Your greatest hill climbing feat......

[lycradodger]

First of all - hello: I've been lurking for a while. Have recently restarted commuting.

For me it would be the Tourmalet: first ever col attempted on first ever cycling holiday. Went to the Pyrenees with a triathlete who packed more toiletries than I did clothes, plus (heavy) camping gear: recipe for disaster. I had to keep stopping after the first few kilometres - at the time I thought it was due to the shortage of oxygen at altitude but now I know better.

On the plus side, the Aubisque, Peyresourde, Aspin, Portalet etc seemed like a piece of cake after that!

 

[Joe]

I haven't tackled any mountains yet but I do love climbing and have never had to walk up any! My biggest climbing feat is probably just the fact that in sportives and when out training I practically never get passed on an uphill section. I can remember it happening twice in all the time I've been cycling. Once when I had totally bonked, and once when I was towards the end of a ten times up and down Ditchling Beacon run.
I was also told that "watching me fly uphill was a sight to behold" by a random cyclist I met on a sportive recently My bike is heavy too.
Still, I'm sure I'll be put in my place when I hit some proper hills on the Dave Lloyd Mega challenge next month

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Glad you enjoyed seeing me and others struggle ( I didn't enjoy seeing anyone going past me) it was like death by a thousand cuts

Maybe I didn't phrase that very well - it was that I coped well that made me happy, not other people's struggles.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

my hill climbing feets are the ones on the bottom of my legs.

...I recall a bastard hill somewhere near Haverhill, it was freezing cold, pissing with rain and I had four loaded panniers and a tent on board...it was at the end of longish slog and I was tired and hungry. There was heavy traficc giving no quarter and a bucnh of chavvy oik kids yelling abuse...perfect.

 

[Rab]

Maybe I didn't phrase that very well - it was that I coped well that made me happy, not other people's struggles.

And I was starting to think you had a nasty streak

I have done that hill twice now and still not managed to do it in under an hour - shocking

Third time lucky this year hopefully

 

[Kirstie]

I try to avoid big hills, and prefer to ride down the off-road sides of alps than up the roads...! Having said that I managed the wrynose and harknott passes on an mtb ride once, and the gospel pass in wales...but by far the hardest day in the saddle for me was on a tour of sutherland last year when we rode the coast road between Lochinver and Kylesku...it was just 1 in 6 after 1 in 6. There's also an 18% hill just south of daventry which I do every week on my big ride - I've never walked it yet. I've cleaned some pretty gnarly stuff (climbing) on an mtb tho...

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

The Mortirolo and Gavia in winter on a unicycle. With a flat.

 

[Kirstie]

The Mortirolo and Gavia in winter on a unicycle. With a flat.

RAAARGH! Hardcore!

 

[Yellow Fang]

That would be Culnakirk.

Culnakirk, Culnakirk, Culnakirk, Culnakirk, Culnakirk

I have real difficulty remembering that name.

 

[bianchi1]

Raid pyreneen 18 cols, 11000 m, 720 k, full touring bike, 97 hours!

 

[Smeggers]

Bit sad this one, but the Cat and Fiddle near Buxton from Macclesfield.

It was the first major ride / climb since being an 18 stone smoking couch potato and I couldnt beleive I could actually acheive it.

 

[User482]

Time for an mtb perspective...

I once agreed, after many beers, to do a hillclimb time trial race up Caton Moor (near Lancaster) and back down again. Because of my humungous hangover and stinky cold, I had to stop half way up to barf my guts up, yet I set the fastest time in my club, and came 6th overall. I even cycled to and from the race. But more importantly, I managed to catch my mate who had set off 2 minutes before me, on the final corner. He's never forgiven me...

 

[thePig]

The toughest climb I have done is the Passo de Fedaia. It is not that long, but it is steep....actually all the dolomites are steep but this one is really steep.

I was on a loaded tourer, and only decided to do the tour with 2 weeks notice so wasn't particularly fit.

 

[Paulus]

In this country it has to be Hartridge summit in the Pennines. Abroad it would be Mont Ventoux.

 

[TheDoctor]

Mont Ventoux
Toughest.
Thing.
Ever.