Wind vs. Hills

Some people prefer climbing hills over riding into a headwind, but I'm not one of them. I can cope with wind. I can hide in the pack on a group ride. I can grab my drops if I'm riding solo. I get to drop the scrawny little buggers that drop me on the hills. And the headwind on the outbound leg of the ride becomes a tailwind on the return leg. I've never ridden into a headwind bad enough to force me to get off the bike and walk. I've encountered several hills I couldn't climb on the bike.

Hills, on the other hand, are a pain in the... legs. I make it a point to include at least one or two climbs on almost every ride, but only because I need the training. Never out of any enjoyment of the climb. For me, climbing hills is like banging your head against a wall. It feels good when you quit, and that's the only thing to be said for it.

I'm trying to get ready for the Tour of Payne ride this Fourth of July, and the course is one damned roller after another. If there's a quarter mile stretch of flat road anywhere on the course, I don't know where it is. This is sort of course that fat guys like me hate. I get dropped by scrawny little buggers that I'd beat like stepchildren on a flat course. The July heat hammers me, in spite of the Gatorade I chug at the rest stops. So why do it? Because it forces me to learn to deal with hills and summer heat, and that makes me a stronger, faster rider. Sometimes, you gotta do rides that get you out of your comfort zone.