+1 for the Dukes Pass down to Aberfoyle – hairpins, great scenary and a good road surface. In the wet it can be a bit testing getting round those hairpins though!

I prefer the ascent/descent from the Rest and be Thankful along the B828 (Hells Glen) rather than the main road.

Some other favourites:

The String Road in Arran is great on a nice day looking down over the water – the top section in particular is fast – only hill in the UK where i’ve managed to hit 60 mph. Lochranza to Glen Sannox would be good too if it wasn’t for the awful road surface

The C11 road from Glendaruel to Otter Ferry – bastard of a climb to get to the top but nice descent with spectacular scenary coming out the treeline and overlooking Loch Fyne and then the pub at the bottom on the water.

Rosset Gill

Ride ambassador Lorraine Kelly then whittled them down on the basis of route itself, views offered, historical resonance and what it means to the individual.
I never thought of her as a descender.

I was expecting a follow up post with a “going down” reference!

+1 for the col de Sarrenne, off the back of alpe D’huez. Snapped my frame on the rough bits this year though, so….Col D’Ornon, decending towards back into Bourg for me. Fast progressive turns with very little traffic to pass or avoid.

Another fave, Down Isoard towards Briancon is mentally fast in places, got bulls-eyed by a load of crickets at silly speed halfway down once, felt like being paintballed:)

TandemJeremy – Member

ARTHERS SEAT IS RUBBISH – THE ROUNDABOUT HALFWAY DOWN KILLS YOUR MOMNETEUMNot if you go round it the French way 😉

Col De Tourmalet is my favourite road descent (11miles IIRC)
and my fav road descent in the UK is rideable from my front door in flat old East Lothian.

Something around Whiteadder GW?

Plus that roundabout halfway down is about the only interesting part of that descent, although it is fast.

I’m fortunate enough to get to ride down (and up) some 10-15km climbs in the Jura a few times a month. Pretty technical descents, esp the Saleve and you wouldn’t want to get it wrong. Fave is probably from St Cergue to Nyon, especially if I’ve earned it by riding up the Faucille.

Some nice ones on the Etape Cymru – proper sphincter tightening stuff

Uk decents…Almost came unstuck properly on the drop from the Belach na ba this year. 2 wheeled slide after a bit too much caffine on the climb…..

Still, probably a contender for best UK. Got to love the Peaks too though.

The Tumble has got to be a firm favourite.
The top open section of the Gospel pass is lovely too .. Get past the narrow lanes, and the rest down to Hay on Wye is nice also.
And the wide winding road down into Monmouth is pretty good too.

Here in S.Wales there are loads of fantastic climbs and descents.

Omar Little – I was on Arran a month ago and the Lochranza – Sannox road was being resurfaced.

I like the Devils Beeftub descent into Moffat – not very quick but nice and flowy. The descent from Lowther Hill to Wanlockhead is fast and the surface is great. You can then carry on all the way down to Mennock to give about 7 miles of descending. The Lecht is great in either direction but the wind usually spoils things a little. In England Kirkstone is great and I like Fleet Moss down towards Hawes – very straight but insanely quick. 60mph = brown chamois.

fastest I’ve done in the UK was past the winking man, Buxton -> Leek, 64mph

Ive not ridden many of the downhills in the uk, but favourites of mine would be Kirkstone pass either side, or the Struggle. And also Honister Pass and Birker Fell.

Got to remember that the list was compiled for a Sky Ride publicity thing so they’re not going to be aimed at the serious roadie, more the gentle pootler type. Easily accessible, not too challenging but still good fun to a novice without scaring them witless!

Snake Pass into Glossop, Cat & Fiddle into Buxton and Long Hill into Whaley Bridge are all good local descents but they’re a nightmare in the wind.
Kirkstone Pass heading north to Ullswater is probably my favourite Lakes descent.
The road across the middle of Arran from Machrie to Brodick finishes with a fantastic descent on new-ish tarmac, I’ve had well over 50mph on that. 🙂

IDave…. Respect.
So does confidence with speed on the road come from experience? I’m new to road biking this year and enjoy the descents on the Leek to Buxton road but find speeds approaching 50mph pretty hairy.

For me most of the Lakes passes are not too good – too much time on the brakes and i prefer descents where you can just feather the brakes and take bends pretty much flat out. Newlands either way is good, and Honister towards Newlands. Kirstone back to Troutbeck is good, but you need a few pints at the Kirkstone inn before going down the struggle – really scary descent that one.

Lambs Fell in the Trough is fantastic going towards Slaidburn but my favourite in the north is Tan Hill down to Reeth.

France – Col de La Columbier back towards Sallanches.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA[/video]

Any excuse to post this again

The road from Torridon to Diabaig, sea level to 1000 ish feet and back in ten miles with loads of bends and exposure.

mrblobby – Member
did one down to Lake Garda last year that seemed to be endless switchbacks.

If it’s the one I think of there are 19 hairpins and they run the Punto Velone race up it. I came down it in a hire Brava and enjoyed it immensely.

I agree with the consensus on the Welsh descents.

Alpe d’Huez and Col du Galibier especially when overtaking cars.

Nobody’s mentioned the Col du Glandon yet either.

Sorry but none of the UK descents compare to the continental ones.

Sorry but none of the UK descents compare to the continental ones.

Obviously not! On the continent they have proper mountains and they actually know how to surface roads. Generally a lot less traffic too and what traffic there is tends to get well out of the way!

I’m remembering all the descents I did in the Sierra Nevadas earlier this year. 🙂 One from Lanjaron to the coast was about 30 miles of downhill (OK, couple of slight rises but basically went from 3500ft to sea level) on blissfully smooth tarmac.

fastest I’ve done in the UK was past the winking man, Buxton -> Leek, 64mph

Thats proper!

The B8043 from the junction of A884. The best fun on a road bike so far. Better than all the usual suspects. A west highland gem….

I would also put in a shout for Ventoux as being pretty amazing.
I have also gone down the A38 Telegraph Hill, from Torquay to Exeter on the back of a tandem, (about 15 years ago)now that was seriously fast, over 55mph, overtaking cars, quite an adrenalin rush, more so cause i had no say in any control; just pedal and pray.

Some interesting recommendations here.

I love some of the descents in the Breacons. But I think that the gospel pass is a bit too narrow to let yourself go on. The Tumble is good (the inlaws live in Govilon at the bottom) but I prefer the drop from the tops into Llangyndir. They use the hairpin near the top as a backdrop in loads of car magazines.

In the Alps – col du Glandon is unbelieveable – hairpin after hairpin. Years ago some of the descents around the Sierra Nevada near Competa were great too – 20-25kms of beautiful bends.

The Galibier is great at the top but the bottom half with the tunnels is plain crazy.

the winking man is a very steep and straight road, good surface. after the first time down i knew what was coming so sprinted into it – main issue was a side road and a car wondering if they could pull out – shat myself a bit when I saw it. don’t think i’m flexible enough now to get into a full tuck!

The B8043 from the junction of A884. The best fun on a road bike so far. Better than all the usual suspects. A west highland gem….

Very interesting… I’ve climbed and descended the A844 from Loch Sunart to Lochaline, you don’t expect such a long climb in that area! Will be back to try out the B8043…

crazy legs thats one amazing video !

Something around Whiteadder GW?

Yeah, out that way.

64mph 😯

I’ve done just over 50 and that left the old clacker valve going some at times. That said, 30mph felt like light speed 6 months ago so who knows in the future.

Did nobody else notice that they also have Ham Common as one of the best descents? I can only assume they asked some people on a Skyride in Richmond Park on that one. As far as I know it’s a totally flat road.

But I’ve never had a road bike – just a mountain bike with slicks on.
Got 70mph one day

And your Central heating thermostat is set to…?

The ‘Tak ma doon road’ coming from carron bridge into kilsyth.

“stabilizers – Member
The B8043 from the junction of A884. The best fun on a road bike so far. Better than all the usual suspects. A west highland gem…. “

Ahhh yes, superb. Done this in both directions and it is stunning bit of the country.

Another great one not mentioned is the long descent towards Durness on the A838. Not hugely fast, but with the scenerey opening up and (well for me) the end of a long, hard 8 days cyling in sight, it was a superb coast down.

In Britain, best descent without a doubt is the A470 going south east to Dinas Mawddwy. I do it a couple of times a year and never go quicker on a bike anywhere else. Blind left corner at nearly 60mph on 23mm slicks? Brilliant.

Best foreign descent that I’ve ridden: Luz Ardiden.
(My photo looking down the first third from the top)

Possible contender but I’ve only driven it: Stelvio.

Down ‘the struggle’ from Kirkstone Pass, Lake District.

Actually, going down any of the routes is great fun!

In Britain, best descent without a doubt is the A470 going south east to Dinas Mawddwy.

Did that many many years ago, still remember it as they’d just re-surfaced and there was about an inch of loose fine gravel on the surface, not fun!

Am I alone in not really being arsed about descents when I’m on my road bike? I enjoy them a bit, don’t get me wrong, but nothing like I enjoy even a mediocre descent on my mountain bike. Anything that I’m not able to work hard on I just find dull. If I go out for a 3 hour ride, I’d happily spend the entire time climbing if that was physically possible.

Best descent I’ve done was the Col du Joux Plane into Morzine BTW.

paulrockliffe, that was the question that prompted this thread. I’m of much the same thinking as you, but it seems that plenty of people do love road bike descents!

Personally I enjoy,

Dick Hudsons pub down to Eldwick; It’s not very steep, it’s not very long, it just has something about it thats enjoyable.

Also the A658 from Rawdon to Apperley bridge, again, not steep but a fast fun descent on a good road with some flowing bends.

and the descent from Birkdale into Nateby (B6270) Only steepens at the end but if you sprint the top bit, you take off over the little rises.

Oh, and not forgetting the Run off Fleet Moss into Hawes!!! I’ve hit over 60 mph down there, not for the feint hearted!

In fact, enjoy a vid of the legend that is Steetons own Sid Barras chasing down a breakaway. Ok he’s riding up it, but probably as fast as most can ride down it. (3min 50secs) Look at the crowds!!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3pnhB5bBEQ[/video]