What is a good climb?

[TigerFish]

I live in a hilly part of the eastern United States. I am in northern New Jersey just south of New York state. I regularly ride hills that climb 160m in 5km and/or 200m in 3km. I am wondering what is considered a hard ascent?

 

[rghysens]

The hills you climb are combarable to those in the Ardennes, used in classics as Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the flêche wallonne. However, they aren't really hard.
A hard climb is above all (very) steep (let's say more than 8-9% average, or with very steep parts). The longer the steep parts continue, the harder a climb. A last point that has influence on the difficulty of a climb is the altitude. If two climbs share the same length and gradient, but have a considerably different altitude, the highest will be harder, because at higher altitude there is less oxygen in the air, which makes it more difficult to perform well.
Climbs such as Monte Zoncolan (10 km @ 11.5%), the Mortirolo (12.5 km @ 10.4%) or el Angliru (13 km @ 10.1%) are considered to be very hard. They are however not very high (1735m, 1852m and 1570m above sea level respectively). There are higher climbs like the Stelvio (2758m), the Gavia (2618m) and the Colle Fauniere (2511m) who aren't that steep, but longer and higher than the three climbs mentioned before and can be considered to be very hard too.

 

[rgmerk]

It depends

One thing to keep in mind is that riding a climb, and racing a climb, are two completely different things. If you're just riding a climb, you can rest on the flatter bits and save your maximum effort for where it's necessary. If you're racing, you may have to maintain maximum effort all the way up just to hang on to competitors' wheels.

One of the hardest climbs I have ever done was a 10 km climb at a steady 4% - little more than a false flat. Why was it so hard? Because I was trying to hang on to a bunch that had considerably stronger riders than me in it. Secondly, weather and miles in the legs can turn otherwise modest climbs into killers.

However, what makes a climb tough in my experience is a) length, b) sustained steepness, c) altitude, and possibly d) road quality.

The four toughest climbs within a day's drive of where I live are: a 30 km climb averaging 5%, but with 5 km of 10% at the top; a 6 km climb at 11%, a 12 km climb at 8% with the first 5 km at a steady 11-13 and finishing with a km of 13% (reputedly, I pulled out after the first 5, and a 3 km cilmb that has 600 m of 20%, a short dip, and then another 2 km at around 14%.

 

[usedtobefast]

come out to California, we have plenty you can choose from. you don't need no euro climbs.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

This, is not a climb:

This is a climb:

(thanks EricM at RBR)

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

That post is all in fun! Just wanted to post the photos.

Perfect answers by rghysens and rgmerk.

Anything more than about 200' high and 4% gradient that gets your heart going is a climb to me.

 

[boardhanger]

Climbs

Short shapr climbs such as those in Flanders, Liege, Lombardy races are ridden with brute force and high wattage. Cols and longer gradient efficent made climbs which be in the tours usually climb with lower wattage over longer time. A climb is related to your unique phisicolgly (spelling?). Heavy and power stick to Flanders. Skinny and wiry hit the tours.

p.s this is a broad spectrum as there is many exclusion to the norm. Big Mig Indurain, Mercyx etc.

 

[cornspoke7]

I have only ridden in the mountains of Colorado (USA) so I am without any basis for comparison. Has anyone ridden the switch backs on devils Gulch Road? How about Squaw Pass on the way up Evans? Do they even rate a sneeze?

i am a total flat lander surrounded by corn so I mystify the climbs you folks have ridden.

 

[xmoonx]

This, is not a climb:

This is a climb:

(thanks EricM at RBR)

ROFLMAO, great A,B images

 

[forty four]

come out to California, we have plenty you can choose from. you don't need no euro climbs.

mt baldy has a section longer than alp du huez at a steeper average gradient plus the climb is a few miles longer and ends at higher altitude right here in socal. there are hundreds of good climbs in socal hundreds. i did tuna canyon off pch recently thats a winner its not legal to climb as its a 1 way street but worth doing.

 

[rgmerk]

Toughest climb in eastern US

It's a fair way from you, but there is at least one truly awful climb in the Eastern US, in New Hampshire.

Mount Washington is, by reputation, as tough as just about anything on Earth. It's long, the gradient is brutal, there's a very steep dirt section, and it's often blowing a gale.

I believe there's only one day of the year you're permitted to ride a bike up it, though.

 

[rhubroma]

Mt Ventoux. In the heat of mid-August.

 

[craig1985]

This, is not a climb:

This is a climb:

(thanks EricM at RBR)

Doing your best Mick Dundee impersonation?

 

[laziali]

It depends on the rider.

5-8% (long climb ie 10km+) and 18-22% (short ie <2km) are my sweet spots. Absolutely suffer on a long climb between 8-12%. But some of my riding partners just love the 8-12%.

So, as with most things cycling, its subjective and down to your ptw ratio, mix of fast and slow twitch fibres, VO2 max etc.

 

[usedtobefast]

mt baldy has a section longer than alp du huez at a steeper average gradient plus the climb is a few miles longer and ends at higher altitude right here in socal. there are hundreds of good climbs in socal hundreds. i did tuna canyon off pch recently thats a winner its not legal to climb as its a 1 way street but worth doing.

this is what happens when cars go over the side on Baldy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_San_Antonio

as i am sure some folks are tired of hearing, i took a 1st place, and a 3rd place
in road races to the top of Baldy.(otherwise known as.Mt San Antonio)

 

[krebs303]

this is what happens when cars go over the side on Baldy.

Hey I did that, rolled my Fiat over 4 times.

 

[RedheadDane]

This, is not a climb:

It might just be the way it's seen but that looks completely flat to me!
But of course... not like I have any experiences with real climbs... Denmark is, eh, kinda... flat
Of course Århus is somewhat hilly... but mostly "climbs" are either somewhat "steep" but really short or "long" but really non-steep... I never, and I repeat never have to go into 1st when I ride to school... I even took one of the small hills in 7th or so once (what? My gears were frozen...) If I can do that it's not a climb... just a vague bumb in the road...

 

[eleven]

If you're looking for a taste of European climbs without leaving the Northeast, Whiteface is very good replica. It's data is almost identical to Alpe D'Huez. Bikes aren't allowed during "traffic" hours, so you have to start the climb before about 7:30 a.m.

New York and New England have a ton of great climbs, but I think Whiteface is as close as you can get to an Alpes experience without leaving the region. Someone also mentioned Mt Washington, which is of course well beyond most Tour climbs in terms of steepness etc...but you can only do that climb as part of the Mt Washington Hill Climb (or after dark, mind you I'd never recommend such a thing )

 

[DonTickles]

I live in Maryland where we don't have high mountains, but still have some decent shorter climbs that I can ride to from my house. Have a few at 7 to 8 km averaging 7% (gps tells me the max pitch being 19.1% on one). I've got a short hill over 20% that I tried to get up the other day, it's only 1.5 km of climbing (13% average) but the road surface sucks. Between my front wheel lifting off the road when I pull hard and my back tire spinning out on the gravelly bits I couldn't make it very far. If I take a broom to clean a path up the steepest section is that cheating?

One day I'll either head out west or take a trip to Europe for some real climbing.

 

[STODRR]

Hardest climb I have done. Is the climb up Haleakala volcano on Maui in Hawaii, 36 mile 10,000 foot climb. Here is the link for the race up it this year
http://www.cycletothesun.net/

 

[heythorp]

Want to beat the crap out of yourself in NJ?

http://www.roberts-1.com/b/u/nj/hills/index.htm


No Euro hills, but have fun on Iron Bridge and Fiddlers. If you are looking for a fun day, sign up and do hiller than thou

they change the route every year. its always about 10k worth of climbing sometimes 12+

 

[Oldman]

come out to California, we have plenty you can choose from. you don't need no euro climbs.

Several:
Ida Clayton Road, North of Calistoga
Geysers (just down the road from Ida)
Old Western Mine Road (backside access to Ida)
Sonoma Resevoir to Skaggs/Tin Barn (bring friends)

 

[Black-Balled]

One thing to keep in mind is that riding a climb, and racing a climb, are two completely different things. ...%.

Truth!

I was on a ride last week and got worked over on a 2%er!

Looked down was in my 50x12. I no comfortable!

 

[Willy_Voet]

This is the biggest climb where I live:

Anything steeper or longer than this is "good" in my book.

 

[Oldman]

This is the biggest climb where I live:

Anything steeper or longer than this is "good" in my book.

That looks like the highest point in Florida when I lived there. I RAN back to the Mountains surrounding Seattle. My condolences.