Now there’s a million dollar question.
I never really enjoyed uphills on my Fuego. It was brilliant at downhills and more aero on the flat / faster than my newer recumbent in that terrain. But on uphills it felt like I’d chucked an anchor out the back, and a couple of drone parachutes for good measure.
I think I would have made it round in the (BR) time limits, but not with as comfortable a gap. I’d almost certainly ended up walking two or three of the Howardian hills and Staxton hill in the Yorkshire Wolds. I might have also walked some hills near the end on the Fuego. I remember on my Fuego on Flatlands 600 in 2019 I was slow up some Essex hills at the end, and the hills on this are mostly (but not all) steeper and longer.
I will add that from late November 19 I went exclusively recumbent for vast majority of my riding, maybe as high as 80-90%, and 100% for audax. Thus it may just be that 2.5 years of solid recumbent riding has developed my bent legs in a way I never developed them on my Fuego.
On my current recumbent I enjoy the hills, and even chevron ones hold no fears. I do notice how much lighter it is. I’m also a fairly light (male) rider at 73kg, a heavier (more powerful) rider would notice less difference with a heavier recumbent.
The other thing with the Fuego was that with the long mono tubing and suspension the boom / frame did flex when trying to put power in uphill. The newer recumbent is a space frame design, no suspension, and much stiffer. I’m not consciously aware of flex as I push the pedals up hills.
