hardest cycling climbs in wales

You have to pace yourself because as the road progresses you hit a series of bends, coupled with a 30% gradient. Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. Mauna Kea, 2. The road levels between the sharp bends giving you a chance to attack each wicked corner then gather yourself in time for the next. ), and I recommend parking there and not attempting to traverse any part of the actual climb route in a car. I have purchased and relied heavily on several of these books in deciding what climbs to include on the PJAMM Website for the UK. The best advice for anyone heading uphill out of Aberdare - don't put yourself in the red too early. The wooded opening sequence and the first phases on the open hillside are where you'll really suffer. A straight line of unflinching steepness of such monotony that it regularly feels like you're going nowhere. Three Cycling UK members have successfully completed an epic challenge to tackle 100 of the UK's most iconic climbs in one mammoth month-long road trip. There, in front of you, painted on to the side of the mountain and looking like a giant flight of stairs, lies the rest of the climb. Theres always a bigger fish. Thats what the ancient proverb says, and just when I thought Id ridden the steepest road in Britain, and put the matter of determining the country's toughest cycling climb to bed once and for all, up popped another hideous incline to further move the goalposts and redefine suffering. It's short, steep and fairly hostile all the way to the final left corner that brings you out Caerphilly Mountain's famous snack bar. My knees are ready to snap. On the opposite side of the Blorenge to the more famous Tumble, Rhiwr Road makes that famous climb look like child's play. Plus detailed bike, kit and accessory reviews from the experts. I snapped my chain not once but twice in my attempt to conquer this vicious stretch of tarmac. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure. Now very narrow and lined with snow poles, the climb is so well surfaced it resembles a two-metre-wide carpet. Banking right, the surface breaks up and 20% soon turns into 25%. No part of it is easy, but it's the first of two hairpins that makes it notorious. Stick with it, as eventually the one-in-three does turn into a relatively gentle one-in-six, allowing you to build a little momentum to drag your bike up on to the moor. Named after the river beside it, the Afon Ddu (Welsh for black river) which flows down from Llyn Cowlyd I ask Dan how he first came across it. The top 10 hardest cycling climbs around the globe, all of which we have personally documented, are: 1. Where: Heading north out of Nantymoel in the Ogmore Valley. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure. Browse all of our prepackaged trips and find your next adventure! The maximum gradient is 13%. TOP 3 MOST EPIC BIKE CLIMBS IN WALES (SIMON WARREN), Cycling the incomparable Stwlan Dam, Wales. I can now hear Jess approaching from behind, her 34 x 32 slightly more suited to the venue than my 34 x 28, judging by her colourful language I assume I am in her way. This intimidating wall achieves virtually all of its 150m altitude gain in the space of a fearsome 1.2km, at an average gradient of nearly 13%. Pozza San Glisente (Dos dell'Asino), 8. With a maximum gradient of 22% and an average gradient of 8.1% youre afforded great views of Aberdare the higher you climb. Below is a list of Simons choices for Wales Top 10 Hardest and Top 10 Most Epic. Through the gate, straight over a cattle grid and into more hard work, the road bending left past a stone shelter, a sure-fire signal although you are nowhere near the top yet that you're heading into truly hostile country. It starts steep from the village of Clydach and beats you up for a whole mile before easing just a touch. The top few miles of the Swansea Valley take you up the steady slopes of a wide and straight main road up to the beautiful Crai Reservoir. One of the hardest climbs in the South West (Credit: Mark Percy) Dunkery Beacon is one of the toughest climbs in the south west of England with 321m of climbing over 3.1km. A mix of all three? United Kingdom: England's Hardest and Most Epic Hill Climbs, United Kingdom: Hardest and Epic Bike Climbs, United Kingdom: Scotland's Hardest and Most Epic Hill Climbs. We begin this climb in the midst of lush pastureland. Through Gayle, the road flat, hugging the river, soon rises sharply for a short 17% lung-opener. Views and scenery during the middle of the climb. Therefore, after Bealach na Ba (UK #1 Most Epic and #4 hardest), Bwlch y Groes might be the second best bike climb in all the land. We asked Simon Warren to provide us with lists of both the Top 10 Hardest, and Top 10 Most Epic bike climbs in England, Wales, Scotland, and the UK. A little bit about Simon Warren - We contacted Simon Warren with our request for his Top 10 lists because we consider him the Gold Standard and cyclist with the most thorough and comprehensive knowledge of hill climbing by bike in the UK. And Lots of them. You can also subscribe to the magazine, save on the cover price and get it delivered every Thursday. It might be less than a mile, but make no mistake - this is the one of the toughest climbs in South Wales, with the gradient hovering around 15% virtually all the way until it finally shows some mercy in the last couple of hundred metres. As of 2022, Simon Warren has published 12 cycling climbing books - 10 focusing on the UK, one on TdF and the other on the Giro. The route hugs the side of the steeply sided valley, following the contours of the hillside as it heads towards the summit. Constant variations in gradient make finding a rhythm a tough task and there are significant stretches in excess of 10%. The Tyla rounds the Blorenge from Gilwern, Heading into the trees on the Wentwood Ridge climb just where it starts to get really steep. The gradient on the inside of the bend is estimated to be somewhere in excess of 30%, and while you'd be daft to try riding over that bit, the outside isn't exactly a piece of cake either. Bwlch y Groes (SW #91), 3. We relied heavily on Simon Warrens Top UK Climbs Series in ranking and documenting UK bike climbs (. ) Climb the Gospel Pass via Hay on Wye by bike. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km2), and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline.The park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which is made up of local government and Welsh representatives, and its main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth. Click on "Climb Page" to jump to the detail page for that particular bike climb. The hardest, most difficult and challenging cycling climbs in Wales are, in order of difficulty, 1. Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri) is a mountainous region in north west Wales and a national park of 823 square miles (2,130 km2) in area. Weve been crawling skyward for about two minutes, covering just 250m of tarmac as we round bend three. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Ride two miles gaining 1,055 at 10.3% average grade. We've collected 37 of the hardest, most beautiful, steepest, highest and longest climbs in South Wales. A few weeks later I arrive with our photographer Andy, Dan and his wife Jess - a hill climb champion in her own right - to share the experience with them and get the local low down on this insane 700 metres of vertical concrete. There is no dress rehearsal for this stretch of road, this is one take and one take only. You are eventually rewarded with a blissful flat stretch, but it's not over yet; round a left-hand bend is yet more 20% gradient, a final zig-zag and a few last kicks take you to what feels like the top of the world. The early parts of this mountain road rarely drop below 10% as the route winds its way up through the trees. Grid Ref: NG 775 423 (OS24) Length 8980m Height gain 623m Approx climb time 37 mins, Extracts taken from 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs and Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs by Simon Warren, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Cyclist climbing Hardknott Pass, The Lake District National Park, Cumbria Photograph: Peter Oliver/Alamy, Cyclists on Wrynose Pass in the Lake District. The hardest part is swinging onto the six or seven kilometre climbs and seeing riders crawling up the hill ahead of you looking like ants . The road if you can call it that was built so vehicles could access the giant pipelines that draw water from Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau to feed the Dolgarrog hydroelectric power Station and the water treatment plant that sits on its slopes. Signup for our. Follow the base of the ridge until you reach Asterton then turn right past the post box and head up. The first 200-yard segment averages 15%, so be sure to warm up. These days, cyclists have it pretty much to themselves, save for the odd bit of local traffic. Each country has her crowned Jewel and Bwlch y Groes makes a good argument for taking that award for the Welsh territory. Believe the hype. It's not too steep to begin with but as the road bends hard left at the base of an almighty tower of rock, then the gradient increases. South Africa's Cape Epic is the only MTB stage race classed as 'hors categorie' (beyond category) by the UCI, and upon looking at the eight days of riding . Enter the first of two sets of brutal switchbacks and wrench body and bike through the 25% corners. Its found as you head north-west out of Pontardawe. Increasing in steepness as it passes old industrial relics, the road winds its way up the side of a breathtaking gorge, with just a few boulders between separating you and the 10% gradient from the edge. This climb is ranked #3 on PJAMMs FIETS formula-based difficulty index, as well as the UK Top Hardest Climbs list provided to us by Simon Warrenbefore our second trip to document the UKs top climbs in 2022 -- thus, its The Real Deal! Where: Heading north-west out of Pontardawe. Luckily for us the rain was holding on our expedition. Now round to the right, the ever steepening, increasingly lumpy surface heads into arguably the hardest section of relentlessly steep tarmac in Britain. I can see why. And yet it's easy to forget that it's also one of the toughest. Photograph: Paul White/Alamy, Scotch mist hanging over Bealach na Ba. Picturesque mountains, hills, valleys and coastland define the landscape, and make the area a dream cycling location. As I force round this wicked right-hander, bend three, the pale, rugged and debris-strewn surface rises up like a wall through the trees. My puny cycling arms are shaking like a frightened kitten. A commonly held belief is that the name is derived from eryr ("eagle"), and thus means 'the abode/land of eagles',but recent evidence is that it means quite simply Highlands, and is related to the Latin oriri (to rise) as leading Welsh scholar Sir Ifor Williams proved. Whether it's the pine trees, the hairpin close to the top, or the meadows at the summit, but there always seems something slightly alpine about this little climb at the top of the Rhondda - even though it's less than a mile long. Do not attempt to ride here in unfavourable conditions. Receive a selection of the most beautiful climbs we've added. Cape Epic. Where Turn off the A896 and head east just before Tornapress. Afon Ddu, 7. These bike climbs can be viewed via google maps or by a detailed list of the climbs that can be arranged by difficulty, distance (longest climbs in Wales), altitude gained, highest elevation . What comes next will take your breath away. I say a big thank you to Dan and Jess for joining me for the morning its then that they point out to me, if you thought it was hard on the way up, just wait until you go back down. Up ahead, eventually the final bends come into view, just as the gradient gets brutal on the long weather-beaten 20% slope that tests your legs to the limit. Deep in the dark heart of Wales, climbing nut Simon Warren thinks he has discovered Britains steepest hill. 1. In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. This climb is simply a monster with several stretches in the red zone - above 16%, including one massive stretch at 20% for 200 yards. (If you're cyclist in North, Mid or West Wales, we'll be. I cant say for sure but I decide to stick with before to salvage what I can of my fragile ego. As of 2022, Simon Warren has published 12 cycling climbing books - 10 focusing on the UK, one on TdF and the other on the Giro. The full climb might be 2.4km, but that doesn't even nearly tell the full story. I dare not look up and in a situation like this it is best not to concentrate on the finish but just live in the moment, trying to stay on two wheels, preserving forward momentum.

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