superslomo

I'm down to riding in the darkness, but for occasional weekend outings. I can't go for that long as I'm only free in the evening at around 9pm. It's getting colder.

So, what constitutes a decent hill for doing some hill training, how much warmup should be planned, and what's the best way to do it? Just grind out reps on the hill? Specific plans?

I'm a mediocre climber, at best. I'm about 6'3", I'm over 200 pounds-ish...

The best bet nearby (cold-wise this is a plus) is 0.6 miles, 260 feet vertically. If I can grind out a few repeats by any means necessary on this a few times a week, is that enough to make a difference by the time spring rolls around? Is recovery different than it would be on longer, scenic endurance rides? I'm not racing, I'm at peace with being vaguely on the slow side, I just want to SURVIVE the hilly days better.

Elvo

Do constant cadence repeats starting in your lowest gear, then moving up a gear each repeat until you can't do it anymore then take it easy on the way home.

superslomo

The way there is under a mile from my door, the way home is (obviously) about the same. I figure I can add in a couple-ten minutes of rambling around town to cool down before getting back home.

You overestimate me... I would figure on doing the 10+% sections of that in my granny gear, at least after the first round