You spin me right round

Yesterday we checked out a spin class at Castle Hill Fitness. They have been generous and offered Team in Training members sweet discount on one of their class cards. Before we purchase cards though, I wanted to try out the class.

The instructor immediately saw our Team in Training shirts and asked us what we were training for. According to her, the ride around Lake Tahoe is great, and "we don't need to worry about the altitude difference - they'll be feeling it too!" Not sure who "they" are, but I'm pretty sure they will be doing better than me.

She pushed us pretty hard - we worked on hills, on cadence, on sprinting. My legs burned! But that's how you get stronger, right? And I need to get stronger. I found an elevation map of the ride, and am slightly terrified now - we have to climb a small mountain starting in mile 12. But it's terrified in that it's-good-to-be-challenged way. Though looking at the elevation map again, it still looks daunting.

For the cyclists out there, how do you train to get better at climbing? I can use all the tips and hints I can get!