What's your biggest regular(ish) climb?

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XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
On my way back from Portsmouth, when I am feeling energetic, I take in Portsdown Hill. The downhill is exhilarating (I can go above 40mph!).

The uphill route that I take, however, comes up past QA Hospital and it is an absolutely relentless uphill in the lowest or next-to-lowest gear (well, for me anyway!). According to Google maps, It is a climb of 300 vertical feet and is almost exactly 1 mile long, with no slack in the gradient at any point! I call it the "Hill of Death".

I should do it more often because there aren't any hills in my regular commute!

What is your biggest regular unbroken climb? To qualify it needs to be climbable in low gear only for the entire length (so no climbs with nice little flattish bits in the middle!). EDIT: And no getting off your bike for a rest! :laugh:
 

Norm

Guest
I take it you mean the one up Southwick Hill Road? It's pretty relentless, that one, isn't it, and I've only ever done it on a motorbike.

Living near the Thames, just about everywhere is uphill from me. My usual route has a climb of about 300 feet, but it's over about 3.5 miles. Not as bad as Portsdown but tiring because it feels kinda flat, so I try to maintain my "normal" flat speed. As that is leaving the house, I'm straight into it and it can leave me wondering how far I'm going to make that day. :smile: It's nice coming home, though, as I don't need to pedal much for the last 4 miles of my journey. :laugh:

The climb to Handy Cross is about the same as Portsdown, both in height and distance. I usually have to stop to take a phone call *ahem* a few times on that one. :rofl:
 
OP
OP
XmisterIS

XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
Norm said:
I take it you mean the one up Southwick Hill Road? It's pretty relentless, that one, isn't it, and I've only ever done it on a motorbike.

Living near the Thames, just about everywhere is uphill from me. My usual route has a climb of about 300 feet, but it's over about 3.5 miles. Not as bad as Portsdown but tiring because it feels kinda flat, so I try to maintain my "normal" flat speed. As that is leaving the house, I'm straight into it and it can leave me wondering how far I'm going to make that day. :biggrin: It's nice coming home, though, as I don't need to pedal much for the last 4 miles of my journey. :rofl:

The climb to Handy Cross is about the same as Portsdown, both in height and distance. I usually have to stop to take a phone call *ahem* a few times on that one. :smile:

Yep, Southwick Hill Rd, that's the one! You go up the first bit of the hill past the hospital, thinking, "Ah, this isn't so bad", then you come round the corner and see the top of the hill right up there somewhere in the far distance and you think, "You have got to be shitting me ..."

The end of the hill is the worst bit - you're knackered from the climb - and then it gets steeper for the last 100m or so!

I have never taken a phone call on that hill though ... :laugh:
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
The biggest climb is one of the medium sized hills on the way back from town which is 450-500ft. The bottom bit isn't too bad and then it's a bit manic after that.

One of the other routes I do all the time is similar to your hill except it goes on for quite a bit longer and that's about 500ft. A nice flat hill.

There's a third route back that I use less often as it's a chevron on the OS map.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
a small climb of like 50ft.. hahah nothing big into and out of london... how ever if i go east or south from my front door i got some big hills to climb.
 

Simba

Specialized Allez 24 Rider
XmisterIS said:
Go here: www.gmap-pedometer.com - navigate to the UK and set a route from the bottom of the hill to the top - it tells you total distance + vertical height :laugh:

Thanks alot
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
Bow Flyover

If you get into North London, the climb up to Suicide Bridge and the hill up the side of Highgate Cemetary are bloody nasty
 

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
Elland Bypass.

500ft climb in 1.48 Miles. Not particularly steep, just a nice 10 minutes of head down, bum up effort.... unless theres a side wind, then it's a nasty bar-steward.


But then we have some proper hills round here :laugh:
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
153ft in bang on 0.5 miles is the most vertical height gained in a single uninterrupted climb, not hugely demanding its own but it's in the middle of a 3.2mile series of short sharp shock climbs, 581ft climbed in 2.2 miles & 259ft of descent, it's all to easy to attack the ascents way to hard at the beginning & kill your self for the end of the series.

Then there's a 127ft climb in 1.05 miles which is the longest distance traveled in a sustained climb.

That's climbing around here though, not much total elevation to play with but you can find a fair amount of ascent in short sections if you plan the route properly.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Kestevan said:
Elland Bypass.

500ft climb in 1.48 Miles. Not particularly steep, just a nice 10 minutes of head down, bum up effort.... unless theres a side wind, then it's a nasty bar-steward.


But then we have some proper hills round here :smile:
Aye. Trinity Street/Westbourne Road/New Hey Road all the way from town to Outlane R'about. Small stretch down from the r'about to Outlane village then up to Round Ings, then up Round Ings Hill to Scape village. 5.9 miles, climbs over 900 feet. If you want to add interest you can continue up the A640 to Buckstones which adds another more or less continuous 5 miles uphill, gaining probably another 400 or so feet. Proper hills. :blush:
 
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