Thanks for kicking my butt yesterday.

I remember after completing my second AIDS ride and choosing not to do another one (I'll just ride casually and keep in shape, I thought – hahahahahahaha), the subject of Pinehurst Road came up.

My reaction to that was, “I really don't see the need to do that again.”

I've ridden Pinehurst the past two Saturdays.

I have a feeling that I will be riding quite a few hills that I didn't see the need to do again. Kings Mountain Road, the Marshall Wall, etc.

The irony is that Pinehurst was probably the easiest climb we did yesterday. Shaded, a nice gradual grade (except that nasty bit at the top) and fairly little car traffic. I was gratified to have climbed it 7 whole seconds faster this week over last week. Cadel Evans, you're on notice.

I have a theory about hills and perception about the difficulty of them. A rider doesn't remember the last time she has done a hill. She remembers the first time. When she wasn't in as good condition. The beginning of the season or the beginning of her cycling 'career.' Doing a hill for the first time is always more challenging. A rider doesn't know where the top is, whether it's steep at the bottom or if it finishes with a nice wall. Where to give it all or whether to save some for later. Besides being out of shape, the mental energy spent in doing an unfamiliar road or route can be taxing.

Approaching a hill for a second pass puts all that in mind. In her mind, the hill is very long. And very difficult.

And at the top, she says, “Oh, that's not as bad as I remembered.”

But take a season (or several) off. How is that same hill remembered? As it felt the last time she did it. In her glory days. When she pinged up climbs like a springbok on the Serengeti. (Oh, honey, you were never that good). When did this stupid hill get so damn steep?

It's not like she got old or out of shape or anything in the interim years.

As with every sport, cycling has its own vocabulary. Climbs are broken into categories based on length and average grade. Many of the climbs in the Tour de France are (a) off the chart (b) category 1 and 2 climbs. Low number = higher difficulty. Many of the hills I ride are not even on the chart (on the lower end – they don't even rate). Yesterday's ride had two Category 3 and 6 Category 4 climbs.

Ironically named Happy Valley Road is a Category 3. Unhappy. Not Valley. Road. At mile 40. Followed quickly by a Cat 4 starting from a dead stop.

But they say... That which doesn't kill you only drives you to drink. So after the ride we had a nice brewski at some seemingly oddly-placed Hofbrau house in tony Orinda. And gave Coach Phil a bad time about the hills, road surface, cars... Whatever we could think of. Just our way of saying thanks for kicking our butts.