[Closed] What is a Cat 1 climb in the UK?

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the awesome Col du Climpy

[i]No and TBH I doubt they'd ever do it. The road is too tough and in too bad a condition. Bear in mind that a pro race will have dozens of cars and vans in the race convoy, TV motorbikes etc and the logistics and danger of getting all that over a hill like Hardknott is one hell of a big ask. It'd also make for pretty crap TV cos the field would be blown to pieces within seconds.

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I see where you're coming from, but there's one climb in the Giro (Zoncolan I think) where it's so steep they don't allow cars up and the teams have to be supported by motorbike. Plus I've always thought that seeing the field blown apart makes for great telly.

just found this link after looking up cat 1 climbs uk; suprised that no one has mentioned saddleworth both directions are around 5 - 6 miles long and around 10% gradient average, not the steepest but they are long. No one has mentioned holme moss either which is a killer climb. Also might want to look at the roads around strines and bolsterstone alot are 20% and have shocking road surfaces. Also what about sir william hill road in grindleford that is a steep and long climb. Finally there is the monsal head road and the other side of the valley is the cressbrook hill which is maybe the most unpleasant hill that I have climbed. Sorry for restarting a really old topic but just wanted to stick my ore in.

I meant 5% not 10%... sory.

Bushcombe lane is probably the hardest climb in the Cotswolds. c200metres in 2km, with c150m done in the first kilometre. When the tour of britain came through a few years back they did the far easier stockwell lane and that was rated 1st cat.

Rosedale Chimney bank is the steepest I know of - 33%

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used to live in Lancaster, I remember the very first time I went out on a road bike round there. Lancaster, over Jubilee Tower to Slaidburn, did a big loop round there then back a similar way to Lancaster. Nearly 100 miles which I'd misjudged, I blew up big time.

Amen...

iirc the radar climb is actually a private road so you are not supposed be be on it. Doubt anyone would stop you though.

Looking out of my living room there's one, streatley hill, that's got to be a cat 1 climb ! I've fired both of my lungs out my arse riding that ****er!

No one has mentioned holme moss either which is a killer climb.

You think? I quite like Holme Moss, from either direction, it's never really steep just goes on for a while. I'm more wary of some of the short, steep things that don't get star billing, but are really quite nasty - the Monk's Road out of Charlesworth is my local horror show, there are some nasty little critters lurking around the Goyt Valley end of things and some of the stuff around Calderdale is pleasantly brutal. Oh, and there's that endless straight thing up to Sparrowpit as well from just off the A6 near Chapel. Kirkstone's evil, Honister, I don't think, has been mentioned, but is quite mean.

I guess it's down to personal preference. The Devil's Staircase in south Wales seemed a little anti-social, but I was having a bad day generally 😉

@ mrmichaelwright how do you get the altitude thingy on your edge 605?

1 word.......... Applecross 😆
Now im pretty sure that will compete with the great climbs around the world ? Also the views are truly stunning.

used to live in Lancaster, I remember the very first time I went out on a road bike round there. Lancaster, over Jubilee Tower to Slaidburn, did a big loop round there then back a similar way to Lancaster. Nearly 100 miles which I'd misjudged, I blew up big time.

Amen...

From Preston my favourite routes are over Jeffrey Hill, up the Trough of Bowland (ToB climb) and then figure of eight round to climb back up Jubilee Tower and back to Preston through Garstang and the back lanes or over Jeffrey Hill, through Clitheroe and then the tour of Pendle Hill - climb up one flank, drop down to Barley reversing last year's British Road Race Champs route and up the 20-odd% climbs out of the valley, along the ridge to Sabden and then back up Pendle Hill on the road to the ski-club (rated in 100 Climbs book). Both about 55 miles and with some killer short sharp ascents that'll make you work even on a compact with a 27 tooth on the back...

Or from York I head out towards Sutton Bank, via Bulmer Bank, and do up and downs on all the small back roads there...

@ mrmichaelwright how do you get the altitude thingy on your edge 605?

theres loads in the peaks, the climb past the cement factory, the climb out of stoney middleton near calver, calver itself, the climb from bradwell past the bowling green,and the climb from Ilam once you've left the manifold valley (we'll be doing that next weekend weather permitting).

I know holme moss and saddleworth aren't particularly steep but surely their lengths and altitudes gained do put them in a 'almost alpine' (said with a little tounge in cheek) class of climb that aren't commonly found in the uk. They're both about twice the length of froggart edge which is quite a long climb in itself.

I think UK climbs tend to be very different in nature to European Alpine climbs so I dont think you can categorise them the same way. UK ones tend to have short very steep sections where as European tend to have more hairpins which give you 5 seconds resbite.

Also weirdly I found doing Alpe d'Huez ok ish. The first section is an absolute killer as it is so steep and relentless, but then you do get in a rhythm which keeps you going all the way to the top. I find UK hills much more difficult to get in to a rhythm on.

I always struggle on East Chevin Road out of Otley, its probably only about 1 mile long but kills me every time, although good fun going the other way at 60mph +

Alex which climb are you talking about - "Saddleworth"? That's the area, not a specific climb. Do you mean up Hudersfield Road from Delph and over to Marsden...?

Saddleworth moor, the road from saddleworth back to holmfirth, the marsden moor road is further north and doesn't reach the top of saddleworth moor. I believe it is actually called holmfirth road. Usually ride from holmfirth towards Marsden then over Marsden moor to Saddleworth then from saddleworth ride back towards Holmfirth over said road, once in holmfirth its back to sunny Sheffield for a pint in the Nags Head.

Holmfirth Road it is indeed called - ride both ways, good descent from the Holmfirth side down in to Greenfield, sweeping fast bends and good views over Indian's Head and Dovestones res...

I didn't think there were any cat 1 climbs in the UK? I'm sure a commentator said that back in the 80s during the ToB or MR.

no-one has yet mentioned Bwlch Y Groes from Dinas side ! or Devils Staircase, and Coal Rd from Dent? or for a good long steady climb Milltir Gerrig across Berwyns 🙂

"Category 1: Between 6 and 12 miles in length. Climbs of 3,000 to 5,000 feet in elevation gain."

@ mrmichaelwright how do you get the altitude thingy on your edge 605?

i think you have to be navigating a course with elevation data. it's one of the screens available on the course page

If the Swedish chef is right in his definition then we have none in the UK - the Bealach na ba comes close at 5 miles and 2000 ft.

I once did a big pass in the alps - IIRC nearly 6000 ft of climb - took me 5 hrs

There's no hard n fast formula for the cats - my local climb is Cat 1 and is neither 6 miles nor 3,000 feet (Mt Jaizkibel, appears in the Clasica de San Sebastian).

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Sunrise hill near stratford. Short but very steep

jamesb - Member
no-one has yet mentioned Bwlch Y Groes from Dinas side ! or Devils Staircase

Both have on this very page

Cats are arbitrary and just used to assign points in road races. A prime example of this is early in the tour where small pimples are given a cat just so that they can give someone a jersey to wear.