I have always found that the best part of a hill is going up, and I could never figure out why, don't get me wrong now I love the feel of going at insane speeds downhill but I am a horrible desender. On the way up I play many mind games with myself, and at the same time I remeber to keep my body from swaying and to keep my legs pumping a solid rythm. Now somtimes it feels like my heart is going 100 mph but I don't care about that, if it hurts I tell myself the faster I can go uphill the sooner it will be over, and the uphill is the best place to grind your buddies into the dust. Hey I don't have the ego I used to have but I think maybe that is why I loved going uphill more than downhill 'cause nobody that I had met on the road could beat me in the hills. Nowadays that is much different though especially since I am over 220 lbs and just quit smoking. I still love the hills and I think one day when I lose enough weight to ride my beautiful road bike I will hit those hills in proper style, but till then I am just a die hard roadie riding my mountain bike going slower than I should.

Hills build character!
 

Hey! Can't argue with that. I love hill climbing myself. For me it's just the slightly more challenging aspect of it, and the satisfaction that comes with reaching the top of a long hill.

regards,
Chris

best part of the hill
 

I also enjoy climbing hills. As a matter a fact that's part of the reason I moved to Arizona, there are some MONSTER climbs here. If you ever need any info on the best climbs here drop me a line. I have real good info on the hills in Arizona.

For me, the best part of a hill is.........leaving it behind!

The best part is the views! You see things you just can't see driving a car at 30mph.

I think the best part of a hill is the last 100 yards to the top. There's something very satisfying about getting to the crest of a hill and realising that it's all downhill for a while.

I love it when I get into a rhythm with the pedaling and the burning in my legs stops bothering me, and I feel like I'm being pushed smoothly up the hill, like I could climb forever. Plus, since I'm riding fixed most of the time, it's great fun to charge heroically past the group at the base of a hill, struggling to keep all the momentum I can.

The best part of this thread is when it's FIVE YEARS OLD

I'm just getting back to cycling this year and I guess my tastes have changed a bit from 13 years ago. Back then I purposely squandered almost every climbing opportunity in front of me, because I just really liked to go fast on the flats. What a shame too, because there's some nice climbs in upstate NY. Anyway, this weekend I drove 70 miles just to get to a sweet, hilly, semi-mountainous area.

The "climbs" I did were very modest, but the best part was getting to the point where I instantly realized that I was actually going to be able to make it past the crests. I could hear my mind tell me, "Damn, you ARE going to make it". It provided an instant adrenaline rush and got me to the top feeling great. That being said, the worst part of a climb is when your mind and body say, "No way, Jose" and you get off the bike and walk it up or just turn around and glide back down w/ your head hung in shame....

So you think they're up the hill by now, then?

My favorite part of climbing is the feeling in my legs. After the climb and desent. When I start pedaling again.

Ahhhh! HILLS, the word is almost "orgasmic".

Corsaire :)

I'm not sure how to put it. Should a hill be described as fun? Yes, in a beautiful and masochistic way. Sure. I appreciate the feeling you get when you reach the top of a good climb. I also thoroughly enjoy the deafening sound of wind rushing by my ears. I know some guys on here have gone faster, but my max is just over 50mph. I loved every second of that downhill. My vote is for the downhill. It's only fun if you might die, right?

I hope in a tantric sense. No point in riding in sticky shorts, eh?

Besides...a little suffering is good for the soul, nothing like feeling purged and cleansed on top of that killer hill,
doesn't it?

Corsaire :D

The best part of the hill is the very last 10 feet where you get out of the saddle and sprint to the top and the crest.

The best part of the hill is the part you're riding on at that moment. And hairpins, they're the best. You see it up ahead, you catch a glimpse of the road above, you shoot around the hairpin and start heading in a new direction, looking at the vista from a different direction as the newly discovered road section stretches out ahead of you.

And the part where you set a new personal best climbing rate. That's nice. I did that today.

It's too bad all hills aren't marked with a flag at the summit so you'll know when you've finally reached the top. On a recent bike ride I did they had one hill on the ride and at the base they had a frowny face painted on the road. At the summit they had a smiley face painted on the road. I thought that was a pretty nice touch.

The best part of a hill is
1. seeing it from miles away and letting it weasel its way into your head so you start bogging down even before the road tilts backward.
2. its name.
Where I live, all the hills have names of the farms they pass:
Friday Hill
Pepper Hill
Hadley Hill
And one that's called Bean Bag Hill for some reason.

I like getting to know a good climb, knowing where to shift, where to hammer to stay up with the pace, where it's mellow parts are and where to look at the views.

Names are fun to:
Welder's Hill
Briggs Hill
Old McKenzie Pass
Left Hand Canyon
Hamm Hill
Gimple Hill

We used to have a traditional attack over the Top of a hill that had about a 5 mile gradual downhill to flat into a small town. If you wern't on the pace at the Top, or were ahead and fried yourself on the way up, you would end up chasing a 35mph train all the way to town! Always fun to see people new to this route get caught with their shorts down.

So I guess that puts me solidly into the "best part is on the way down" camp.

I live in Chicago and we don't have hills. I was just in rural michigan and those things were tough to handle, I'm sure all the rocky mountain people will laugh and me calling Michigan hilly but it was to a city boy like me. I'd have to agree with others that the best part of the hill was the last 15 seconds going up. You know how much you accomplished and there's only a bit to the top and you can look forward to going down the hill. Its alot like Christmas eve

I'd have to chime in that the last 100 yards or so is the best part. You have all the hard work behind you, and you know you've beaten the hill. Time to savor the view for a moment before the descent...

The best part of the hill is the "downhill" part.

the best part of a climb to me is right at the beginning where you do all of your mental preps/systems checks and decide, "yep...good to go." the worst part is when you go through that same mental routine and realize you're about to put yourself through something *****ty...and for what?
on lesser hills -- like a mile or so -- there's no preparation. you just know what it's going to take, and the best part of those(for me) is when you reach the point where you can let up mentally and relax for the downhill.