skidder

I've got a couple of out and backs routes that have some options along the way. One has a side hill you can hammer up, about 2 miles long and 800 ft of gain, also a lollipop loop, another has a lollipop loop at the turn-around point.

ScottCommutes

Not exactly sure how this relates to biking, but in the model train world, beginners and less enthusiastic enthusiasts are pejoratively called "loopers". True buffs run their trains like real trains, with a starting point and a destination.

spelger

here's a nice out and back i did today. weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky.

rsbob 

In the same way, when climbing up a super-steep challenging climb, I say to myself, “I think I can, I think I can”.

spelger

what is super steep for you? for me i had to go up a 15% grade on a road i thought i would never go because of that bit. my other usual route was closed for car racing. 15% was very hard for me. i can do that easily in a virtual environment. sometimes wonder if virtual is not close enough to reality or real life is just more intimidating.

terrymorse 

15% is pretty hard for everyone, I think. Having very low gears makes it less hard. 5mph on a 15% grade requires about 4 Watts per kilogram -- pretty hard!

I can power up a 15% grade, if it's not too long. If it's longer than a quarter mile, that gets tiring.

Much higher than 15%, and it's "hoo boy, I hope this is over soon" territory. I hit an unexpected 27% grade the other day, and I bailed out in a driveway. It felt like the bike was about to stop completely, and I was going to topple over, although the stats show I was doing 5mph. Roads that steep are intimidating -- spin the rear wheel just a little, your speed goes to zero, and you may fall.

pdlamb

On the other side, how long do you chant, "I thought I could?"