My first categorised climb

[rockpig]

Took my bike with me to Hungerford this weekend. We were seeing friends and I figured it'd be a chance to get to ride somewhere different. Don't know the area but worked out a route (would have been better if I'd downloaded the relevant map to my Garmin - doh!) and set off. It was very pleasant riding through the countryside on quiet roads. Just when I started to really enjoy it I saw that the road went uphill, not a nice gentle uphill, more like a sheer wall (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration). I struggled up it, had to stop twice but pedalled to the top. Back home and it turns out to be my first categorised climb. OK, it's only a cat 4 but I'll take it.

 

[outlash]

cat 4 on what? Strava?

 

[rockpig]

cat 4 on what? Strava?

Yes, Strava

 

[G3CWI]

Climb categories on Strava mean little or nothing. A fairly flat road in Macclesfield has been given a Cat 4. The gradient is hilariously completely wrong!

https://www.strava.com/segments/6021589

 

[outlash]

Climb categories on Strava mean little or nothing. A fairly flat road in Macclesfield has been given a Cat 4. The gradient is hilariously completely wrong!

https://www.strava.com/segments/6021589

This.

 

[rockpig]

Climb categories on Strava mean little or nothing.

Maybe I should edit the title to be "My first steep hill" ;-)

 

[Roadrider48]

Maybe I should edit the title to be "My first steep hill" ;-)

Well done, good job!

 

[madferret]

A steep hill is a steep hill! There are some weird anomalies on strava, but I have found it to be fairly accurate for my needs. A 3 is harder than a 4 etc. Well done! Only just started actually looking for hills myself and its the achievement that YOU feel, not what anyone else thinks.

some interesting reading here - https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216917057-How-are-Strava-climbs-categorized-For-Rides-

I remember for ages, it had some bypass in Chester as my biggest climb, due to some oddness. Can't find it now.

 

[Gert Lush]

Nice job!

 

[outlash]

its the achievement that YOU feel, not what anyone else thinks.

But if we're talking categorised climbs here, surely it's the UCI that matters and not Strava?

 

[madferret]

But if we're talking categorised climbs here, surely it's the UCI that matters and not Strava?

For you maybe? Not necessarily for me, its just a guide that I can utilise to my own ends. I am never going to be involved in anything that likely involves the UCI. So a scaled level of difficulty (be it Strava or UCI, Strava is accessible) is good enough for me.

I guess if the OP had put, "My first Strava categorised climb", there wouldn't be any issue?

 

[outlash]

For you maybe? Not necessarily for me, its just a guide that I can utilise to my own ends. I am never going to be involved in anything that likely involves the UCI. So a scaled level of difficulty (be it Strava or UCI, Strava is accessible) is good enough for me.

I guess if the OP had put, "My first Strava categorised climb", there wouldn't be any issue?

But as has already been pointed out, Strava means nothing, there's a cat 4 segment down the road from here that's pan flat. But hey, as long as you feel like you've climbed up a cat 4 climb, that's ok.

 

[nickyboy]

But if we're talking categorised climbs here, surely it's the UCI that matters and not Strava?

UCI only categorise climbs that are on UCI race routes. Next best thing is Strava categorisation as this is done automatically using their own algorithms based on length and gradient of the climb. Having said that they emphasise too much the climb length and not enough the gradient. Cat & Fiddle around here is a Strava Cat 2 as it is long but it's an easy climb as the gradient is shallow. There are some absolute beasts that are rated Cat 4

There are some obvious errors due to gradient mapping errors but they are easily disregarded. Bottom line is that if you're climbing a real Strava Categorised climb then that's a good effort

 

[madferret]

Are we in the beginners forum? I don't care if its a cat 4 climb or not tbh, but I went up over the pennines today, and its a hill. Some hills are bigger than other hills, the scale I or anyone uses shouldn't matter to others unless they are in competition? Can't we just congratulate the OP on an achievement that he is proud of? Its not like he is submitting it to the guinness book of records or anything?

I don't think that Strava means nothing, I find it a useful tool to monitor my distance and progress. I agree it has some anomalies such as the one pointed out, and one I came across myself. I am sure there are others, but most people would know if the reported cat 4 or whatever was flat? The hills I go up, some are on as 4, some are 3. I have personally found that the 3 are harder than the 4. YMMV.

Each to their own.

 

[mjr]

UCI only categorise climbs that are on UCI race routes.

Do they? I thought the categorisation was done by the race organisers.