Let me guess, none of the ascents i conquered around Bloomsbury, Grays' Inn, Farringdon, King's Cross and Clerkenwell made the cut?
sadly,an american
― _▂▅▇█▓▒░◕‿‿◕░▒▓█▇▅▂_ (Steve Shasta), Monday, 2 August 2010 19:55 (fourteen years ago) link
The ones I've been up are nearly all in the south-east.
I went up no.17 Leith Hill (in Surrey) last Friday. I didn't go up the same road as the climb in the book, so it was about 20m less climbing, but it still got up to 235 metres, which is as high as it gets in the south-east. It gets a 6/10 in the book. I'm not so sure: there were some nasty ramps, but there were also relatively easy sections where you could catch your breath. Having said that, I came down the one he went up, so I don't know if that's tougher.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=514095&Y=142365&A=Y&Z=120
I went up no. 19 'The Wall' (in Ashdown Forest, Sussex) earlier this year. This gets 5/10.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=546065&Y=132660&A=Y&Z=120
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:03 (fourteen years ago) link
(xpost) No, strangely none of those dizzying ascents made the cut. There was one from London, though, a climb up to Highgate.
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Actually I just remembered a short gut-puncher in Richmond-On-Thames that sent me into o2 deficit.
― _▂▅▇█▓▒░◕‿‿◕░▒▓█▇▅▂_ (Steve Shasta), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:09 (fourteen years ago) link
He chose a couple of climbs on the South Downs just outside Brighton which I've been up several times (both in my original time of cycling in 89-91 and in my recent return).
No.21 Steyning Bostal, he only gives a 5/10, but I find it hideous. The 17% section usually makes me feel like my head is going to explode.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=516840&Y=110060&A=Y&Z=120
No.22 Ditchling Beacon gets a 6/10. I don't think it gets quite as steep as the Steyning climb, but it goes on for longer, and has several false summits where the road bends round and sickeningly reveals that you're still nowhere near the top. The last two times I've been up it have been at the end of a 70-mile sportive so it's been particularly brutal.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=532930&Y=113210&A=Y&Z=120
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:17 (fourteen years ago) link
No.26 Mott Street (in Epping Forest, just outside London in Essex) is my local climb and one I go up very often. It's where my club does its annual hill climb championship every November. It only gets a 3/10, which is fair enough - it's tough enough, but there are plenty much tougher. Essex isn't exactly known for its mountains.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=539812&Y=197785&A=Y&Z=115
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:22 (fourteen years ago) link
No streatham common then? Bugger gets me every time. I think I know the Richmond one steve mentions, there's a few nasty short bastards round there. I need to get that book, what's in from the peaks? Am guessing winnats (did that on a 5 speed Raleigh arena in 1990, I think it'd kill me now) and maybe cat and fiddle?
― problem chimp (Porkpie), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:33 (fourteen years ago) link
That's it for me in recent years. The only two I've been up outside of the south-east were a long time ago. In 1990 I went up no. 97 The Tumble (in Wales), which gets a 7/10. All I can remember is that it seemed to go on forever. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326215&Y=212195&A=Y&Z=120In 1991 I went up no.33 Winnat's Pass (in the Peak District) which gets 8/10 - that was horribly and relentlessly steep. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=413749&Y=383196&A=Y&Z=120
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Is Hartside summit listed I wonder.
― Take my hand, we'll make it I swear (Pashmina), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:38 (fourteen years ago) link
(xpost to Porkpie) - Yeah, Winnats (see above) is there plus quite a few from the Peak District or Sheffield. I'm heading up to the Peaks on Thursday, but not taking the bike, just planning to wander around Kinder Scout on foot.
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:42 (fourteen years ago) link
Is that in the north-east, pashmina? It's not listed. The toughest one from that part of the world is Chapel Fell.
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 2 August 2010 20:45 (fourteen years ago) link
what rating does the rest and be thankful get in the book?
15 members of the club I've been riding with are doing the bealach na ba (which scores an 11/10 I think) in september
jealous... I think
― cozen, Monday, 2 August 2010 21:03 (fourteen years ago) link
oh, sorry, you already said - a 6/10. head racing ahead of my eyes
thought hell's glen was worse actually (the 17% section particularly) but I might just have been tired
― cozen, Monday, 2 August 2010 21:07 (fourteen years ago) link
chris, have you tried swain's lane?http://vimeo.com/13757661
― cozen, Monday, 2 August 2010 21:09 (fourteen years ago) link
winnats looks horrendous:
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile_520/Winnats-Pass_profile.jpg
― my stomach is full of anger. and pie. (Hunt3r), Monday, 2 August 2010 21:20 (fourteen years ago) link
28%?!
Winnats is a horrible long steep grind, I was 17 when I did it and about 7 stone lighter than I am now.... There are plenty of you tube clips of people riding up it to get an idea of it, really bleak at the top too.
Nbd, you should find time for lathkill Dale too, one of the more unsung bits of the peaks but one of my favourites. And I could just go a long mountain bike ride along curbar edge, mind you, not sure you're allowed to do that anymore.
― problem chimp (Porkpie), Monday, 2 August 2010 22:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Ach missed a post. Cozen, have walked swains lane and it's pretty fierce.
― problem chimp (Porkpie), Monday, 2 August 2010 22:23 (fourteen years ago) link
thinkin baout heading to the alps in january for this
day 1: flat to undulating, 105kmday 2: tawonga gap then falls (and back over tawonga on the way home, 130kmday 3: mt buffalo, 75kmday 4: rest day, hahaday 5: mt hotham, 112kmday 6: rolling to buckland gap rd (2.3km @ 10% avg!), 120km
i'd have to be in some kind of form by the end of this, right?? think i may be in the market for a 27t cassette
― "shrimp" on the "barbie" (haitch), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:52 (thirteen years ago) link
I headed down to where Kent meets London today and ticked off another couple of (soft southern) monsters today.
First up, Toys Hill. In total it's about two miles of climbing with a height gain of about 180 metres at an average of 5%, but that doesn't really tell the story: the climb gets steadily steeper and steeper. The last mile averages 10% and includes a lengthy section between 14% and 18%. The book (which this thread is based on) gives it 7/10 and says "...this climb is as serious as it gets along the North Downs ridge." I'm not sure about that as I thought the next one was tougher...
― WAYNE ROONEY ELBOW STORM (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 2 March 2011 20:15 (thirteen years ago) link
That link didn't work properly. Hopefully this will:http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/toyshill.jpg
― WAYNE ROONEY ELBOW STORM (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 2 March 2011 20:27 (thirteen years ago) link
The next one was Yorks Hill:http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/yorkshill.jpg
This isn't quite so long. There's about a mile of climbing at an average of 8%, but again, this really doesn't tell the story at all. The 'road' is a narrow lane filled with mud and grit and holes and it just gets steeper and steeper. It ends up twisting and turning through a wooded area with steep grassy banks on either side of the road. Looking at the map I made it about 15% for the last 500 metre, but the book says it's 18% and this interesting article: http://www.rapha.cc/ride-to-the-catford-hill-climb claims it reaches 24%. Whatever it was, it was a miserable, lung-breaking grind. I looked at my computer at one point and my speed was 5.4mph.
It's used each year in October for the Catford Hill Climb:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/audioslideshow/2010/oct/11/catford-cycling-club-hill-climb-classichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PNvxBtxLME
― WAYNE ROONEY ELBOW STORM (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 2 March 2011 20:57 (thirteen years ago) link
proper pain face there:http://www.rapha.cc/images/catford_hc-5.jpg
― problem chimp (Porkpie), Friday, 4 March 2011 10:19 (thirteen years ago) link
My own face of pain:http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/yorkshillnear.jpg
― WAYNE ROONEY ELBOW STORM (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Saturday, 5 March 2011 12:32 (thirteen years ago) link
seeing ppl racing w/out helmets looks odd to me now.
― end aggro business now (Hunt3r), Saturday, 5 March 2011 14:32 (thirteen years ago) link