Originally Posted by genejockey

Climbing isn't the issue, except you're passing people climbing who then drop you on the flats, which means you're working harder than they are on the climbs but not as hard on the flats. Generally big guys like us have less problem on the flats because aerodynamic drag doesn't increase all that much for us, but we can usually put out more power. And on slight descents we have even more advantage.

Personally, I can't spin a cadence of 70-75 unless I'm on a climb >6%. I find it much easier to put down the power on the flats at a higher cadence - more like 93-103.