Categorise Your Climbs

[Rubber Bullets]

On stage 3 of this years Tour there was a 4th category climb that was basically a hump back bridge, well OK quite a big one, but a bridge none the less.

I'd not really thought before about how climbs on the tour are categorised, I wasn't riding at all this time last year, and probably thought that any of the climbs that I do wouldn't bother the judges, but this climb made me wonder. I did a bit of Googling to try and find out a bit more and came across this:

There are no set rules on how the organizer of a race can categorize hills or mountains. This is how the Tour de France climbs are defined:
Category 4 - the easiest which is typically less than 2 km (1.24 mi) long and about 5% grade, or up to 5 km (3.1 mi) at a 2-3% grade.
Category 3 - can be as short as 1.5 km (.93mi) with a very steep grade, perhaps 10%; or as long as 10 km (6.2 mi) with a grade less than 5%.
Category 2 - can be as short as 5 km (3.1 mi) at 8%, or as long as 15 km (9.3 mi) at 4%.
Category 1 - can be anything from 8 km (5 mi) at 8% to 20 km (12.4 mi) at 5%.
Hors Categorie ("above category") rating is given to exceptionally tough climbs. This could be a Category 1 whose summit is also the finish of the stage, or one that is more than 10 km (6.2 mi) long with an average grade of at least 7.5%, or up to 25 km (15.5 mi) long at 6% or steeper.

I started comparing some of my local climbs to these stats and think that quite a few of the climbs onto Dartmoor, that I do regularly, would probably be categorised as Cat 3, which frankly pleased me more than it should .


For example the climb from Bovey Tracey to Haytor is 3.8 miles with an average gradient of 8.5% and a total climb of 1170 feet.


It's clearly not an exact science, but what categories would your regular, or even occasional, climbs get? What's the highest category that we have in these fair isles? Do we have anything that even approaches an HC?


RB

 

[Melonfish]

lol i think mine would be DC "Dessous Catagorie" if my french is right which undoubtedly it is not.
i've probebly done some cat 4's maybe a cat 3 once but i live in cheshire the "pancake county"

 

[Soltydog]

I'd not really thought before about how climbs on the tour are categorised, I wasn't riding at all this time last year, and probably thought that any of the climbs that I do wouldn't bother the judges, but this climb made me wonder. I did a bit of Googling to try and find out a bit more and came across this:

A year or 2 back I seem to recall someone telling me originally the climbs were catergorised by what gear a car had to be in to drive up them. Wouldn't apply to modern cars, but sounds feasable for years gone by.
I dont have any regular climbs that would be catergorised, my biggest 'slope' on my commute can now be conquered without dropping below 16mph on the road bike

 

[martint235]

One of the GPS routing websites actually provides the category of hill for you. But I've forgotten which one it is, might be bikely, certainly isn't ridewithgps though.

Anyways it's very depressing looking into it as you find that what you think of as a flipping big hill doesn't even qualify as a Cat 4. Shooters Hill in SE London for example merits Cat 5.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

One of the GPS routing websites actually provides the category of hill for you. But I've forgotten which one it is, might be bikely, certainly isn't ridewithgps though.
for example merits Cat 5.

It's Mapmyride that does this. I don't know how accurate it is, though.

 

[lulubel]

I've got a cat 4 on one of my rides, then. I'll have to start exploring and see if I can find anything a bit more interesting (although, to be honest, that one's enough for me at the moment).

 

[endoman]

Got a few cat 3's on my routes home from work, getting more used to them now! 5's and 4's a plenty, hardly a ride without those. Can't wait to ride somewhere flat.

 

[ACS]

Just taken a look at my present commuter route of 11 miles which includes 2x Cat 4 climbs (2.9miles at 2.1% and 1.5miles at 3.9%).

No bragging rights of course still the second worst climber on the planet

 

[Beebo]

Anyways it's very depressing looking into it as you find that what you think of as a flipping big hill doesn't even qualify as a Cat 4. Shooters Hill in SE London for example merits Cat 5.

I go up Shooters Hill occasionally on my way home. I would think the profile is similar to the photo of that bridge in the OP, and that was a Cat 3.

 

[martint235]

I go up Shooters Hill occasionally on my way home. I would think the profile is similar to the photo of that bridge in the OP, and that was a Cat 3.

Well Mapmyride doesn't rate it as such. To be fair I have been over worse hills and I imagine a TdF peloton would fly up it without noticing it was there.

 

[Beebo]

In the interest of science i went home over shooters hill tonight and I can confirm that it isnt as steep as that bridge. So mapmyride is right again!

 

[martint235]

In the interest of science i went home over shooters hill tonight and I can confirm that it isnt as steep as that bridge. So mapmyride is right again!

You could have waved.......

 

[Glover Fan]

Even "The Struggle" which is a horrible hill at the Lake District is only a category 2!!!

 

[Baggy]

Apparently 8 Category 1 climbs featured in last year's Tour of Britain. There was one Cat 1 and two Cat 2's on the Minehead to Teignmouth stage so I feel justifiably chuffed at having ridden that route, even if it took me three times as long as the pro riders

The Devon Stage the following day also had a Cat 1. Details here if anyone wants to ride them!

I think the Black Mountain might also be Cat 1.

 

[HLaB]

The steepest I've been up is the Gloom Hill in Dollar but its not very long, so the 39,25 gear got up. According to Map My ride from the main street the climb is only a Cat 3 looking at the steepest section its a Cat 2