Just seen this over at bikeradar.

Seemed a bit weird to me as when thinking about best hills to ride on a road bike I generally think of climbs, and the best downhills would be all off road.

So do you have favourite downhills that are on road?

Doing LEJOG taught me that descending on road could be as good as desecending off road.

2 that stood out…

The one down to Tintern Abbey and one down to Laggan.

Gospel Pass to Hay is a hoot.
and Gospel Pass to Talgarth is good for some Air Miles.
Down The Tumble is fast with good viz.
Llangattock Mountain to Llangynidr or Crickhowell.

Coming down off the malvern the other week was good, I think it was the malvern, it was on the CTC worcester sportive. Also ridden honister pass, and coming down off kirkstone into ambleside recently. All brilliant.

Going DH on any bike is equally as fun IMO, all that matters is as fast and as close to the edge of grip as is possible.

Bealach na ba?

The Rest and be Thankful is a bit of a blast. As is the road from Nant yr Arian down to Aber.

Dukes pass heading into aberfoyle. Steep,twisty,good road surface fast and a pub at the end.

TandemJeremy – Member

Bealach na ba?

I’ve done it the wrong way round and can imagine it would be good.

From the top of Bwlch y groes down to Vyrnwy.When you know it you can change direction as the bike goes light over the blind crests…never thought a road decent would make me giggle out loud.

Cheddar gorge is the best ive done so far but planning to get to the alps this year and find better 🙂

Surprised to see Arthurs Seat on the list.

I’ve done that 16 times and I don’t relish the chance to do it again.

McKenzie Pass in Oregon – 22 miles of hairpin descent heaven. Though only in summer.

Bealach na ba

+1 its great.

ARTHERS SEAT IS RUBBISH – THE ROUNDABOUT HALFWAY DOWN KILLS YOUR MOMNETEUM

oops sorry

TSY enlighten me please:

The one down to Tintern Abbey . . .

Marko

Exactly TeeJ, although it is quite fun gauging the speed of traffic coming up the hill and trying to make the roundabout with near frozen hands.

Marko – coming from Chepstow.

Blackstone Edge, Rochdale.
Kirkstone down to Windermere is ace.

Oh, Mt Ventoux is pretty awesome too.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42rPptJdBGM[/video]

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.

Cheddar gorge is the best ive done so far

Me too! Put a massive grin on my face though – tis a great reward for climbing up Burrington.

TSY.

Well it’s flat(ish) to St Arvans and then sort of down to Tintern. I guess you need to pedal to get the most out of it though.Not sure if it counts as downhill.
Mind you if you ride it at the weekend then you’ll get to overtake the Tartan rug brigade or more likely you’ll get flattened by born again bikers creaming the corners on their mopeds and super bikes.

Having said that I don’t ‘get’ road riding period.

Marko

Newlands Corner is fairly short and too busy to be much fun. It’s the only one I know on the list but doesn’t give me confidence in the rest.

Locally I’d pick Dorking from Leith Hill (Coldharbour), or Headley Village to Juniper Hall, ie the back of Box Hill, that’s just lovely, some people call it ‘Little Switzerland’.

For anyone out doing Ventoux, also do Gorge de la Nesque. It’s a roller not a blast, but my what a road.

In Majorca, the descent to the village of Sa Collabra on the north coast is epic, but be careful it’s **** busy, I nearly got smeared across the windscreen of a Thomson tour bus, I slowed down from that point. Early start maybe a good idea! From the same col back the other way in the direction of Puerto Pollensa was less scenically awesome, but more fun for me.

Newlands Corner, Dorking – they are having a laugh if they think that’s a great descent.
Slightly out of the Uk; Coomanspic Pass in Kerry, down to Portmagee, a ridiculously straight steep and long descent (mrs kilo thought she was having a near death experience when her bike started to shimmy descending that one year – I thought she stopped at a tea shop :D)

Oh, Mt Ventoux is pretty awesome too.

Nearly killed myself taking an s bend at 35mph in the wet on ventoux. Had 2 and a half months off the bike from the crash.

I liked the descent from the Col de Mente I think. The tourmalet is a pretty awesome descent too. Also did the Col de Sarenne descent (other side of Alpe d’Huez). It’s very bumpy and pretty dodgy in places (proper big ditch type drainage things across the road in places), but once it smooths out its fantastic, and epic views.

But really great descending only happens on a mountain bike IMO.

TSY – only 16 eh? You young whippersnappers.give up far too easily.

A couple I’d recommend….

Cairngorm to Glenmore
Clisham towards Lewis

I did Ventoux west to east in 2009 (not the Tour route which is from the south and didn’t look much fun really). If I went back I’d reverse that, the eastern road is gradual and scenic, the western (the drop off is actually north from the summit) had a new surface and was steep, it would be an absolute scream. Less cars that side too.

I forget the names of the towns but there are only 3 roads. The southern and eastern routes join a few miles before the summit so you’d still get to ride the white desert, Simpson memorial etc.

Oh also the descent from the Galibier, which is like 45km of downhill. Haven’t done it myself, but heard it’s a good one.

I did Ventoux west to east in 2009 (not the Tour route which is from the south and didn’t look much fun really). If I went back I’d reverse that, the eastern road is gradual and scenic, the western (the drop off is actually north from the summit) had a new surface and was steep, it would be an absolute scream. Less cars that side too.

I forget the names of the towns but there are only 3 roads. The southern and eastern routes join a few miles before the summit so you’d still get to ride the white desert, Simpson memorial etc.

Bedoin, Malaucene, and Sault. Sault and Bedoin join up at Chalet Reynard and then continue to the top. Sault is a very dull climb, and a very dull descent. Although it would be interesting to do on it’s own, as you can big ring it almost all the way to Reynard as it’s so gradual.

Comments on my Dad’s clothing are unnecessary, I already know 😳

Back down Wrynose pass towards Ambleside. From the Highlands down into Glencoe – good rest on that one. Bowden hill in Lacock, Wiltshire – regular 55mph descent….!!!

Newlands Corner, Dorking – they are having a laugh if they think that’s a great descent.

I reckon they just got a few maps and stuck pins in the places they’d heard of.

In the UK I can’t understand why no descents from Wales are listed, so many fantastic descents. Top of my list is Black Mountain, but the are loads of brilliant road descents.

In the Alps I think Galibier is OK, but while it is 45km overall I’d say only 20km or there a bouts (towards Alpe d’Huez) is actually fast. The rest is up and down.
Col du Glandon is superb! Much narrower than many others, but twisty and exciting in a good way. All the bends are predictable and give you confidence when flying down.

Think that might be the superbagners, which I only remember as being a beast of a climb that I turned myself inside out just to get to the top.

Not too sure about that one.

dunno about the UK but had fun in the Alps this year

Col du Lauteret
[video]http://vimeo.com/29467725[/video]

Alpe d’Huez
[video]http://vimeo.com/30693168[/video]

Snake pass —–> Glossop.

Got serious steering wobble once coming down there at 45mph, caused by a vicious side wind. The armco barrier was trying to magnetise me for a few seconds 😯

Top of the Rest and Be Thankful down to Lochgoilhead is good fun, coming the other way the Hell’s Glen descent looks like it should be fun but seems to come up short, maybe just too straight. The wee descent towards the Cairndow/Dunoon road from the top of Hell’s Glen is a good way to end the climb although too short to be anything special.

The Moulin Road descending into Pitlochry isn’t the longest but has maybe my favourite sequence of corners ever, just the right shape and spacing for some effortless flipping the bike over beneath you.

I would say the Lecht and GlenShee roads but when I rode them it was freezing/wet/windy so I didn’t so much descend them as survive them.

If I could ride it ‘closed road’ then the descend from Ben Lawers Visitor Centre to Bridge of Balgie would be spectacular, quite ‘exposed’ as a road goes, in as much as it wouldn’t take much to go tumbling off down the side of it, loads of corners of varying shapes and sizes, and finishes at a cafe. Problem is I’ve done it three times now and every time have either ended up stuck behind traffic or scrubbing loads of speed for blind corners.

+1 for Duke’s Pass, brilliant ‘racing line’ practice.

Descent into Calgary Bay when going round Mull clockwise, not much height loss but lots of corners, bridges and scenery, a real surprise when I rode it the first time.

Descent into Kinlochhourne. Way too short but some crazy road building and lots of consequences for a small slip!

Can’t name any outside of Scotland, in case you hadn’t noticed 😳

Some great looking descents there. The one down to ambleside is indeed a good one. Also did one down to Lake Garda last year that seemed to be endless switchbacks.

all that matters is as fast and as close to the edge of grip as is possible.

I think this is my problem with properly enjoying road descents. Don’t ride them at anywhere near the limit (well round the bends anyway.) The consequences of getting things wrong just seems so much worse than when riding off road. Usually going much faster, with rubbish brakes, wearing much less, on a very abrasive surface with big drops and stone walls to hit, and on coming traffic!

Edit: Have had things like this happen too…

Got serious steering wobble once coming down there at 45mph, caused by a vicious side wind. The armco barrier was trying to magnetise me for a few seconds

Prays on my mind a bit these days. Must be getting old!

I used to like Eastby to Barden Towers (near Skipton).
But I’ve never had a road bike – just a mountain bike with slicks on.

Got 70mph one day (although I always worried about rabbits jumping out)

Got 70mph one day

😕

Can’t say I’ve did too many road descents so have very little experience so this probably doesn’t even compare, but flying down the tak ma doon when coming back from carron valley is great fun!

There is a road that runs from Rhayader to devils bridge. There is a decent into a village called Cwmystwyth about two thirds of the way along. Absolute bliss. Just enough to squeeze a car down, fresh smooth tarmac and you can see for miles down it. 40mph+, racing lines all the way and huge grin.

Old Winchester Hill is a pretty straight run down to a T junction with the A32 at Warnford. Apart from the view at the top, I really can’t see the attraction. Strange choice.