How to cycle a mountain, or I don't need stabilisers after all

Well it seems like a mountain to me! Locally there is a lane called....

Steepy lane

As the name suggests its rather, erm, steep. My 1st encounter with steepy was during a group ride, going down it, whilst screaming shiiiiiiiiiit and hanging on to my breaks for dear life, slowing to a near stop for the 45 degree corners(exaggerate, me?) and finishing half an hour after the rest of the group feeling like I left my stomach at the top.

Finally after a few weeks I felt I could ride down it without dying yay me. Then on a group ride, egged on by more experienced riders, group lead decided we would ride up it, after 30 miles he thinks that's a good idea?....

Half way up I remember gasping to one of the other girls "I can't do this, I think I'm going to die" but I managed it, crawling up at 4mph, gasping for breath and sweating like a pig at a BBQ. Actually, I had a proper sense of achievement, I did it yay.

I then decided that, as Wales is a little lumpy, maybe doing steepy regularily was a good idea........

Roll on to last Monday, out with Andy at the end of a 15 mile ride, let's ride up it, yay. Off he went (he rides stronger than I do so I told him to just go) I got half way up and gave up, I clipped a d had a drink. Then I was ready to go again. Remember I said I was half way up the hill? Well, it would seem attempting to start riding, whilst on a steep incline is not conducive to actual movement, well movement other than downwards, I found myself sprawled in the middle of the road, still clipped in, bike on top of me with the chain slipped. Ahhhh bugger. I managed to get the chain back on, and get going again, without crying but with a dented ego! Result but, as I told Andy I was never, ever, EVER going up steepy again.

Until last night. We had completed a nice 23ish miles, 2 choices, either short, sharp steepy or a longer, slower drag. With a little "persuasion" from andy ( me: I'm scared him: man up, or words to that effect) we started up, Andy rode behind me, encouraging, telling me I could do it, that it wasn't as bad as I thought and, that I wasn't in fact dying at all and slowly, painfully I did it. My throat felt like it was swelling, I couldn't breathe and, I think there were tears. There was also a very powerful urge to tell him to bugger off and leave me alone which I swallowed. And I did it, all the way without ending up sprawled across the road.

Yay I don't need stabilisers after all!

Without Andys persuasion/heckling I would have given up and hobbled up on my cleats.  I still hate it, but I'm going to keep attacking it, I will be able to ride that mountain, sorry sorry slight climb without crying like a 4 year old.

I will be Queen of the hill with my own spotty jersey.