Too many donuts, too many IPAs, too much ice cream. We’ve all got our shameful secret calories to burn off, and that’s what weekend training rides are for. But the flat routes, like Lake Sammamish and the Burke-Gilman Trail, just don’t cut it. To really suffer and sweat, hill climbs are necessary (and preferably hill repeats, but that’s another subject). Thus we recommend Juanita Hill in Kirkland, which gains about 500 feet in four miles, conveniently located on the Lake Washington Loop between Juanita Park and St. Edward State Park. The shoulders are wide and smooth; there’s actually some crucial shade toward the top (also an espresso stand); and you can almost imagine the cowbells ringing as if on a snowy Alpine col. Then you plunge down to Kenmore, turn around, and repeat.

7hillskirkland.org

Read all of our picks for Sports & Adventure, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.