# How hilly is your ride



## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

Mentioned this in my post on the "Your Ride" thread but I thought it might (or indeed might not) deserve it's own thread.

The route I took last night always pretty lumpy to me - 1,153 ft of climbing over 33 miles - 35 ft / mile. I would be interested to see how this compares with other riders, especially those living in "hilly" rather than "rolling" landscapes.


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## speccy1 (7 Jun 2016)

Living in Devon, it averages out to about 1000 ft for every 10 miles, in any direction. Here, and Cornwall have a lot of cat 1 and cat 2 climbs - good stuff!


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## iggibizzle (7 Jun 2016)

Living in Blackpool, I struggle to hit 100ft for ten miles some routes. Biggest 'hill' for miles is about 50ft. No stranger to hilly rides though . Very hilly. 12,000ft my last good one. Get up anything. Il put it down to good conditioning from facing coastal winds day in day out all year


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## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

speccy1 said:


> Living in Devon, it averages out to about 1000 ft for every 10 miles, in any direction. Here, and Cornwall have a lot of cat 1 and cat 2 climbs - good stuff!


So to use your measure my route is around 350 ft per 10 miles - not at all lumpy ! I'm going to Cornwall for a week in the summer and am tempted to take the bike, sounds like it will be hard work.


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## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

iggibizzle said:


> Living in Blackpool, I struggle to hit 100ft for ten miles some routes. Biggest 'hill' for miles is about 50ft. No stranger to hilly rides though . Very hilly. 12,000ft my last good one. Get up anything. Il put it down to good conditioning from facing coastal winds day in day out all year


I can remember reading an article by Wiggo where he said its not the hills you need to worry about but the wind ...


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## Racing roadkill (7 Jun 2016)

I live at sea level. Everywhere is a climb for me. It varies from not much, to quite a climb, depending on which direction I head in. West is worst. If I head out towards Shaftesbury, there are some peachy climbs. I'm not one for going looking for big climbs / mountains, but hills get in the way, no matter which route I use.


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Jun 2016)

My round-trip commute is moderately hilly: 2500ft climbing over 35.4 miles, making it about 69ft / mile, with a mixture of slight hills and steep ones, with grades up to about 15%.


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## Donger (7 Jun 2016)

I don't use Strava or Garmin, so I can only measure height gain in terms of how much my legs complain and how panoramic the views are. I do have the choice of staying on the flat in the Vale of Gloucester or heading 15 miles West to hit the hills of the Forest of Dean or 5-10 miles East to hit the Cotswold escarpment. Nice to mix it up regularly to keep it fresh. Always used to detest climbing, but now I have to get a climbing fix every week or two.


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## Oldbloke (7 Jun 2016)

In the few months that I had the patience to use a Garmin, it showed approximately 300 metres, say 900 feet, per hour (25 kms/15 mile) per hour, in any direction.


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## Globalti (7 Jun 2016)

Last weekend here in the Ribble Valley and Bowland we rode 33 miles as well; we climbed about 2,200 feet and that was a route we chose as less hilly than usual, in other words it just had a few easy climbs. Had we chosen to go over the top of the Bowland Fells we would have added easily 1000 or 2000 feet to that climbing.


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## huwsparky (7 Jun 2016)

speccy1 said:


> Living in Devon, it averages out to about 1000 ft for every 10 miles, in any direction. Here, and Cornwall have a lot of cat 1 and cat 2 climbs - good stuff!


What do you define as a cat 1or 2 climb? Surely can't be many in the whole country.


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## speccy1 (7 Jun 2016)

I`m not sure what the figures are to define it, but whenever I, or anybody I know rides around here and it comes up on Strava, it is always including cat 1, 2, 3 ,or 4 hills, obviously 1 being the steepest/longest. It`s not just here, it`s a standard thing. This part of the country is like Yorkshire.....LUMPY!! 25% climbs here are commonplace, and in Cornwall there are a handful of 33%. Good for the legs!


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## Jody (7 Jun 2016)

Round where I live is about 1000ft+ per 10 miles. In the peaks, depending on route is anywhere around 3000ft+ per 20 miles


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## wonderloaf (7 Jun 2016)

Interesting thread this, using Strava I've just worked that my average is about 450 ft for every 10 miles. I always thought it was moderately hilly around where I live (well it feels that way sometimes) but seems it's easy-peasy compared to some of the others on here.

Got another column to add to my ride stats spreadsheet now .... sad git that I am


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## iggibizzle (7 Jun 2016)

Globalti said:


> Last weekend here in the Ribble Valley and Bowland we rode 33 miles as well; we climbed about 2,200 feet and that was a route we chose as less hilly than usual, in other words it just had a few easy climbs. Had we chosen to go over the top of the Bowland Fells we would have added easily 1000 or 2000 feet to that climbing.




I'm regularly around the trough/ Yorkshire / the lakes. Although the climbs of the trough arent as grand, I still manage to get as good climbing figures around there as in the other 2. It's lumpy alright


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## numbnuts (7 Jun 2016)

As I get older the slopes are like hills the hills are like mountains and the mountains well forget it
are you allowed to say "slope" , well you know what happened to JC when he said there was a slope on his bridge

one of my rides there's a lump in the middle


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## Globalti (7 Jun 2016)

How long before somebody suggests grading rides for their hill to distance ratio? You could then add another grade for steepness or "technicality" a bit like rock climbers with their incomprehensible grades.


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## huwsparky (7 Jun 2016)

speccy1 said:


> I`m not sure what the figures are to define it, but whenever I, or anybody I know rides around here and it comes up on Strava, it is always including cat 1, 2, 3 ,or 4 hills, obviously 1 being the steepest/longest. It`s not just here, it`s a standard thing. This part of the country is like Yorkshire.....LUMPY!! 25% climbs here are commonplace, and in Cornwall there are a handful of 33%. Good for the legs!


I hear what your saying as I live somewhere hilly as well. 

So you'll have no problems posting a strava rated cat1 climb then?

I didn't think we had one in the UK. Possibly that long one in Scotland...


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## ColinJ (7 Jun 2016)

MOST of my rides are Hilly. Note the capital 'H'! 


















And so on ...


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## Sea of vapours (7 Jun 2016)

huwsparky said:


> I didn't think we had one in the UK. Possibly that long one in Scotland...


Bealach na ba from Applecross
and 
Great Dun fell


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## biggs682 (7 Jun 2016)

Its the one thing i dont like about riding locally ie 15 mile radius of home is the lack of hills and the ones that do i can ride up in under 5 mins so in my mind they are not hills at all


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## SpokeyDokey (7 Jun 2016)

Lake District is my home - across the year so far I have averaged just over 70' / mile.

I occasionally go up to around 100' / mile but tbh I find that tough esp' if the ride is in excess of 20-25 miles.


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## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

biggs682 said:


> Its the one thing i dont like about riding locally ie 15 mile radius of home is the lack of hills and the ones that do i can ride up in under 5 mins so in my mind they are not hills at all


In which case they are probably the same ones I struggle up every ride !! I agree that they are more like short, sharp inclines than actual hills, but they drain my legs easily enough. The one decent climb I do enjoy is from Hinwick up to the Bozeat junction, but still a mere pimple on the larger scale.


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## kernowpaul (7 Jun 2016)

I do most of my riding in cornwall so am used to the bumps, its a nice novelty to have a flat piece of road.



rugby bloke said:


> So to use your measure my route is around 350 ft per 10 miles - not at all lumpy ! I'm going to Cornwall for a week in the summer and am tempted to take the bike, sounds like it will be hard work.



which part of cornwall are you heading to? if its down the bottom end of the world these might give you an idea of the terrain.

https://www.strava.com/activities/598202027
https://www.strava.com/activities/521121032
https://www.strava.com/activities/592274446


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## numbnuts (7 Jun 2016)

ColinJ said:


> MOST of my rides are Hilly. Note the capital 'H'!
> 
> View attachment 131149
> View attachment 131150
> ...


WoW


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## Big Dave laaa (7 Jun 2016)

80-100ft/mile unless i fancy fast and flat into cheshire when it drops right down to 20ft/mile sometimes. The old knees need a rest every now and then


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## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

kernowpaul said:


> I do most of my riding in cornwall so am used to the bumps, its a nice novelty to have a flat piece of road.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



A bit further north - Polzeath. Been there a few times without the bike and I find it challenging enough to walk around the area ... Have to have a poke around Strava so see what I can find.


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## huwsparky (7 Jun 2016)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Lake District is my home - across the year so far I have averaged just over 70' / mile.
> 
> I occasionally go up to around 100' / mile but tbh I find that tough esp' if the ride is in excess of 20-25 miles.


I enjoyed the Fred Whitton. You have some real nice climbing up your way. Was surprised also that there were some flat pieces in between on that ride along with very nice scenery. 

Hardknott on a 100miles is a very tough climb indeed!


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## Elybazza61 (7 Jun 2016)

I live in the fens,,,,,


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## biggs682 (7 Jun 2016)

rugby bloke said:


> In which case they are probably the same ones I struggle up every ride !! I agree that they are more like short, sharp inclines than actual hills, but they drain my legs easily enough. The one decent climb I do enjoy is from Hinwick up to the Bozeat junction, but still a mere pimple on the larger scale.



What about Hardwater or the road up pass Whiston ?


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## rugby bloke (7 Jun 2016)

biggs682 said:


> What about Hardwater or the road up pass Whiston ?


Don't tend to take them as regularly, Hardwater is certainly a proper climb in my eyes. If I do the Whiston Climb I'm usually coming from the Castle Ashby side. When I first tried it last year I needed a stop for a breather half way up !


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## lazybloke (7 Jun 2016)

To answer the original question.. Surrey hills aren't too big but I'll usually climb parts of Ranmore or Box Hill. My typical climbing is 33-90 feet per mile. Average over 9 rides was 59 feet per mile.
For comparison, the recent FNRttC certainly felt hilly at times but was quite low at 45. 



rugby bloke said:


> A bit further north - Polzeath. Been there a few times without the bike and I find it challenging enough to walk around the area ... Have to have a poke around Strava so see what I can find.


When I holiday in Polzeath area, I don't fancy mingling with drivers on those twisty narrow roads. I'm usually content to nip across from Rock to Padstow (obviously stopping for a pint of Doom Bar) then enjoy a quiet family bimble along the Camel trail.

But I bet there's some cracking cycling on the local roads _IF_ the traffic can be avoided.


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## SpokeyDokey (7 Jun 2016)

huwsparky said:


> I enjoyed the Fred Whitton. You have some real nice climbing up your way. Was surprised also that there were some flat pieces in between on that ride along with very nice scenery.
> 
> Hardknott on a 100miles is a very tough climb indeed!



@huwsparky 

I'm afraid that distance and those huge passes are beyond my fitness level!

FW record was broken this year (by a previous holder) in 6 hrs 15 mins or thereabouts. He did a long Fell race the day before too and was a 'bit tired' at the start of the FW.


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## cyberknight (7 Jun 2016)

Last club run was 3500 foot in 64 miles, A week and a half off the bike = legs still aching .
View: https://www.strava.com/activities/599457173/embed/a6f40524705717de29374226052c5f69d37bbe72


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## EnPassant (7 Jun 2016)

Donger said:


> I don't use Strava or Garmin, so I can only measure height gain in terms of how much my legs complain and how panoramic the views are. I do have the choice of staying on the flat in the Vale of Gloucester or heading 15 miles West to hit the hills of the Forest of Dean or 5-10 miles East to hit the Cotswold escarpment. Nice to mix it up regularly to keep it fresh. Always used to detest climbing, but now I have to get a climbing fix every week or two.


Only moved to Gloucester about a year ago, Quedgeley Tesco's is a 10 mile flat round trip for me so not far from you I guess , 
I've not made it to the Forest of Dean yet, my max comfortably is still only around 30 miles, so I could get there and back but I'd have to give any actual hill once I got there a miss.... 
Six months ago i struggled up those inclines you commonly meet on approaches to bridges over a railway line or motorway but those are now easier and I recently started tackling the hills in that Cotswold escarpment the one past the cheese rolling place at coopers hill I have managed a couple of times now (with eyes popping from the strain) I do use Strava though and it thinks that hill is a cat 4. I think strava doth overstate the case somewhat but hey ho. It's getting a bit easier the more weight I lose, and thanks to the folks here now have a 28 rear instead of 27, but there are still parts I get off and walk, some hill out of Stroud completely defeated me on Sunday.


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## mjr (7 Jun 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> I live in the fens,,,,,


Yeah, in Ely, the biggest hill for miles. Try riding in the real fens...





http://cycle.travel/map/journey/22666


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Jun 2016)

Globalti said:


> How long before somebody suggests grading rides for their hill to distance ratio? You could then add another grade for steepness or "technicality" a bit like rock climbers with their incomprehensible grades.


Various people have done this, e.g. http://www.climbbybike.com/climb_difficulty.asp


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## steverob (7 Jun 2016)

Where I live in central Buckinghamshire most of my rides work out at about 30-40 feet of climbing per mile - I regard 50ft/mi as being my marker on whether my ride was "hilly" or not.

Strangely though, I get that 30-40 no matter what terrain I seem to do. If I head north or west out into Aylesbury Vale, it's all rolling countryside - nothing steep but constantly up and down and that does keep the elevation numbers ticking over. If I head south or east I encounter the delights of the Chilterns - mainly Cat 4 climbs, although some are seriously steep (just short at the same time), yet because it doesn't have much in the way of smaller undulations, once you're over one hill and down the other side (unless you decide to tackle a whole load of climbs in a single ride) you'll end up with a similar amount of elevation to a rolling route.


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## Accy cyclist (7 Jun 2016)

It's full of hills around here. The only flat bits are the local supermarket's car park and the cemetery. It's good for keeping fit but some days i wish i lived where iggibizzle does where it's nice and flat.


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## Saluki (7 Jun 2016)

speccy1 said:


> I`m not sure what the figures are to define it, but whenever I, or anybody I know rides around here and it comes up on Strava, it is always including cat 1, 2, 3 ,or 4 hills, obviously 1 being the steepest/longest. It`s not just here, it`s a standard thing. This part of the country is like Yorkshire.....LUMPY!! 25% climbs here are commonplace, and in Cornwall there are a handful of 33%. Good for the legs!


I get off an walk up them.
Unless I'm on the Camel Trail, there is climbing everywhere to get out of town. I did a 32 mile ride and climbed over 800m. I'm not a good climber and got off and pushed out of Mawgan Porth. The hairpin at the bottom of the hill did for me.


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## huwsparky (7 Jun 2016)

SpokeyDokey said:


> @huwsparky
> 
> I'm afraid that distance and those huge passes are beyond my fitness level!
> 
> FW record was broken this year (by a previous holder) in 6 hrs 15 mins or thereabouts. He did a long Fell race the day before too and was a 'bit tired' at the start of the FW.


Think the winner did it in 5:47. His name was Rob Jebb I think. Now that is a pretty mental time on that route. That's about a 20 mph average over that distance on that terrain. Big kudos to him. He almost certainly could have been pro, think he is over 40 years old too.

I'll be back next year for more!


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## tommaguzzi (8 Jun 2016)

I mostly ride in the peak district so 6000 to 7000 ft climbing in 65 miles is a normal weekend ride out.
By I find it harder if I go east into the flat lands and finish up battling the constant westerly headwinds to get home.


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## Elybazza61 (8 Jun 2016)

mjray said:


> Yeah, in Ely, the biggest hill for miles. Try riding in the real fens...
> View attachment 131218
> 
> http://cycle.travel/map/journey/22666



At 21meters it's hardly Mont Ventoux though,,,,


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## nickyboy (8 Jun 2016)

100ft per mile is standard here. I can trick the route up to 125ft per mile (by taking loads of funny little lanes) or down to 75ft per mile (by keeping to the main roads). Can't move for Strava Cat 4 climbs, they're everywhere. Quite a few Cat 3s and a few Cat 2s. Interestingly the Cat 2 climbs are not difficult, just long. There are some right bastard Cat 4 climbs though

Occasionally I'll treat myself to a run down to Cheshire, particularly in the winter But with the hills to get to the flat stuff and the hills back again it's still 50ft per mile

The downside of this sort of riding is that doing properly long rides is beyond me. I'm ok up to 60 miles (6000ft of climbing) but I couldn't enjoy 80 miles in the Peaks...just too hard. I did an 82 mile ride with 9,000ft of climbing in a sportive near here and the final 15 miles were not fun at all


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## SpokeyDokey (8 Jun 2016)

huwsparky said:


> Think the winner did it in 5:47. His name was Rob Jebb I think. Now that is a pretty mental time on that route. That's about a 20 mph average over that distance on that terrain. Big kudos to him. He almost certainly could have been pro, think he is over 40 years old too.
> 
> I'll be back next year for more!



@huwsparky 

Thanks for the update on the time - my memory is not serving me well!

That's an insane time - I have an acquaintance who managed 7.25ish 3 years ago and he is a very fit guy and the thought of him being around 1.75 hours behind Jebb is mind boggling to me.


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## mjr (8 Jun 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> At 21meters it's hardly Mont Ventoux though,,,,


In a landscape of <10ft/mile, it's a giant!


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## Beeny (8 Jun 2016)

I took my 10 year old out for a Sunday morning spin around the Cornish lanes, 650ft in 8 miles. The first two miles were downhill, he liked that.


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## HLaB (8 Jun 2016)

Looking at GC, round here based on March and June around 200-300ft in 10 miles, AKA as flat. 

I've excluded April and May which had a Flanders weekend (515 ft/ 10 miles), a week and a half in Mallorca (631ft /10 miles) (963ft /10 miles for the 312 alone) and a weekend in the Peak District (880ft /10 miles).


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2016)

tommaguzzi said:


> I mostly ride in the peak district so 6000 to 7000 ft climbing in 65 miles is a normal weekend ride out.
> By I find it harder if I go east into the flat lands and finish up battling the constant westerly headwinds to get home.


I'm the same. Climbing tough hills is satisfying and there are great views and exciting descents to enjoy. Headwinds are a pain with no reward other than eventual fitness!



nickyboy said:


> The downside of this sort of riding is that doing properly long rides is beyond me. I'm ok up to 60 miles (6000ft of climbing) but I couldn't enjoy 80 miles in the Peaks...just too hard. I did an 82 mile ride with 9,000ft of climbing in a sportive near here and the final 15 miles were not fun at all


That's because you like riding quickly - you could easily do those longer rides if you were prepared to slow down!


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## Donger (8 Jun 2016)

EnPassant said:


> Only moved to Gloucester about a year ago, Quedgeley Tesco's is a 10 mile flat round trip for me so not far from you I guess ,
> I've not made it to the Forest of Dean yet, my max comfortably is still only around 30 miles, so I could get there and back but I'd have to give any actual hill once I got there a miss....
> Six months ago i struggled up those inclines you commonly meet on approaches to bridges over a railway line or motorway but those are now easier and I recently started tackling the hills in that Cotswold escarpment the one past the cheese rolling place at coopers hill I have managed a couple of times now (with eyes popping from the strain) I do use Strava though and it thinks that hill is a cat 4. I think strava doth overstate the case somewhat but hey ho. It's getting a bit easier the more weight I lose, and thanks to the folks here now have a 28 rear instead of 27, but there are still parts I get off and walk, some hill out of Stroud completely defeated me on Sunday.



For a few years the only way I ever went into Stroud was from the M5 J13 /Stonehouse direction. Once there, I was trapped like a spider in a bathtub and could only get back out the way I came! Doing regular repeats of any hills that I _could_ actually climb, followed by joining a local cycling club has really helped me. I think I have now ridden every major route out of Stroud. You will find that once you can do that, it opens up all the best cycling country to you. Next time you struggle up past Coopers Hill, take a left at Cranham through Buckholt Woods signposted Birdlip. It is still mostly uphill all the way to the edge of Birdlip, but *trust me*, when you turn the bike around and glide back down through Buckholt Woods to Cranham, turn right on the main road then hang a left down Nut Hill (shortly after Prinknash Abbey) you will have entered cycling Nirvana. Everyone I have ever ridden down through Buckholt with has said it was well worth the climb - whichever way they had struggled up there. 

p.s. Make sure you take the "Birdlip" turn and not the "Cranham" one, or you'll end up doing the "Cranham Wall" , which deserves it's name 100%. May see you around some time.


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## Kajjal (8 Jun 2016)

Heading south of where we live by road it is about 2750ft in 40 miles which is a good ride without being too much on a bad day. 

An off road mountain biking route i do is 2700ft in 19 miles which can be hard work on steep loose tracks.


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## Donger (8 Jun 2016)

User14044mountain said:


> I divide my time between North London and Oxford (where my wife works). Both are reasonably flat with a few short sharp hills occasionally cropping up. I used to spend quite a lot of time in the Yorkshire Dales and there were some lovely hills. I had a 25 mile ride via Semer Water and Buttertubs which had three nice 1:4 hills.....always made me feel that I was about to have a coronary.



1:4 hills !!! Kudos. For anyone who has never tried one, this is what that looks like:




The white post marks the point where the Cotswold Way crosses the road near the top of my absolute nemesis, Haresfield Beacon (between Gloucester and Stroud). I have tried it at least ten times over the years, and that damned post (about 90% of the way up) is the furthest I have ever got without stopping. I just start kangarooing my front wheel every single time it comes into sight. And once I stop, I physically can't get back on the bike on that slope to start cycling again.


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2016)

Donger said:


> And once I stop, I physically can't get back on the bike on that slope to start cycling again.


On narrow, steep roads without side roads or farm tracks to emerge from, it IS very difficult. On wider roads, start off across the road and then turn up the hill once you have got going. The road in your photo looks wide enough to do that on.


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## Donger (8 Jun 2016)

ColinJ said:


> On narrow, steep roads without side roads or farm tracks to emerge from, it IS very difficult. On wider roads, start off across the road and then turn up the hill once you have got going. The road in your photo looks wide enough to do that on.


Thanks Colin, but might not be much use to me on this one. Last time I failed, it was because I was zig-zagging across the road (at a time when I honestly thought I was about to achieve something amazing) . Unfortunately if your front wheel goes up in the air just as you are turning into another zig-zag it's a case of "game over"!


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2016)

Donger said:


> Thanks Colin, but might not be much use to me on this one. Last time I failed, it was because I was zig-zagging across the road (at a time when I honestly thought I was about to achieve something amazing) . Unfortunately if your front wheel goes up in the air just as you are turning into another zig-zag it's a case of "game over"!


We have several of those climbs round here. There is one ('Mytholm Steeps') that I have a 50-50 record on using my road bike. I have managed it about 4 times and failed at least 4 times. I have done it successfully 3 or 4 times on my MTB which has lower gears and a heavy front end which is easier to keep on the road! I usually avoid it. 20% is about as steep as I know that I can get up. Beyond that is a bit more questionable. On dry days, when fit, on good road surfaces and riding a triple-equipped lightweight road bike, I have managed to climb 25-30% on rare occasions.


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## sackville d (8 Jun 2016)

ColinJ said:


> MOST of my rides are Hilly. Note the capital 'H'!
> 
> View attachment 131149
> View attachment 131150
> ...


And that profile is just @ColinJ going to Lidl on Halifax Rd!!


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## Smithbat (8 Jun 2016)

My commute to work has a climb of 234 feet, read it and weep people


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## ColinJ (9 Jun 2016)

sackville d said:


> And that profile is just @ColinJ going to Lidl on Halifax Rd!!


Ha ha ... I'm thinking of knocking together a cheapo singlespeed bike for my 'hilly' Lidl trips. I normally just walk but there are times when I want to nip down for just one or two items but can't be bothered. A bike not worth nicking and not to be mourned if nicked is what I want!


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## EnPassant (9 Jun 2016)

Donger said:


> For a few years the only way I ever went into Stroud was from the M5 J13 /Stonehouse direction. Once there, I was trapped like a spider in a bathtub and could only get back out the way I came! Doing regular repeats of any hills that I _could_ actually climb, followed by joining a local cycling club has really helped me. I think I have now ridden every major route out of Stroud. You will find that once you can do that, it opens up all the best cycling country to you. Next time you struggle up past Coopers Hill, take a left at Cranham through Buckholt Woods signposted Birdlip. It is still mostly uphill all the way to the edge of Birdlip, but *trust me*, when you turn the bike around and glide back down through Buckholt Woods to Cranham, turn right on the main road then hang a left down Nut Hill (shortly after Prinknash Abbey) you will have entered cycling Nirvana. Everyone I have ever ridden down through Buckholt with has said it was well worth the climb - whichever way they had struggled up there.
> 
> p.s. Make sure you take the "Birdlip" turn and not the "Cranham" one, or you'll end up doing the "Cranham Wall" , which deserves it's name 100%. May see you around some time.



Thanks for replying.
Ya, Stonehouse indeed, I use google maps with the clickies for cycling and terrain, it's clear from that that this is the only flat way in and out. I had initially intended to go in and out the same way, however having never previously been to Stroud my internal "it's better to do a circuit and see more than just go out and back" demon (for want of a better way of expressing it) kicked in and I wound up leaving via the Bisley road tempted by signs of a viewpoint (I never found it). Suffice to say I walked most of the hill out of town.

 @ Spider in a bathtub. Just so.

P.S. Many thanks, I will try the route you have suggested and will definitely avoid the Cranham Wall for now, no need to warn me twice about a hill with that kind of reputation. I've been down Nut Hill once after bailing from the climb past Coopers, ya it was fun.
Actually I must have been in that area on my way back from Stroud also because I ended up in Birdlip, via The Camp (what an oddly named place...). By this point I was knackered to be honest, and foolishly followed the road signs to Gloucester, which being car orientated take you to the A417 and the consequent 10% downhill on a main road with one lane down and two up, which I have driven and swore I wouldn't do on a bike. Oh well, 43mph, flies in the teeth and the hint of something damp lower down....On reflection I should have taken more time and worked out that I should have used Ermine way...Ah well, as I said, I was knackered.

PPS and utterly off topic, which cycling club? I've thought about joining one, but have steered clear as I don't think I'm quick enough and frankly I'm not sure I'd fit in really. I'm not a racer or even what I think is sportive/audax type, still investigating exactly what those are tbh.


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## tommaguzzi (9 Jun 2016)

Last night's pub social ride had 2647ft of climbing in 20 miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/603654761


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## clockworksimon (9 Jun 2016)

My local killer loop from near Wrexham goes up and around Hope Mountain. This packs in 2700ft in 20 miles!


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## GuyBoden (9 Jun 2016)

A nice hill with a view in Cheshire is Mow Top.







*Mow Cop Hill climb stats*


Distance 0.9 miles
Average Gradient: 11.7%
Maximum gradient: 23%
Elevation gain: 170 metres (560 feet)
60+ mile ride from Warrington (and Back).
http://cyclinguphill.com/mow-cop-the-killer-mile/


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## sackville d (9 Jun 2016)

tommaguzzi said:


> Last night's pub social ride had 2647ft of climbing in 20 miles
> 
> https://www.strava.com/activities/603654761


Now that is getting a bit silly.
1000ft per 10 miles, hilly.
1500ft per 10 miles, silly.


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## sackville d (9 Jun 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Ha ha ... I'm thinking of knocking together a cheapo singlespeed bike for my 'hilly' Lidl trips. I normally just walk but there are times when I want to nip down for just one or two items but can't be bothered. A bike not worth nicking and not to be mourned if nicked is what I want!


I know it`s Tod and all that but do you mind not bringing the neighborhood down please Colin!


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## Supersuperleeds (9 Jun 2016)

5,718 feet over 32 miles this morning 






Okay maybe there are a couple of glitches in the data


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## tommaguzzi (9 Jun 2016)

This thread looks like it's turning into a big big knob contest now :-)


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## Psycolist (9 Jun 2016)

Living in one of the flattest areas of the UK, the biggest hill I encounter is the drop kerb outside my house


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## Sbudge (10 Jun 2016)

steverob said:


> Where I live in central Buckinghamshire most of my rides work out at about 30-40 feet of climbing per mile - I regard 50ft/mi as being my marker on whether my ride was "hilly" or not.
> 
> Strangely though, I get that 30-40 no matter what terrain I seem to do. If I head north or west out into Aylesbury Vale, it's all rolling countryside - nothing steep but constantly up and down and that does keep the elevation numbers ticking over. If I head south or east I encounter the delights of the Chilterns - mainly Cat 4 climbs, although some are seriously steep (just short at the same time), yet because it doesn't have much in the way of smaller undulations, once you're over one hill and down the other side (unless you decide to tackle a whole load of climbs in a single ride) you'll end up with a similar amount of elevation to a rolling route.



I'm with you on that one. I ride around there most weekends, there are very few long hills just lots of short and steep (10-20% and 100m of ascent) nasties. It's not at all unusual to do a dozen of those in a ride.


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## briantrumpet (10 Jun 2016)

I find it interesting that Alpine riding and Dartmoor riding come out fairly similar, at around the 1000ft per 10 miles, but the riding is utterly different. You'll probably be able to work out which is which, from these profiles of a couple of my rides:


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## rugby bloke (10 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> I find it interesting that Alpine riding and Dartmoor riding come out fairly similar, at around the 1000ft per 10 miles, but the riding is utterly different. You'll probably be able to work out which is which, from these profiles of a couple of my rides:


Out of interest, do they feel like the same amount of climbing ? Looking at the profiles I instinctively feel the Dartmoor profile would be harder, even though the individual climbs are much shorter.


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## briantrumpet (10 Jun 2016)

rugby bloke said:


> Out of interest, do they feel like the same amount of climbing ? Looking at the profiles I instinctively feel the Dartmoor profile would be harder, even though the individual climbs are much shorter.


Both are hard in their own ways, and it's probably more to do with the head than the legs - on Dartmoor many of the climbs are quite brutal (I'd forgotten how hard Ashburton to Two Bridges is) but mostly short, but in the Alps you need to get your head in the right place knowing you'll be going uphill for maybe an hour or more, but rarely with anything that really takes you out of a trance-like rhythm. I enjoy both.


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## Sbudge (10 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> Both are hard in their own ways, and it's probably more to do with the head than the legs - on Dartmoor many of the climbs are quite brutal (I'd forgotten how hard Ashburton to Two Bridges is) but mostly short, but in the Alps you need to get your head in the right place knowing you'll be going uphill for maybe an hour or more, but rarely with anything that really takes you out of a trance-like rhythm. I enjoy both.



I've not had the chance to try any long/high climbs yet, always just the short/sharp stuff. I'm really interested to see how they compare. I've certainly noticed that 2 x steep ascent/descents have a slower average speed (for me) than 1 x moderate ascent/descent with same distance and climb total.


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## mjr (13 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> I find it interesting that Alpine riding and Dartmoor riding come out fairly similar, at around the 1000ft per 10 miles, but the riding is utterly different. You'll probably be able to work out which is which, from these profiles of a couple of my rides:


It's interesting that those climbs don't behave like Norfolk's ones which although not high, almost always steepen near the top. For comparison, here's the profile of my ride yesterday (still only 38ft/mile though):


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## briantrumpet (13 Jun 2016)

mjray said:


> It's interesting that those climbs don't behave like Norfolk's ones which although not high, almost always steepen near the top. For comparison, here's the profile of my ride yesterday (still only 38ft/mile though):
> View attachment 131790


We probably need a geographer or geomorphologist to explain the reason for the difference.


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## mjr (13 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> We probably need a geographer or geomorphologist to explain the reason for the difference.


I think a psychologist or social historian may be more use, as surely it's more that whoever laid out Norfolk's roads was more sadistic?


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## briantrumpet (13 Jun 2016)

mjray said:


> I think a psychologist or social historian may be more use, as surely it's more that whoever laid out Norfolk's roads was more sadistic?


Or maybe a keen cyclist, who realised that you need to make best use of the little bumps you have there.


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## Sbudge (13 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> Or maybe a keen cyclist, who realised that you need to make best use of the little bumps you have there.


It's the same in the Chilterns, most of the sharper ones get steeper towards the top. The hill we live on starts at 6% and ends at 18% which isn't unusual....what's nasty is the council puts gradient signs up based on averages. So we get more than a few folk thinking:- 
1) "Oooh 10%, looks like a challenge, I reckon I/we can get up that"
2) "This is easier than I thought, no probs"
3) "Oh ****!"


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## briantrumpet (13 Jun 2016)

Sbudge said:


> It's the same in the Chilterns, most of the sharper ones get steeper towards the top.


There are some hills like that north of Sidmouth, for instance Chineway Hill out of Ottery:







Apparently this is a greensand escarpment - it's a ridge that runs from Sidmouth to Honiton, with an amazingly flat top, and steep upper slopes. www.devon.gov.uk/geo-devonrocksgeologyguide.pdf


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## Sbudge (13 Jun 2016)

briantrumpet said:


> There are some hills like that north of Sidmouth, for instance Chineway Hill out of Ottery:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That looks like a fun hill. I've a friend near Ottery who's been inviting me down for a ride...tempting. The profile below is pretty typical around us, Kop Hill is very well known and has a very obvious 10% sign on it, just the local council being nasty, the steepest bit is right at the very top. (I'm hoping to try some 'proper' hills in Wales later this month.)


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## biggs682 (13 Jun 2016)

I found a hill on the road between Great Cransley and Loddington it just didn't last long enough.


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## Dirk (13 Jun 2016)

I live in North Devon.
Unless I stick to the Tarka Trail, pretty much every time I go out on the bike I clock up over 1200 ft of climbing. Most times it's nearer 2000 ft on a leisure ride. Quite often do over 3000 ft on local training rides.
One thing we ain't short of here is hills.


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## al3xsh (13 Jun 2016)

I live on the edge of the peaks - my rides are regularly 100ft / mile of climbing!


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## KneesUp (13 Jun 2016)

My normal commute route is 86ft/mile. The route I took tonight is 125ft/mile.


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## kiriyama (13 Jun 2016)

Pretty standard ride around here...

4800ft over about 40miles (imperial)


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## ColinJ (24 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Ha ha ... I'm thinking of knocking together a cheapo singlespeed bike for my 'hilly' Lidl trips. I normally just walk but there are times when I want to nip down for just one or two items but can't be bothered. A bike not worth nicking and not to be mourned if nicked is what I want!





sackville d said:


> I know it`s Tod and all that but do you mind not bringing the neighborhood down please Colin!



I just stumbled across this old thread again...

I did end up building that singlespeed bike and it has been great. Funnily enough I do actually use it on some of the local hills and have just added a second gear so I can manage more of them.

As for bringing the neighbourhood down... I was tidying up the pavement outside my house the other day when 2 builders walked up and asked me if I had seen anybody carrying a circular saw table. Apparently they had been sawing some floorboards round the corner outside a house that they were renovating. They carried a pile of boards upstairs and by the time they came back down somebody had nicked the saw... They weren't happy about it - it had cost £700!


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## gavroche (24 Jun 2022)

Dirk said:


> I live in North Devon.
> Unless I stick to the Tarka Trail, pretty much every time I go out on the bike I clock up over 1200 ft of climbing. Most times it's nearer 2000 ft on a leisure ride. Quite often do over 3000 ft on local training rides.
> One thing we ain't short of here is hills.



You forgot to mention the added bonus of potholes too.


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## vickster (24 Jun 2022)

gavroche said:


> You forgot to mention the added bonus of potholes too.



Maybe they weren’t there 6 years ago when he posted that?


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## Dirk (24 Jun 2022)

vickster said:


> Maybe they weren’t there 6 years ago when he posted that?



Nah ..... they've got worse.


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## Threevok (24 Jun 2022)

They don't call them potholes around here anymore.

They call them Lidos


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## Ming the Merciless (24 Jun 2022)

Hilliest round here is an average of 80 feet per mile. I believe that is pretty close to the national average. Typically though it’s nearer 50-60 feet per mile. Steepest hill within 30 mins is 17%. There is a hill with a 20% sign, but that must be some in joke at the council I think.

If you go off road then you are more typically looking at 115 feet per mile climb ratios.

But as we all know, hillier doesn’t make it harder, it just makes it slower.


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## Alex321 (24 Jun 2022)

Most of my cycling is around the Vale of Glamorgan. It is quite hilly, but the hills are generally pretty short.

So far this year, I have done 1,113 miles, with 79,314 feet of elevation (9 weeks off the bike after breaking my wrist in March, or both of those would have been a fair bit more), which works out at 71 feet/mile.


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## united4ever (24 Jun 2022)

Also don't use Strava etc so cannot measure it. Am in South Manchester so tend to head out to the south and west for the Cheshire plains. The East of Cheshire is like Mordor for me with its peaks looming on the horizon leading to other worlds of pain in Derbyshire and the pennines. Got to Alderley Edge once and had to get off and walk up Artists Lane. So I tend to stick to west Cheshire and the area around Knutsford, Dunham Massey etc. It is very pleasant to be fair.


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## presta (24 Jun 2022)

I don't generally keep climb stats, so the only one I've measured is my last tour.
Ft/mile varies from 19.6 in the fens, to 97.2 over the tops from Elterwater to Wasdale Hall.
(I underestimated that day from Ingleton to Elterwater, I'd never have guessed it would prove to be the most climbing of the whole trip.)


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## HLaB (25 Jun 2022)

I've not looked at numbers but the flat side of where I live but hardly go is probably 10ft/ mile. The slightly hillier side 25-30ft/mile . I like my commute though and it'll be around 55ft/mile at a guess.


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## lazybloke (26 Jun 2022)

Just had a deep dive into my elevation data and was surprised to see I've been avoiding hills as the years have passed. 

Annual totals for feet/mile used to average between *55 and 70 *feet/mile.
Then flat commutes started to dominate, and those totals tell to between *40 and 50*. 
This year has been below *40*. 

Went this morning for a 2 hour ride averaging *96* feet/mile, which was more than enough. OMG I've out of practice at climbing. Talk about _use it or lose it._


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