Uphills and down

Who would have thought that a little biking to get fit would have resulted in actual "training?" Well, folks, that's what's happened. I started riding my bike at the end of February. It wasn't long before I thought, "I could actually register for an organized ride." Easy enough, pay the fee and you're in.

Next step, find out where the ride will take me and drive that route. The route is 34 miles. I knew that. I have been riding 15-25 so I didn't see a problem with distance. Then, I got a look at the actual road.
OMG, what have I done?!
The route was riddled with hills. Not one or two, but many. That meant, I had to now think about my rides; I had to train to prepare for those hills. But where? Where could I find hills that would challenge me without deterring me? I asked other riders, including the guy at work that competes in triathlons and my older brother who does Ride the Rockies. Their suggestions were good but I thought I needed something different.
So, yesterday, I went back to the course I would face in 7 weeks. I parked at the bottom of a hill, unloaded my bike and mounted up. For 35 minutes, I rode uphill covering almost 4 miles. When I didn't think I had another hill in me, I turned around and headed for the car. It took less than 15 minutes to travel the same distance. Going up, my average speed was roughly 7 miles per hour. On the brief trip back to the car, I maxed out at 34 mph.
After I got my bike back on the car, I drove up the hills to see what was beyond the point where I turned around. To my surprise, I was a short distance for a long flat plateau.

I will ride again tonight or tomorrow. I will tackle those same hills again knowing that I have already done the worst of the ride. When I get to the top, I'll be rewarded not only with the satisfaction of having bested myself, but with a breathtaking view of the front range of the Rocky Mountains.