the top but any time I ride in the wind I find myself cursing it constantly.

Probably doesn't help that I am a bit wider than I should be.

urban_assault

Well, dang...I might as well say wind just to be different.


Truth is, I'll take a hill over wind any day.

a.gunn

J-walking crack heads and prostitutes seem worst to run into than wind and hills- the good thing about the wind is it keeps the stench down-

R900

Hills, agreed, wind sucks... or blows - may be a better description.

John

banerjek

Hills are much easier to deal with. You can see what you need to deal with so you can mentally prepare for whatever lies ahead. Plus, even if you are climbing a mountain, you know where it ends. Besides, with hills, what goes up must come down....

Inverted

Give me both.

Gusts from the side are a bit annoying- I've literally been blown across an entire lane, and am thankful no cars were near- but it's better than nothing at all. Keeps the rides interesting!

CPcyclist

I hate wind much more then hills....as a skinny guy

johnny99

hills = fun
wind = boring

webist

The wind is just there. For that matter, so is the hill. However, I can choose whether to tackle the hill. The wind is just there.

Machka 

I have. It was a 25% grade.

Machka 

I prefer wind.

I dislike hills.

I can keep riding when there's wind ... even very, very strong winds. I have lived in Manitoba for 13 years and have ridden in 80 km/h (50 mph) winds which haven't stopped me in my tracks. I just gear down and keep pedalling. I have learned to ride the wind, to go with the gusts.

Hills however ... they're just exhausting!