Hill repeats

[VamP]

I am sure a few of you have hill repeats as part of your weekly routine. This thread is to gather votes for the hills that we love to ride up repeatedly and why.

My home favourite is Boxhill, due to history, tradition and the lovely caff and views up top. There's always someone there to chat to, and it's easy enough to incorporate into any ride over 20 miles.

However, I have just had cause to spend some time in Somerset, and the climb up Cheddar gorge is just the best place for repeats. Challenging gradient changes keep it interesting on the way up, and the descent is amazing. Barreling through the sweeping left, then right combo in the bottom section at well over 30mph is extremely exhilarating. Add the dramatic scenery and it scores very very highly indeed.

So over to you, which hills do you go for and why?

 

[Rob3rt]

The Brickworks - There is an odd atmosphere to this climb, especially early on a misty Sunday morning.
Mellor - 2 false summit's and a challenging kick at the end.
Side End Lane (Pym's Chair, the longer medium grade ascent) - It is a good steady gradient for about 2 mile with some nice view's on the way up.

Basically I like ~2 mile long, 6-7% average gradient climbs, preferably out in the middle of nowhere!

(Don't necessarily rep them, but include them on my hilly routes regularly, only really power up Mellor, the other's I tend to just roll up at a steady pace enjoying it)

 

[vorsprung]

It has to be fairly near where I live and take more than 10 minutes to climb

http://app.strava.com/segments/2456383

• 7.2km
  Distance
• 3.5%
  Avg Grade
• 49m
  Lowest Elev
• 304m
  Highest Elev
• 255m
  Elev Difference

http://app.strava.com/segments/2607884

• 2.5km
  Distance
• 7.1%
  Avg Grade
• 89m
  Lowest Elev
• 271m
  Highest Elev
• 182m
  Elev Difference

 

[black'n'yellow]

don't need hill repeats round here - there is climbing in every direction, ranging from 2-3min sprints to 5 mile, 1000ft monsters and everything in between. I usually work 4-5 into most rides, depending on what I'm doing...

 

[Hacienda71]

The Brickworks - There is an odd atmosphere to this climb, especially early on a misty Sunday morning.
Mellor - 2 false summit's and a challenging kick at the end.
Side End Lane (Pym's Chair, the longer medium grade ascent) - It is a good steady gradient for about 2 mile with some nice view's on the way up.

Basically I like ~2 mile long, 6-7% average gradient climbs, preferably out in the middle of nowhere!

(Don't necessarily rep them, but include them on my hilly routes regularly, only really power up Mellor, the other's I tend to just roll up at a steady pace enjoying it)

Jenkins Chapel to Pyms Chair just to mix up the gradients after the long soft drag up the Brickworks

 

[fossyant]

Jenkins Chapel to Pyms Chair just to mix up the gradients after the long soft drag up the Brickworks

Whatever ! That hill isn't kind on a 39 x 24 !

 

[black'n'yellow]

just to add - from a racing/training/hill-repeat perspective, there's little point in specifically training up climbs which don't reflect the type of climb you get in racing, IMO. I think the 'worst' climb I had during a race this year went up around 250ft in just over a mile and most were a lot less demanding and a lot shorter than that. For instance, riding up Box Hill would be nice, but I think the only race that went up there in recent history was the Olympic RR, so that kind of climb may not be the most appropriate to train on.

You might be better off going as hard as you can over shorter 2-3 min climbs, rather than grinding up the local 'cols'...

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I live in Suffolk and visit Peterborough (in the Fens)...

 

[VamP]

It has to be fairly near where I live and take more than 10 minutes to climb

http://app.strava.com/segments/2456383

• 7.2km
  Distance
• 3.5%
  Avg Grade
• 49m
  Lowest Elev
• 304m
  Highest Elev
• 255m
  Elev Difference

http://app.strava.com/segments/2607884

• 2.5km
  Distance
• 7.1%
  Avg Grade
• 89m
  Lowest Elev
• 271m
  Highest Elev
• 182m
  Elev Difference

Jeez, I don't think I've ever ridden a hill that took longer than 10 minutes. None round here anyway.

 

[Hacienda71]

There is the one where you go up Blaze, then Jenkins then Goyts Lane.

 

[VamP]

just to add - from a racing/training/hill-repeat perspective, there's little point in specifically training up climbs which don't reflect the type of climb you get in racing, IMO. I think the 'worst' climb I had during a race this year went up around 250ft in just over a mile and most were a lot less demanding and a lot shorter than that. For instance, riding up Box Hill would be nice, but I think the only race that went up there in recent history was the Olympic RR, so that kind of climb may not be the most appropriate to train on.

You might be better off going as hard as you can over shorter 2-3 min climbs, rather than grinding up the local 'cols'...

Well I do a variety of intervals ranging from 30 second tabatas, to 20 minute threshold runs. The hill climbs fall into the 5 x 7 minute category, and while it's not really necessary to do those on hills, I prefer it.

That's OT though, the point of the thread was to see what kind of hills peeps liked enough to ride more than once in a row and why.

 

[judder]

After Pyms Chair drop into Goyt Valley then up through Derbyshire Bridge. .Always looks easier than it feels but great scenery. .

 

[pally83]

Jeffrey Hill from Ribchester. Crap road surface for the first bit but it gets better as it gets steeper and you're treated to some lovely views at the top.

 

[Hacienda71]

After Pyms Chair drop into Goyt Valley then up through Derbyshire Bridge. .Always looks easier than it feels but great scenery. .

I like that climb out of the Goyt. Gives you options at the end. Down into Buxton, back towards Macc or over to Flash. Don't like the wind you sometimes get up on top of the moor by the Cat and Fiddle though.

 

[vorsprung]

Jeez, I don't think I've ever ridden a hill that took longer than 10 minutes. None round here anyway.

Maybe you are just faster uphill than me