I love good physical challenges, especially ones I can try without traveling far from home Fortunately, my hometown of Seattle, Washington, is ripe with them, from spectacular hikes in the nearby Cascade Mountains to scenic bi around glacial lakes

Built on 7 adjacent hills, this city also has quite a steep slope to cross The steepest is the 26% grade of the heart pump And before people from Seattle's misty south cousin Snickers, I point out that San Francisco's famous Lombard Street is a 27% grade (

I've always wanted to conquer Seattle's short (one block) hill climb challenge, which is located in a relatively quiet residential area It was a great experience But I wasn't confident/stupid enough to try it on an ordinary road bike 

So the infamous East Roy Street Hill Climb Challenge — no one really calls it — remains out of sight and out of mind Well, not complete: I've walked through it many times, and it's a certified leg burner 

My situation changed this past weekend while I was preparing to head for a test drive on the Trek Verve+1Lowstep LT, one of the brand's latest commuter-friendly ebikes Packing a fairly powerful 250W rear hub motor and with three levels of e-assist, users can very easily reach speeds of up to 20 plus MPH (it's at my disposal on my non—US

warm and sunny Sunday, I took my bike at the end of the ride to make my first ebike rise of Seattle's steepest) Out of the way, some Bro

I've put quite a few miles on the Trek Verve+1Lowestep LT — I've taken it over the world's longest floating bridge - and to be confident and fair in general riding it, however, Verve+1 keeps riders upright and in a comfortable position It is also designed to be worn on the back; there is also no upper crossbar to contend with 

The bike's e-assist is also fine, especially in the best settings I've been trying to use to climb The maximum advertised e-assist speed is about 20mph, but with a little help from gravity, you can certainly cruise faster 

I've also ridden Trek Verve+1Lowstep and climbed many of Seattle's other less steep, but still intimidating, 1-block inclines without much trouble, including hills that a regular bike wouldn't normally attempt 

Some were rated at less than 20%, but taking them had heart rates barely above zone 3 (or 147bpm) Needless to say, I felt pretty good getting into this challenge boy, I was wrong 

I arrived at the East Loy Street Hill Challenge with an audience of small but enthusiastic strangers (four people), including a couple walking their dogs and heading to the yard After snapping a few photos from its base, I took a deep breath and examined my plan of attack 

The street that intersects East Loy at the foot of the hill is flat with minimal car traffic — East Loy has also seen very few cars — making it a great place to turn right hard and build a little speed before booking it on 

The e-assist reached its limit, the bike was in its best gear, and I pumped the pedal like a madman about 50 yards before making a turn My first boost sent me about a quarter of the way up the slope that looked like a great start 

But when I started slowing down and returning to my first gear, I worried that I might not be able to maintain enough forward momentum to engage the e-assist And then I leaned on the handlebars and started pumping with as much strength as I could collect This lifted the front wheel of the bike off the ground for a moment, and for a moment I thought it would flip backwards

I did notMy oh-so-graceful recovery could have been helped by the fact that the trek weighs about 45 pounds With that horrible moment behind me, I focused on the rhythm and breathing of my pedaling After what felt like a few years but was really a few seconds, I was finally at the top 

With the wind on my back and renewed my confidence, I decided to continue the next block a little steep before taking a break and checking my stats 

I started the challenge with a Zone 2 (~125bpm) heart rate, but by the end of the climb I was in Zone 5 territory (176bpm), which I didn't expect In the end, the East Roy Street Hill Climb Challenge is harder than I thought, and at least on a powered electric bike, it's really a mind-and-body test, but it's a very fast one

Would you like to try again? Of course In fact, I think it might be a fun demonstration to incorporate into future ebike reviews Speaking of which, stay tuned for my full Trek Verve+1Lowestep LT review and if you're currently on the hunt, take a look at our guide to the best electric bikes