Event: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge
Date: Nov 2020 – Jul 2024
Back in 2010, I was given a small book for my birthday called ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’ which then sat on my bookshelf for over a decade. At some point in 2020, I decided that it would be a good challenge to complete them all and a fantastic way to see some of Great Britain. Somehow, I managed to rope Sylwia into this challenge!
As technology has moved on since the book was published, the climbs are now all on an App and you tick one off every time you ride the correct route up a hill on Strava. (Early on in the challenge we got a route wrong in Sheffield so yes, we had to drive back to Sheffield again to complete it. We then put measures in place to ensure that never happened again!!)
Diary of Challenge Progress
Extracts from social media showing progress over the 4-years it took to complete.
5 Nov 2020 – A new challenge started to complete the 100 greatest climbs.
29 Nov 2020 – Ticking off 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge no24 Streatley Hill and no25 Combe Gibbet.
Apparently, great views of the Thames Valley at the top of Combe Gibbet, but not today. Thick fog instead.
25 Apr 2021 – A great ride to complete our 26th 100 Greatest Cycling Climb. An added bonus that my rubbing brake got fixed. Free watts!! Made it back in time for first Covid vaccine.
30 Apr 2021 – Back to the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. No32 Riber had truly “insanely steep” 25% gravel hairpins. It’s “impossibly rough, tough and steep”… but we did it. A nice introduction to what the Peak District has to offer.
1 May 2021 – Last night I read about the first climb of today, no36 Mow Cop. It’s described as the Killer Mile hitting 25% gradient in a straight line like a wall in front of you. Cyclists toppling over and so on… After I read it I decided l’d rather not know what’s awaiting me today. It was a tough day of 127km and 2,300m of climbing. Once the Mow Cop was out of the way, we got hit by a hailstorm and rain. This was not forecasted, and I was not prepared for this. My feet were so bad that the only thing that could help was to take the soaked socks off and cycle with wet shoes for another 3 hours.
The next climb was no71 Swiss Hill which was steep, with wet cobbles. Sylwia decided it was impossible to ride up on the road bike in these conditions. But I whizzed up it like a mountain goat on EPO.
The most enjoyable was the famous Cat and Fiddle; 11km gentle slog broken up with a coffee stop. Terrain here is undulating, up or down, never flat!
2 May 2021 – The legs are starting to feel the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge of the Peaks. The Winnats Pass was very picturesque but strong headwind and lots of cars made it particularly tough. We came back after the ride to walk it, which gave us a chance to take in the views and enjoy pork pies on the top of Mam Tor.
3 May 2021 – Today’s ride was ‘character building’ with high winds, cold temp and rain. We couldn’t feel our hands for most of the ride, Sylwia was blown off her bike, but we got our targeted 3 hills done. Brutal! (Lowest speed ever for a road ride – 17kmph average!!).
4 May 2021 – Over the Bank Holiday weekend, we completed 13 of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge (62 remaining) plus hiked up Mam Tor. 300km covered with 6,000m of climbing. A great trip!!
5 Jun 2021 – Lowest km month this year due to back injury, (helping Myla with hockey socks!) but got to 40% of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge and all new Zwift badges. Unfortunately, Sylwia took a tumble and broke her collar bone so our challenge is on pause for at least 12 weeks.
28 Dec 2021 – Back to continue the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Wet and windy with 50mph gusts but a great route (112km and 1,310m) to tick off no12 Salcombe Hill.
29 Dec 2021 – Day 2 continuing the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Even wetter and windier than yesterday but another great route (114km and 1,781m) to tick off no9 Haytor Vale and no10 Widecombe. Sylwia didn’t get blown off her bike – bonus!!
30 Dec 2021 – Last day in Devon climbing hills No8 (Dartmeet) and No11 (Rundelstone) in Dartmoor National Park. Some great views (when fog lifted) including the wild ponies. Another windy and very wet day. We were here in May originally when we planned to do the climbs, but Sylwia was in her sling with a broken collarbone. It was an unusually hot and sunny weekend. How different today, but we did it. Wales next.
31 Dec 2021 – Last ride of the year completing Rapha Festive 500 with 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge no96 – Bryn Du and no99 – The Bwlch. Hike a bike down a stream due to navigation issues didn’t make it any easier on our wettest ride this week!
11 Feb 2022 – Lots of apprehension and doubt before cycling up 25% wet cobbles in Yorkshire in winter on a road bike! Sometimes it’s not a good idea to read about what’s awaiting you especially when it says you’re going to ride up “deteriorating cobbles with gaps just big enough to swallow a bike tyre!!”
12 Feb 2022 – We finally got halfway through the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge on an extremely windy day in North Yorkshire!
14 Feb 2022 – Better luck with the weather today! It stopped raining after climbing Trough of Bowland and the sun came out on the way to Cross of Greet climb. This marks 55 hills ridden.
20 Feb 2022 – Flooded roads and high winds navigated to complete no38 Jiggers Bank and no39 The Burway. Wet weather kit well and truly tested ahead of the hills to come!!
2 May 2022 – Continuing our journey by riding no29 Terrace Hill and no28 Michaelgate. Unexpectedly kind weather and not much climbing! Who’d have thought the cobbled climb, Michaelgate, in the heart of Lincoln, which is featured in the annual Lincoln Grand Prix (one of the country’s greatest cycle races), would be short and easy! A welcome break from some tough hills and conditions we’ve endured so far.
31 May 2022 – Another 12 completed. 30% climbs, a broken bike, horrendous midges and heavy rain hasn’t taken us away from our schedule!
4 Jun 2022 – Another 12 completed taking us to 24 for the week.
5 Jun 2022 – Rosedale Chimney’s 33% gradients done to complete all the climbs in England.
23 Jul 2022 – 2 more completed in a wet and windy Wales – 14 to go…
30 Jul 2022 – 9+ hours on the bikes with 3,250m of elevation gain got us 5 climbs closer to completing our 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Was Wales wet? Of course!!
31 Jul 2022 – One more ticked off before a snapped gear cable and a 30km limp home. Another trip to Wales was needed to do the last one…
23 May 2023 – Our journey continues. Really nice to have some chill time after our Ironman training camp and racing The Gralloch, Gravel World Champs Qualifier!!
30 Aug 2023 – A fantastic weekend in Scotland to continue our journey to complete the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge.
13 July 2024 – 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge App completed! After 4-years of ticking off the climbs, we ended in Wales on the steepest one! No92 Ffordd Penllech – 40% gradient and the wrong way up a one-way street!!
If anyone is looking for a challenge closer to home, why not try the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs App – SE edition!
