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Ahh, Mastiles. It's a ramp test - slowly gets steeper and steeper though never outrageously steep. Get the right line and it's a decent surface, get it wrong and you are in to sections of loose rubble.
Another Dales one is Gilbert Lane which is the track leading from the top of Kidstones over to Semer water. Mostly straightforward, there's one short technical section that will probably be unrideable uphill for most.
As with descents, the best climbs are those you feel you could always do slightly better on, whether that's faster or to clean it.
Ahh, Mastiles. It's a ramp test - slowly gets steeper and steeper though never outrageously steep. Get the right line and it's a decent surface, get it wrong and you are in to sections of loose rubble.
Yup, it's always surprisingly easy right up to the point where you have to put a foot down! I think I've only cleaned it twice out of probably a dozen goes. 😳
[b]lemonysam[/b] - Blaydon to Collier Law sounds great. I can't find Collier Law - can you find it on a map for me?
It's the hill above Stanhope - at the top of Crawleyside ([url=
You can ride on the estate track virtually to the trig point as I remember.
Op, I think this is a great idea. You could do a book, I'm sure a few of us on here could help with the write up. At the very least you could do a webpage devoted to the topic. Also, have you considered emailing Mark. A regular section in the mag, a one or 2 page write up per issue would be would be worth considering. It's certainly something I would read.
chuckles, you're funnyDoesn't matter if you don't clean it
but yes agreedcan still be a great experience.
[b]jekkyl[/b] - That sounds great. But really you'd/I'd have to ride it, take your/my own photos, etc before you could publish it. That's fine for the ones local to me, and the 5 or so away rides I might do over a year, but it would be a proper undertaking to try and do 100.
Then there's the fact that if I stop to take photos, I can't clean it 😉
I suppose one idea would be to do it 'sponsored by strava' and make some 'official' segments.
[b]lemonysam[/b] - I'm intrigued by this one. So how much of that 40km is off-road? Looking at Bing - have I got the correct places (zoom out to see Newcastle)?
Hmmm... Nope, it's further north than that.
It's virtually all off road on an old railway path which varies from tarmac to mud to gravel with a bit of scrappy path through Consett- it does have some small dips in it but nothing longer than say 50m which in context I still think of as a climb.
A child could ride all of it quite happily but by the time you've gone there and back you've done 80 km and made one of the odder looking strava rides you'll ever see. Most people will know it as the long descent into Newcastle at the end of the C2C.
This is pretty much it:
edit: (it was a bit of a silly suggestion to make the list more than just unridable 17% drags)
whitestone - Member
Are we talking about climbs that you've a reasonable chance of climbing clean without prior knowledge or ones that you have to work at? (In climbing terms: on-sight vs redpoint)I'll add:
Fremington Edge in Swaledale
Barden Moor from Rylstone
Here's a Strava link for the Fremington Edge climb:
1.8 km at an average gradient of 12%. Cleaning it would require getting lucky with the gate or having a friend go ahead to open it.
I've done Fremington Edge once - first ride on new bike. Apart from the gate I got to about 100 metres from the top before running out of oomph 😳 It was just at the section where there's curious ribbed bedrock that you ride over. The bike has 1x10 so I was getting used to that (my excuse anyway)
Be interesting to go back and have another go - the upper section looked a bit snowy on Saturday.
I avoid riding straight up Fremington Edge, since going SS; I go round on the road to Hurst instead... 😳
Minch Moor - yes its trail centre but it's 1300 feet and has a couple of techy bits. Has a cairn at the top and everything!
Golspie Black
Not massive but some of it is really tricky, I didn't clean it that's for sure
Glen Finglas
Not technical at all but a soul crushing grind up a never ending fireroad. Stunning views on a nice day though
https://www.strava.com/activities/50975204/segments/1217234743
[b]richmtb[/b] - Yes, done the first two of those - both pretty memorable for trail centre climbs.
I was trying to think of the best trail centre climbs I've done - those are probably them. (haven't done the South Wales ones).
The 100 road climbs books are not just about the biggest or toughest - so it seems to be worth mentioning "fun" trail centre climbs.
Like the first singletrack climb on TNF trail at Grizedale.
Or Whites Level at Afan.
Like the first singletrack climb on TNF trail at Grizedale.
I've only done it once (because the rest of it was a disappointment), but I really enjoyed this too.
We use it as a means to access the bridleways, never done the full TNF trail myself.
I think someone was telling me it was used in reverse in an enduro race - and was really hard.
Quite like this one, much more sensible 1mile @ 10%, normally done as the first climb of the day, steep lungbuster tarmac start under trees but eases off to climb up and open out to some gorgeous views.
[url=
Think SFB said the boggies have done it as a night rideI think someone was telling me it was used in reverse in an enduro race - and was really hard.
Was going to suggest the TNF climb. Did it for the first time the other week (I rarely do trail centres), was in behind a mate who got to the switchbacks about halfway up and said "I can never get these right" and stopped! Since I was right in behind him I had to stop as well though I'm not sure I'd have got the second turn.
That loughrigg climb sorts the men out from the boys alright!
Embarrassingly (and it's something I'm going to put right this year), I'm ashamed to say the only riding I've done in the Lakes is Grizedale (classic 25m natural route and TNF).
So I'm really looking at these Lakes suggestions closely.
I've only done on of those mentioned 🙁
However, I quite pleased that on Cutgate I'm 90th out of 1775, which is just over 6 minutes slower than the KOM.
Unfortunately, other than the Peaks and the Long Mynd (there must be one there surely), I've not done loads of natural riding.
Trail centre wise, the TNF climb from memory was really good, but I also like the Cwmcarn opening climb, all doable but pretty tricky.
Got to agree with the sentiment that unlike road climbs which are mostly doble by anyone fit (it's just a matter of fitness and suffering Vs speed), MTB climbs are far more subjective.
A roadie who'd never ridden off road could go up 95% of Skiddaw even if it is 20% higher than the Belach na Bar road, but hate it becasue of the rocky bit mid way. Likewise an avid MTB'er would love the challenge of those bits, but hate the other 95% of mostly featureless but very steap climbing.
Alex, that route up the Brinore Tramroad is correct until it gets to the junction to Dyffryn Crawnon. I would normally keep on heading up to the top then head right across Bryniau Gleision and descend to Dolygaer and Pontsticill Reservoir.
Strava segment
Mastiles was my first proper off roading back in 1988, before then we messed around in woodlands and moors above Kildwick. Mastiles rules it is still a great ride from kilnsey to malham out and back finishing with an awesome desent
Have managed the Dregorn ascent in Peatlands. Once. I thought I was going to die at the top!!
Mastiles Lane - tick. The photo - from the bottom - even made it into the Singletrack wallpaper section 🙂
. Way harder then Fremington edge or Mastilles lane . Half a dozen beasts around Buckden as well .
@peepingtom Did that years ago, seem to remember a bit of pushing up steep grass near the top.
Yeah, one or two round Buckden 😀
Certainly Buckden Rake is is a decent little climb, steep in places. So Buckden Rake, the steep bit of Kidstones on the road, then Gilbert Lane....
Ingleborough from the Ingleton side? That's quite an effort.
How about the Calf from Sedbergh? Cleanable but tough and long...
Or Cam High Road from Bainbridge. Straight as an arrow, long as hell but nowhere particularly desperate.
Looks good [b]mtbmatt[/b]. Don't really know why I haven't done that.
Agree that Porter Clough (aka the bastard) is a Sheffield rite of passage[url=
- it's not as rocky as it used to be, but just as steep.
I like to think of it as the first part of a three part exam
Part 2 is [url=
Lane[/url] on Houndkirk - rocky, but not too steep or two long
Once you've mastered that go for [url= https://app.strava.com/segments/3759264 ]Lenny Henry Hill[/url]. Again the bottom half isn't as technical as it once was, thanks to SCCC, but it serves it's purpose to wear you out before the rocky section. And just when you think you're almost there, the gate not far away, the lungs bursting, there's a couple of nasty rocks to catch you out.
I was chatting to someone about the Ingleborough BW last night - one of those silly ones really, the last two hundred metres would be challenging to say the least whether on bike or horseback.
Cam High road: I've been down it but not up. Seem to remember some rather loose sections which might be interesting in ascent.
The Calf: The hard bit of that is getting on to Calders - I pushed for about 200 metres from about halfway up the left slanting path round the bend and about 50 metres more. Loose and with a few water bars thrown in for good measure.
Climbing to the summit of Winder from the high point of Howgill Lane is definitely doable if it's been dry for a while.
AlexSimon - Member
Hairscary - are these photos of the same climb you mean - looks beautiful!
http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4368
That's the one.
Has it all, just doable to the bridge, a hike-a-bike after that, then back on the bike to the hut, with stunning scenery all around.
I was going to say that the list shouldn't include trail centre climbs but then I remembered how good the climb at Golspie is.
A few from the SW (none are as long as the northern ones but there are some quite punchy ones):
The climb from Foxworthy bridge to Hunters Tor via Peck farm, has a bit of everything sticky grass, a boulder field and then when your knackered a trialsesque hoick up over a boulder at 90 degrees.
Lady's Edge on the Quantocks is a good one, all singletrack with a nice steep ramp up at the end to test the fatigued legs.
If we're including trail centres the Cwmcarn climb from the start to the top has a good mix of everything.
by very very few I'd have thought as whitestone said arant haw is more doable, but calders is NFM IMO. Probably worthy of the "100" tho - if you're allowed little dips in the middleHow about the Calf from Sedbergh? Cleanable but tough and long...
The climb from Foxworthy bridge to Hunters Tor via Peck farm, has a bit of everything sticky grass, a boulder field and then when your knackered a trialsesque hoick up over a boulder at 90 degrees.
When I rode it a couple of weeks ago, the bottom half had been chewed up by cattle and was nearly un walkable, let alone rideable.
Ragged Stone Hill is the hardest one on the Malvern's I reckon - Relentless
Some Long Mynd ones are pretty grueling - Like the climb up from the campsite at little Stretton
The climb from Watendlath on the Borrowdale Bash is one that only legends will clean, shorter than some here but it is a classic route, so I'd throw that one in.
I usually find/make segments that are off the beaten track and they can be really silly at times, but they're well worth a go ~ [url=
ave grade![/url]
[url=
APP.STRAVA.COM Some can be pigs!
Fine until the last left hand bend when it rears up and is basically a rubble slope - think Potato Alley in the Peak. I managed all of two bike lengths then got off and walked.
I think the list needs a range of both difficulty and length in the same way that the road versions do. They can't all be super hard, you need to have some sort of progression from reasonably easy through to "spend a day working out each section" (Jacob's Ladder for example)
lightman - MemberI usually find/make segments that are off the beaten track and they can be really silly at times, but they're well worth a go ~ 35% ave grade!
I hope 'Yuba Mundo' on strava didn't try it on the Cargo bike!
On the 'technically easy but still quite knackering' front, I always huff and puff on this one - Whitewater Dash, particularly the last steep corner after a fair bit of climbing.
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