tell me about swiss hill please?

popette

what's it like? I know it's cobbled, but what kind of gradient? steeper than the steep bit on artists lane? What's the technique for climbing on cobbles. Is it one way? likely to meet oncoming cars - any side of the road better for climbing up? What if it's wet - shall i just walk it?

I think I may have to try it tomorrow otherwise it's going to be worrying me until next sunday.

McBain_v1

If you do go out tomorrow can you let me know please because I am having to contemplate walking up this as well. I read somewhere that it is sandstone cobbles and people should aim for the bits that have been worn by car tyres as this narrow area is likely to be smoother and more grippy. The general consensus was that if it has rained this ascent will just turn into an organised bike-walk.

I've dialled down the release tension on my left pedal because I am anticipating a few "need to put foot down quickly" type moments on this ride.

Are you still going for the full-fat 102 miler :?:

redddraggon

It's not that steep - not so steep that I'd struggle with the gradient.

It's a bit dusty in the middle - and probably slippy - so you've got two narrowish lines to take. I was always told that you should remain seated for the cobbled climbs - but my back wheel was still slipping - but Willhub shot up out the saddle with apparently no grip issues.

From the words of the great Willhub "You are a wimp if you can't climb Swiss Hill" I've still yet to get to the top - so it's goal for me for tomorrow too..

If it's wet I reckon you'll have to walk it

popette

McBain_v1 wrote:

Are you still going for the full-fat 102 miler :?:

Ohhhhhhhhh yesssssss!

nottscobb

Keep a loose but steady grip on the bars if that makes sense. Make sure your weight evenly distributed between front and rear wheel. Pick a relatively high gear and keep the pedals turning at an even rate. Too many people use too low a gear and/or don't keep even pressure on the pedals so start to slip and it goes wrong from there. If you do start to slip, don't panic just concentrate on keeping the pedals going round in circles with even pressure.

The above technique got me up the Koppenberg last year. This year my concern is my lack of miles and longer rides done this year but I'm still going to have a crack at the 102 miler. I've just got to make sure I don't get carried away too early and concentrate on my fuelling and hopefully I'll be fine.

ColinJ

Hi Popette.

I've never been up (or down) Swiss Hill so I can't tell you much about it other than...

(1) If you search for "swiss hill" " "alderley edge" on Google Images, you find your avatar, mine and those of various other BR members on pages 2 and 3 of the search results - how spooky is that! (It's something to do with us all posting on a different thread here that mentioned Swiss Hill).

(2) However bad it is, be thankful it isn't The Buttress, Hebden Bridge!







If you read this thread on CycleChat, there are a few mentions of Swiss Hill.

McBain_v1

That looks feckin' INSANE :shock:

selfpropelledpaolo

I went to university in Manchester back in the 90's. We used to go up swiss hill on the first week of term every year to give the new members of the cycling club a bit of a baptism of fire!

Swiss hill never really seemed to be truly dry at any time of year as there's overhanging trees on alot of the climb as I recall.

Best way to get up seemed to be to hit it flat out and hope it ended before your legs gave out!

I seem to remember that the arms hurt worse than the legs by the time we got to the top each time!

Enjoy it either way, you can always walk!

Slow1972

Nottscobb is spot on, even pressure and not too low a gear.

I've ridden it a couple of times in the last month or so as I live close by. Even pressure on the pedals is the most important thing to stop you spinning the back wheel out. Try and look far enough ahead so you are planning the line you taking to avoid any sections that look particularly rough, potholed or slippy. I would go at an even pace so you can ride it consistently rather than going too hard at the bottom and being too tired and ragged to hold a decent pace and line further up.

If you've ever mountain biked up loose climbs its a similar technique, and as such you can get out of the saddle but you have to keep your weight back over the rear wheel so no hanging over the bars. That said, I prefer to do it seated as I think it reduces the risk of spin out

Its not that long either

So don't worry, Enjoy!

ColinJ

McBain_v1 wrote:

That looks feckin' INSANE :shock:

The really insane thing about The Buttress is that it is part of NCN (National Cycle Route) 68 - The Pennine Cycleway! :?

Here are some 'riders' (reduced to being pedestrians!) ascending it during the opening ride on the route.

PS Sorry for going Off Topic again! :oops:

holmeboy

nottscobb Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:22 pm Post subject:

---

Keep a loose but steady grip on the bars if that makes sense. Make sure your weight evenly distributed between front and rear wheel. Pick a relatively high gear and keep the pedals turning at an even rate. Too many people use too low a gear and/or don't keep even pressure on the pedals so start to slip and it goes wrong from there. If you do start to slip, don't panic just concentrate on keeping the pedals going round in circles with even pressure.

Can you get your pedals going round in anything but circles? That i'd like to see.
Road looks like a typical East Lothian surface to me! :oops: :evil: :twisted:

Higs

Read the thread and was passing on the way home so...

Swiss Hill this afternoon: http://gallery126268.fotopic.net/c1669758.html

pdstsp

Looks narrow- is it one way? Could be fun if its a rainy day with a few riders trying to get up and a car or van coming down.

popette

Higs, you're a gem. I'm going to try it tomorrow.


pdstsp - it's on the route of the cheshire cat so over 1000 of us will be going up it :shock:

Marko1962

Isn't it strange how photo's always seem to make a hill look less hilly than it actually is I remember Swiss hill to quite an incline, the first and last photo seem to capture what I remember but there again I was in a car at the time I traversed it so may be quite a different perspective on a bike..

Higs

Yep, it's steeper than the pics.

pdstsp

Popette - I take your point but we won't all be going up at the same time will we??? That would be a triumph for critiical mass

popette

pdstsp wrote:

Popette - I take your point but we won't all be going up at the same time will we??? That would be a triumph for critiical mass

that would be hilarious!!!

pdstsp

I suspect it would only be hilarious if you're at the front

ugo.santalucia

If it's dry it's no big deal, goes up 13-14% for a few hundred yards, if it's wet you'll have to walk it... or cycle the normal paved road Alderley Edge-Macclesfield (also known as "The Wizard" after the pub on top), nobody is going to shoot you for that

andy_wrx

ugo.santalucia wrote:

If it's dry it's no big deal, goes up 13-14% for a few hundred yards, if it's wet you'll have to walk it... or cycle the normal paved road Alderley Edge-Macclesfield (also known as "The Wizard" after the pub on top), nobody is going to shoot you for that

Ooh yes, miss out Swiss Hill. In fact, miss out all the climbs, set a really good time and be back before everyone else...

That, err, rather misses the point of the sportive having a route and everybody follows it...?


There might be a marshal at the bottom, pointing people up Swiss Hill rather than overshooting the turn and ending-up in Alderley Edge, but then maybe not as there weren't exactly many marshals out on the event last year.

So yes you could miss-out Swiss Hill, but you'll have CHEATED and even if no one else knows, YOU WILL and hopefully you'll be ever so proud of yourself... :roll:


Interestingly, I've just looked at the KiloToGo website this morning and they've changed the route again !
Originally, it went from Alderley Edge to Knutsford along the direct B-road through Mobberley, but then that changed, perhaps because the Wilmslow Half Marathon will be coming the other way...
Then it was changed to go up Swiss Hill, turn left at the top, up to the Wizard tearooms and down Artists Lane, then back to Knutsford via Warford and the David Lewis Centre (Cheshire Cycleway route)
But today I notice that it now goes up Swiss Hill and turns right, down into Alderley Edge, left at the bottom on the main road towards Chelford, then off via Warford and the David Lewis Centre.
I know the road at the bottom of Artists Lane, Sossmoss Lane, is now one-way because of some bypass or pipeline or something construction - big earthmoving stuff anyway - so perhaps they've had to reroute again to avoid that.
Whatever, no big deal.


You'll be fine Popette & McBain.
Get yourself into a nice steady gear at the bottom and grind up it. Take it slowly and carefully - it might be easierand quicker to ride it as slowly as you can and stay in the saddle, rather than rush it, wheelspin or topple off - you'll not manage to clip back in on the slope.
I'd stay seated for traction and keep your weight back, but be careful not to unweight the front end quite so much that you're pulling the front wheel off the ground.
At the bottom end particularly, there are two distinct grooves worn into to the cobbles by the weight of car traffic, with a mossy/grassy crown in the middle - I'd pick the left side and stay in it as this is the 'downhill' side of the slope, but if everyone else is there you can ride up the right side.
Keep looking ahead, rather than under the front wheel, as there are a few sunken cobblestones or wider gaps between them, and you want to go round them !
Partway up it widens a bit and there are some flats/maisonettes on the left - just there is the steepest bit, then it goes around a righthand bend, flattens out and is tarmaced : get there and you've cracked it
- but you haven't finished yet ! So take the opportunity to get your breath back, because at the end of that you go round another corner and there's another uphill bit, cobbled again and nothing like as steep, but if you didn't know it was coming you might be a bit unhappy

a_n_t

people are worrying too much................. kilotogo have well overhyped this climb!

andy_wrx

Yes, you might well be right.

KiloToGo hype Mow Cop as though it's the Eiger, and Swiss Hill as though it's...I dunno, an almost-unclimbable Koppenberg ?

Personally, I think Danebridge & Wincle (pronounced 'wince-al', not 'winckle') and Macc Forest, plus that one I hate after Macc Forest up towards the Cat&Fiddle road, will have a lot of people 'wincing'

ugo.santalucia

andy_wrx wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

If it's dry it's no big deal, goes up 13-14% for a few hundred yards, if it's wet you'll have to walk it... or cycle the normal paved road Alderley Edge-Macclesfield (also known as "The Wizard" after the pub on top), nobody is going to shoot you for that

Ooh yes, miss out Swiss Hill. In fact, miss out all the climbs, set a really good time and be back before everyone else...

That, err, rather misses the point of the sportive having a route and everybody follows it...?


There might be a marshal at the bottom, pointing people up Swiss Hill rather than overshooting the turn and ending-up in Alderley Edge, but then maybe not as there weren't exactly many marshals out on the event last year.

So yes you could miss-out Swiss Hill, but you'll have CHEATED and even if no one else knows, YOU WILL and hopefully you'll be ever so proud of yourself... :roll:


Interestingly, I've just looked at the KiloToGo website this morning and they've changed the route again !
Originally, it went from Alderley Edge to Knutsford along the direct B-road through Mobberley, but then that changed, perhaps because the Wilmslow Half Marathon will be coming the other way...
Then it was changed to go up Swiss Hill, turn left at the top, up to the Wizard tearooms and down Artists Lane, then back to Knutsford via Warford and the David Lewis Centre (Cheshire Cycleway route)
But today I notice that it now goes up Swiss Hill and turns right, down into Alderley Edge, left at the bottom on the main road towards Chelford, then off via Warford and the David Lewis Centre.
I know the road at the bottom of Artists Lane, Sossmoss Lane, is now one-way because of some bypass or pipeline or something construction - big earthmoving stuff anyway - so perhaps they've had to reroute again to avoid that.
Whatever, no big deal.


You'll be fine Popette & McBain.
Get yourself into a nice steady gear at the bottom and grind up it. Take it slowly and carefully - it might be easierand quicker to ride it as slowly as you can and stay in the saddle, rather than rush it, wheelspin or topple off - you'll not manage to clip back in on the slope.
I'd stay seated for traction and keep your weight back, but be careful not to unweight the front end quite so much that you're pulling the front wheel off the ground.
At the bottom end particularly, there are two distinct grooves worn into to the cobbles by the weight of car traffic, with a mossy/grassy crown in the middle - I'd pick the left side and stay in it as this is the 'downhill' side of the slope, but if everyone else is there you can ride up the right side.
Keep looking ahead, rather than under the front wheel, as there are a few sunken cobblestones or wider gaps between them, and you want to go round them !
Partway up it widens a bit and there are some flats/maisonettes on the left - just there is the steepest bit, then it goes around a righthand bend, flattens out and is tarmaced : get there and you've cracked it
- but you haven't finished yet ! So take the opportunity to get your breath back, because at the end of that you go round another corner and there's another uphill bit, cobbled again and nothing like as steep, but if you didn't know it was coming you might be a bit unhappy

Don't make such a big fuss, it's only a sportive, not the PRO Tour of Flanders

Marko1962

andy_wrx wrote:

Yes, you might well be right.

KiloToGo hype Mow Cop as though it's the Eiger, and Swiss Hill as though it's...I dunno, an almost-unclimbable Koppenberg ?

To some of us it might as well be :roll:

popette

ok - just tried it. I didn't even check the gradient, my eyes were glued to the road in front. Got to the apartments and almost fell off at a particularly lumpy bit. I managed to get over to the tarmac and stopped. I saw that it was flatter up ahead so continued on to the cross roads bit but then 3 cars came down and as I couldn't remember how much further I had to go, I decided to go down the tarmac to the right. That soon turned to cobbles and I bumped my way down. I disliked every minute of the whole thing. The start of it is very bad on the left of the road where the cobbles are particularly uneven. I think I'm going to walk it on the day.
cycled home in cold head winds. Hmmmph. P!ssed off now.

spanielsson

popette wrote:

ok - just tried it. I didn't even check the gradient, my eyes were glued to the road in front. Got to the apartments and almost fell off at a particularly lumpy bit. I managed to get over to the tarmac and stopped. I saw that it was flatter up ahead so continued on to the cross roads bit but then 3 cars came down and as I couldn't remember how much further I had to go, I decided to go down the tarmac to the right. That soon turned to cobbles and I bumped my way down. I disliked every minute of the whole thing. The start of it is very bad on the left of the road where the cobbles are particularly uneven. I think I'm going to walk it on the day.
cycled home in cold head winds. Hmmmph. P!ssed off now.

At least you now know what it's like.

I had a ride up Swiss hill earlier today, what didn't help is the headache that is still present from this morning, otherwise I'd have gone to the top.

I'm sure on the day you will be fine!

P.S The Sabbath was awesome on the cobbles, I may use it for the roubaix next year

andy_wrx

Marko1962 wrote:

andy_wrx wrote:

Yes, you might well be right.

KiloToGo hype Mow Cop as though it's the Eiger, and Swiss Hill as though it's...I dunno, an almost-unclimbable Koppenberg ?

To some of us it might as well be :roll:

Sorry, wasn't intending to be dismissive/patronising (honest ! or I'd have added a 8) )

I was really meaning that KiloToGo have really hyped Mow Cop & Swiss Hill, but there are 5 other hills I can think of which have hardly been mentioned...

Marko1962

andy_wrx wrote:

Marko1962 wrote:

andy_wrx wrote:

Yes, you might well be right.

KiloToGo hype Mow Cop as though it's the Eiger, and Swiss Hill as though it's...I dunno, an almost-unclimbable Koppenberg ?

To some of us it might as well be :roll:

Sorry, wasn't intending to be dismissive/patronising (honest ! or I'd have added a 8) )

I was really meaning that KiloToGo have really hyped Mow Cop & Swiss Hill, but there are 5 other hills I can think of which have hardly been mentioned...

My quoted reply was merely tongue in cheek at my expense as a relative newbie to the sport and this being my first sportive. I hope at the end of it I can agree whole heartedly with what you say about it being over hyped

elevated

I tried this today too - was looking out for other peeps but didn't spot anyone!

It wasn't too bad but I did have to stop at the junction halfway up (although I'll put this down to working out which way to go next )

I also checked out the newly resurfaced Macc Forest Trentabank, which is much nicer now. I made it up that ok, as I did the last time (prior to the resurface).

Mog Uk

a_n_t wrote:

people are worrying too much................. kilotogo have well overhyped this climb!

Agreed... I rode it this morning for the first time and have to wonder what all the fuss is about !!!

I suspect it's challenging in the wet but so are any cobbles...