Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, for this page: 100 Greatest Climbs - A Road Cyclists Guide To Britains Hills; Cycling Climbs of Wales; see also https://www.100climbs.co.uk/books). There is also now a Welsh Climbs book 100 greatest cycling climbs is a list of some of the hardest climbs in the UK from Constitution Hill to Kirkstone Pass and Ditchling Beacon. But the end of the steep ramp is within touching distance. The wooded opening sequence and the first phases on the open hillside are where you'll really suffer. Check the forecast before you head out and be prepared for harsher weather at the top. WOW - enough said! Best time to cycle J F M A M J J A S O N D Ranking list Wales Difficulty points Gradient Length Total ascent List of - 100 Climbs Total climbing: 21,293m over 322.75km. To climb from the east, begin at the warning sign at Jubilee Bridge. The bike climbs we have documented are in the slideshow above. As Dan waltzes off ahead I am beginning to falter. I dare not look up and in a situation like this it is best not to concentrate on the finish but just live in the moment, trying to stay on two wheels, preserving forward momentum. Photograph: John Morrison/Alamy, Warning sign near the Rosedale Chimney in North Yorkshire Photograph: Mark Sunderland/Alamy, Remote pass Bwlch y Groes, Wales Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy, The road from Cockbridge to Tomintoul, Aberdeenshire. As of 2022, Simon Warren has published 12 cycling climbing books - 10 focusing on the UK, one on TdF and the other on the Giro. Almost imperceptibly, the gradient rises up until you'll suddenly feel like you're pedaling through treacle - probably just before the turn-off for Fforest Fawr. Get through this, the first of many brutal stretches, and things back off for a while before ramping up to the first of two gates. It's that steep much of the way. Where Turn off the A896 and head east just before Tornapress. The Gospel Pass is situated in Wales. Thankfully it eases off as it reaches the higher levels, giving you the chance to recover before the summit while taking in stunning views of Hay Bluff and the English borders. Pass Gairnshiel Lodge and Colnabaichin. Dan is still chatting away but Ive fallen silent - there is no space to fit words in-between breaths. Where: Heading north out of Cymmer in the Afan Valley. Click the CONTRIBUTE button to share your thoughts with us. Taking your bike up a steep climb next to Welsh dry stone walls and mountain streams on Heol Lan is an experience that will stay with you. Things start off fairly easily, but get harder and harder and harder again by the time you near the summit of Cefn Eglwysllan, with a lovely 20% ramp greeting you to the very top. The steep, consistent gradient hovers around 15% all the way, making it one of the most challenging climbs in South Wales. The makeup of land ownership at Snowdonia is as follows (Wikipedia - Snowdonia National Park). Below is a list of Simons choices for Wales Top 10 Hardest and Top 10 Most Epic. The top few miles of the Swansea Valley take you up the steady slopes of a wide and straight main road up to the beautiful Crai Reservoir. Over the course of the slog, you'll climb . Bwlch y Groes is rich in history and strong on inspiring, if not breathtaking, scenery. This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in Wales. 1. I had to go and check it out. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. This climb has the steepest 500 meter segment in all the UK. Canton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. We relied heavily on Simon Warrens Top UK Climbs Series in ranking and documenting UK bike climbs (. ) Afon Ddu from Trefriw is the toughest ascent with a difficulty score of 621. Now climbing steeply, this slither of rough road clinging precariously to the mountainside bends hard right to deliver you into a true wilderness. Pass through the large orange gates used to close the road in winter proof, if you hadn't twigged already, that you're heading into serious country. He wasn't wrong. But one thing's for sure - Wales has some great places to do it. Where From the bottom left corner of Rosedale Abbey leave the main road and turn south east on to Gill Lane, pass the giant warning sign, and head up. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure. "Take it easy now or you'll never make it." My puny cycling arms are shaking like a frightened kitten. Newly formed Denver Disruptors and Miami Nights NCL teams will make their debut at Tucson Bicycle Classic and tackle a full season of NCL and domestic racing, By Anne-Marije Rook Views and scenery during the middle of the climb. - Subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Penbarra ( Bwlch Pen barras / Bwlch Penbarras / Old Bwlch) - 258m - 11 to 25% - 2.3km #89. Cairn O'Mount from the south side is 3.35km with an elevation gain of 319 meters. Ride 1.8 miles gaining 916 at 10% average grade. It might be less than a mile, but make no mistake - this is the one of the toughest climbs in South Wales, with the gradient hovering around 15% virtually all the way until it finally shows some mercy in the last couple of hundred metres. Even though its very short you have to go so slowly at first. Arguably, though, he is best known as the author of Cycling Climbs series of books. It's mentally taxing rather than a top-level physical challenge - the four miles of climbing are largely gentle in gradient terms, but difficult because of the scale of the landscape. A little bit about Simon Warren - We contacted Simon Warren with our request for his Top 10 lists because we consider him the Gold Standard and cyclist with the most thorough and comprehensive knowledge of hill climbing by bike in the UK. When: March 20-27, 2022. In many ways, the quintessential Welsh mountain road - wild, remote, desolate and endearingly featureless. Gwent The toughest climb in south Wales Where Heading west on the A465 from . I have purchased and relied heavily on several of these books in deciding what climbs to include on the PJAMM Website for the UK. We've collected 37 of the hardest, most beautiful, steepest, highest and longest climbs in South Wales. Where Head north into the mountains from Ballater on the A939. Bwlch Penbarra to Jubilee Tower, 4. We have twice personally documented the Welsh Top 10 Hardest Climbs. Not here. The steep, consistent gradient hovers around 15% all the way, making it one of the most challenging climbs in South Wales. On my first climb up Bwlch y Groes in 2018 I got a flat tire on my vehicle that was parked in front of one of these homesteads and was assisted in fixing the flat by the old-timer that lived nearby. All rights reserved. But the gentle appearance of the hedge-lined opening can be misleading - it's here that the damage can be done if not enough is left in the tank for the slightly more forgiving upper reaches. This is the story of how he found it and just how painful it is to ride. TOP 3 HARDEST BIKE CLIMBS IN WALES (FIETS INDEX), This extraordinary climb is in the northwestern section of Wales in the Snowdonia mountain region. Finish at the car park at the top of the climb. Ranking list The road if you can call it that was built so vehicles could access the giant pipelines that draw water from Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau to feed the Dolgarrog hydroelectric power Station and the water treatment plant that sits on its slopes. Bryn Du is a very steep climb in Aberdare, up Maerdy Mountain. 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Let us know what you thought of this climb. Height gain 286m A great alternative to the Cray climb (see above) - this starts from the same point, but instead of taking the main road, bears left up a narrow lane into a desolate moment top. Simon and Dan get to grips with Pythagoras Theorem. Baniamr Aquabah Pass, 6. Stick with it, as eventually the one-in-three does turn into a relatively gentle one-in-six, allowing you to build a little momentum to drag your bike up on to the moor. There's a choice towards the top between turning right down towards Llangynidr or carrying on along the road to Rassau to complete the full climb. This climb truly is beauty and the beast. (If you're cyclist in North, Mid or West Wales, we'll be preparing similar articles for your area - and there's a form at the bottom to send your suggestions). . We owe a great debt of gratitude to Simon Warren for his books generally and for his contribution of Top 10 lists for PJAMM Cycling. And yet once you get to the top, you'll realise you enjoyed every second. A long, long stretch of wickedly steep tarmac lies ahead, hugging the side of the mountain, with a slight levelling halfway but steeper still after that. El Torneado, and 10. [Summarized above under Fiets Top 10 Hardest]. The base of the climb is on the first right out of the village next to a farm gate. Signup for our. . Bath The climb is tough right away, then gets tougher still as you bend right into what is a small taste of things to come. This is a list of all 200 climbs feature in 100 Greatest cycling climbs and also the sequel Heres how it works. Another climb with a fair bit of ascent to even get to the start. In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. On the opposite side of the Blorenge to the more famous Tumble, Rhiwr Road makes that famous climb look like child's play. This intimidating wall achieves virtually all of its 150m altitude gain in the space of a fearsome 1.2km, at an average gradient of nearly 13%. After all that has preceded it, the finale a set of four hairpin bends may be all too much, but fear not. . Pen-y-Pass is the climb out of Llanberis on the A4086 up to the Pen-y-Pass lodge where several walking routes to the summit of Snowdon start from. The scene of a brilliant double ascent during the 2013 Tour of Britain, this iconic route out of Caerphilly also features as the final climb in the Velothon Wales loop of South Wales. This climb was renowned throughout the 1970s and 80s as the most challenging climb used in the Milk Race round-Britain cycle race (, The History of Motor Sport and the Bwlch-y-Groes is nearly as old as motorsport. Ride over Irton Pike and pass through Eskdale Green and Beckfoot to reach the base of the climb next to the warning sign at Jubilee Bridge. The gradient kicks up to 14% as you head through the Cimla area of Neath, before a descent the other side takes you down into the Afan Valley. Grid ref: NJ 252 118 (OS37) Length 3.01km Height gain 245m Approx climb time 21 mins, This is it: the Holy Grail, the toughest and wildest climb in Britain. and climbs through roadside fields. The Tumble (SW #97), 8. Where: South of Llangadog, Carmarthenshire. But we dare you to stand at Broad Pool, look up at the ribbon of road snaking up to Gower's highest point and not want to ride it. When we reached this last hairpin though his jaw hit the floor, he recalls. The views? The photos in the collage at the top of this page are of PJAMMs Top 10 Hardest per the Fiets Index. Soon into the ride we are climbing through a canyon area with dramatic plateaus and hillside formations, particularly on the right side as we climb. After a few slight rises the road surface improves dramatically and stretches far into the distance, taking the shortest route over the featureless ridge. This gorgeous country road is testing for even the best cyclists, but it provides great views north towards the western Brecon Beacons. And yet it's easy to forget that it's also one of the toughest. Average gradient: 6.5% Another 100 Greatest Cycling hills 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs at Amazon.co.uk Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs at Waterstones Another 100 climbs include: Longest Hill Climb Cragg Vale - The longest continuous ascent in England - 9.1 km. As I force round this wicked right-hander, bend three, the pale, rugged and debris-strewn surface rises up like a wall through the trees. Where Leave the A470 at Dinas Mawddwy and head north east towards Aber-Cywarch. The average gradient of the climb is 2.9% and the maximum gradient is 13%. The Great Orme from Llandudno via Marine Drive, The Great Orme from Llandudno via Ty Gwyn Road. TOP 3 MOST EPIC BIKE CLIMBS IN WALES (SIMON WARREN), Cycling the incomparable Stwlan Dam, Wales. By the time the open mountain top is reached, things are much more benign. By the end of this section, you'll have ridden c.84km from the coast and will have climbed 2,800m from sea level. Bwlch Penbarra (SW #88), 9. Cyclist and spectators make their way up The Tumble and line the road as the Tour of Britain cyclist near the finish, Abergavenny. Friends Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater have returned home triumphant having completed 3,300 miles and climbed around 50 vertical miles in month-long endurance cycling .