I agree. These days I prefer hills that are medium steep but long. I also find that it kills me to keep out of the seat as much as I can till everything burns. Then I try to keep a steady count as I climb. Sometimes I put my hands inwards from the shifters in a close grip position and then just drive the bike uphill.
donhix1 said:Going another direction, Chris Carmichael suggested that if you are short on time it is better to do strength training work on the bike. One of the exercises is finding a hill pick a gear that is about 40-50 rpm and then go all out while you are seated.
Another is on the flats. Roll along at 15 MPH in a big gear (53-13 or whatever is tough) then go all out seated for 15-30 seconds, I think they call them stomps.