Silly Commuter Hill Climbs

spasypaddy

6 goes on muswell hill last night, thats over 5miles of going straight up and straight back down. i was almost sick after number 5. a guy from london pheonix went up it as if it wasnt even a hill.

always get smiles of girls walking down the hill though which is nice.

sampurnell

spasypaddy wrote:

always get smiles of girls walking down the hill though which is nice.

pity smiles are never good

rjsterry

Sounds like you had, err, 'fun' on Muswell Hill Spasypaddy. You've got to remember that the London Phoenix chap only did it once.

Oh and to all those muttering about the only proper climbs being 'oop North', I suppose you would have to say that it was 'grimp' oop North.

Eh? See what I did there?

IGMC.

spasypaddy

sampurnell wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

always get smiles of girls walking down the hill though which is nice.

pity smiles are never good

it wasnt a pity smile, it was a smile of love and lust. i tried to see her on my way down to ask her to take my number but didnt see her. it was a moment where my sinews in my arms and legs woud have been impressive

who am i kidding

rjsterry

spasypaddy wrote:

sampurnell wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

always get smiles of girls walking down the hill though which is nice.

pity smiles are never good

it wasnt a pity smile, it was a smile of love and lust. i tried to see her on my way down to ask her to take my number but didnt see her. it was a moment where my sinews in my arms and legs woud have been impressive

who am i kidding

Such cruel luck. You should have pulled a track stand when you saw her taken down the number, then carried on up the hill for the best impression.

spasypaddy

she was on the other side of the road, would never have stopped on the way up. its hard enough keeping momentum up to get up it without stopping to get a girls number

rjsterry

Well, did Succomb's Hill at the first time of asking, so quite pleased with that. 2 minutes 57 seconds from Court Bushes Road (by the 25% sign) to the start of Narrow Lane. The tarmac rearing up in front of you makes for quite a claustrophobic experience, and I had to ignore a few mental wobbles - little voices saying, "you can't ride up that, it's ridiculous!". Also had some goon squeeze between me and a car coming down the hill on the bend - thanks for that.

Headed off towards Titsey, but due to the lack of a map or satnav, I took a wrong turn, and headed down another slope. At the bottom, I realised it wasn't Titsey Hill, and headed back up. I went on a bit further, but couldn't work out where I was, and was out of time, so headed back. Next time, then.

Burntwood Lane is quite hard work as well coming up from the RoB, and the drop down into Old Coulsdon caused the removal of yet more brake pads.

Bassjunkieuk

@rjsterry: Good work! It certainly doesn't look rideable when your coming up it but thankfully having already driven up it before I rode it I knew what to expect! On a side note you do start by the HO (I believe) for a nice chain for shops that stock bits for the ladies (and their fella's in the 18+ section ;-))

Shame you missed Titsey but it is a bit of a pain trying to navigate residential roads without a map! It does get rather lumpy in that area with hills seemingly appearing out of nowhere as you turn a corner :-) Another nasty little one in that area is the roads near Farthing Downs - Ditches Lane is positively lovely on a early morning and will get the blood rushing to your legs, but the view makes it all worth it :-) Marlpit Lane ramps up nicely although it sounds like you came back down in that general direction :-)

rjsterry

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

@rjsterry: Good work! It certainly doesn't look rideable when your coming up it but thankfully having already driven up it before I rode it I knew what to expect! On a side note you do start by the HO (I believe) for a nice chain for shops that stock bits for the ladies (and their fella's in the 18+ section ;-))

Shame you missed Titsey but it is a bit of a pain trying to navigate residential roads without a map! It does get rather lumpy in that area with hills seemingly appearing out of nowhere as you turn a corner :-) Another nasty little one in that area is the roads near Farthing Downs - Ditches Lane is positively lovely on a early morning and will get the blood rushing to your legs, but the view makes it all worth it :-) Marlpit Lane ramps up nicely although it sounds like you came back down in that general direction :-)

Thanks BJUK. Did an out and back, so did Marlpit Lane both ways; a good warm up for the hills to come, and scrubbed off plenty of brake pad on the way down. Computer's on the blink atm, so don't really know how fast I was going. I think I'll be back down that way again before too long.

nwallace

Pick either exist 3 or 4
http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s ... .96,,0,6.1

I've only take Exit 4 (Ninewells Avenue) Once, although it didn't take me long to get used to Exit 3 (A&E Brae) when I got a good few weeks in, straight on at the middle circle, that's where it gets steeper, oh and that's on about 5 bus routes.

Pretty tame really, but i'm a grossly unfit 14 stone at best, and right now an idle 15 stone.

rjsterry

Any Marmotteers care to post anything here, to put all the rest of us to shame?

Excuse the blatant bumping.

ketsbaia

Alpe d'Huez - 1h 48 m. Stopped at turn 10, then the water stop at turn 7, then a brief halt under a tree to gulp down the last energy gel at turn 3. This was after 100+ miles of riding over Cols, though.

rjsterry

ketsbaia wrote:

Alpe d'Huez - 1h 48 m. Stopped at turn 10, then the water stop at turn 7, then a brief halt under a tree to gulp down the last energy gel at turn 3. This was after 100+ miles of riding over Cols, though.

This side or the other one?

jonginge

Recce:
Alpe d'Huez: 1hr

Marmotte (approx timings):
Glandon: 1hr20
Telegraphe: 53mins
Galibier: 1hr13mins
Alpe d'Huez: 1hr24mins

ketsbaia

rjsterry wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Alpe d'Huez - 1h 48 m. Stopped at turn 10, then the water stop at turn 7, then a brief halt under a tree to gulp down the last energy gel at turn 3. This was after 100+ miles of riding over Cols, though.

This side or the other one?

That's the one.

@JonGinge. Impressive stuff. I did just over an hour for the Télégraphe, which was by far my favourite climb. Can't remember how long the Glandon took, but it wasn't my best as I had to stop on 'the ramp' just after the second descent and pick up my gilet, which had fallen out of my back pocket. Galibier was a slog, but I needed a sit-down 'comfort break' at Plan Lachat.

jonginge

ketsbaia wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Alpe d'Huez - 1h 48 m. Stopped at turn 10, then the water stop at turn 7, then a brief halt under a tree to gulp down the last energy gel at turn 3. This was after 100+ miles of riding over Cols, though.

This side or the other one?

That's the one.

@JonGinge. Impressive stuff. I did just over an hour for the Télégraphe, which was by far my favourite climb. Can't remember how long the Glandon took, but it wasn't my best as I had to stop on 'the ramp' just after the second descent and pick up my gilet, which had fallen out of my back pocket. Galibier was a slog, but I needed a sit-down 'comfort break' at Plan Lachat.

There's a joke in there somewhere

Bassjunkieuk

JonGinge wrote:

Recce:
Alpe d'Huez: 1hr

Marmotte (approx timings):
Glandon: 1hr20
Telegraphe: 53mins
Galibier: 1hr13mins
Alpe d'Huez: 1hr24mins

Now that just looks hurty, even the shortest of those climbs would be like me riding up a hill for the duration of one of my average (by time) London bound commutes! Top work gents!!

ketsbaia

JonGinge wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Alpe d'Huez - 1h 48 m. Stopped at turn 10, then the water stop at turn 7, then a brief halt under a tree to gulp down the last energy gel at turn 3. This was after 100+ miles of riding over Cols, though.

This side or the other one?

That's the one.

@JonGinge. Impressive stuff. I did just over an hour for the Télégraphe, which was by far my favourite climb. Can't remember how long the Glandon took, but it wasn't my best as I had to stop on 'the ramp' just after the second descent and pick up my gilet, which had fallen out of my back pocket. Galibier was a slog, but I needed a sit-down 'comfort break' at Plan Lachat.

There's a joke in there somewhere

ketsbaia

Found another couple of hills yesterday on my quick 25-mile blast round SE London. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it), I was going downhill on both of them. Summer Hill, just after Chislehurst Common, is about a third of a mile and 10% all the way. Then just as I was coming out of Bromley, I went down Beckenham Road, which quickly turned into a road called 'The Hill'. And some hill it was. Probably only just over half a mile, but a couple of twists and a steady, reasonably steep gradient all the way down to Shortlands station. I'll be doing the route the other way round soon, so I'll report back on my progress.

rolf_f

Bobbed over to Pateley Bridge yesterday to make an overdue appointment with Greenhow Hill. Fruity little bugger

3 evil 16% plus sections over a mile get you the first 500 feet (10 minutes or so). There is then a harsh drag up the second 500 feet over another mile which isn't as bad but after the first bit is a slog - particularly as it gets exposed and there was a strong headwind.

Still, that was followed by almost 8 miles of glorious tailwinds downhill to Blubberhouses

ketsbaia

Chapeau, Rolf. Only after having done the Marmotte am I now not psyched out by that hill.

Must return and have a crack at it soon.

Bassjunkieuk

ketsbaia wrote:

Found another couple of hills yesterday on my quick 25-mile blast round SE London. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it), I was going downhill on both of them. Summer Hill, just after Chislehurst Common, is about a third of a mile and 10% all the way. Then just as I was coming out of Bromley, I went down Beckenham Road, which quickly turned into a road called 'The Hill'. And some hill it was. Probably only just over half a mile, but a couple of twists and a steady, reasonably steep gradient all the way down to Shortlands station. I'll be doing the route the other way round soon, so I'll report back on my progress.

Think I've seen both of these, the one in Chislehurst in the car (and trying to make a mental note to try on bike) and I think I know and have doen the one leading towards Shortlands - does it come down from Bromley?

I'm thinking it's the one marked up Beckenham Lane on here

If not that is still a fun twisting downhill, albeit rather busy! The great fun then us you carry on straight over on Beck Ln and then head up Bromley Road you get a nice little drag uphill :-)

ketsbaia

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I think I know and have doen the one leading towards Shortlands - does it come down from Bromley?

I'm thinking it's the one marked up Beckenham Lane on here

That's the one. I'm thinking of doing an extended journey home tomorrow night to take in both climbs uphill. Will report back once I get round to it.

NormalD

@rjsterry

As it's not far from me what is Streatley Hill rated at out of ten?

rjsterry

NormalD wrote:

@rjsterry

As it's not far from me what is Streatley Hill rated at out of ten?

Not sure if it's listed - don't recognise the name, but it might be listed under another name. I'll check tonight. In any case, it looks pretty respectable from google maps.

NormalD

I got it from your list.

rjsterry wrote:

Right, here is the 'official' list from Simon Warren's book.



South East
Box Hill
York's Hill
White Lane
Leith Hill
White Downs
The Wall
Toys Hill
Steyning Bostal
Ditchling Beacon
Whiteleaf
Streatley Hill
Combe Gibbet
Mott Street, Essex
Swains Lane

rjsterry

:oops:

<slaps forehead>

I'll look it up, and let you know

NormalD

Ta.

rjsterry

Right, looked it up this morning, and Streatley Hill rates a 5/10. Respectable, but not mental. Almost enjoyable perhaps?

NormalD

rjsterry wrote:

Almost enjoyable perhaps?

I'll try and bare that in mind.

Unfortunately I've realised(bring on the excuses) that the next two weekends are booked and then I'm away so it may have to wait.
I'll definitely post a time when I've done it though.