Commuting - The biggest hill I've ever seen

So the other day I lengthen my commute to about 20 miles or so. I enjoyed the ride, but I'm not positive I'm ready for 2x20miles/day quite yet. Anyway, I was riding in an area that I'd never been in before when I came upon an absolutely enormous hill. I was riding up it, and I'll have to admit I never thought I was ever going to make it to the top. I never stopped, but I was spinning in the highest (lowest?) gear I had and was barely moving.

I'm a pretty large rider (6', 200lbs) and I don't expect to be the best on hills, but this was just nuts. I loaded up Google earth to see what the elevation range was and found the following:

Bottom of hill: 1015 feet
Top of hill: 1150 feet
Distance spanned: .5 miles

Since I'm still new to all this stuff, can someone tell me if this is a huge hill compared to what you normally ride on, or if I'm just not quite ready to quit my day job. ;)

No, that's no small hill by any standards! 100 feet elevation gain in half a mile. Wow! I don't know what the grade is on that but its pretty intense, I'd say. There's a hill about a mile north of my home that seperates two valleys, and its a doozey. I managed it on my fixed gear, loaded for a 20 mile ride, and I'm no small boy at 6'2" and about 320lbs. And I forgot my wrench so I couldn't flip the wheel over to my bigger cog. So here I was, at 70 gear inches, going up this massive hill. The pedals were barely moving. I was pulling up on the pedals as much as I could (it was my first ride with clipless pedals/shoes) just so I could keep up some sort of pace. By the top, I was exhausted, but I made it without stopping! I think its amazing what can be done on a bicycle, especially if we put our minds to it.

[edited for my idiotic math skills]

135 feet elevation gain in 1/2 mile is about a 5% grade which seems pretty serious. Congrats on your hill climbing challenge.

If you saw the hill, you'd agree that it's serious. :D

My plan is to hit the hill going down it in a couple of days (weather permitting) and too see how much speed I can get. After that, I don't think I'll be going up it during my commute although I may hit it once a week or so just to see if it gets any easier.

That is about the same as riding the Jacques Cartier bridge over the St Lawrence. Its a 135' climb with about 4% grade. I dont enjoy it, because it isnt long enough or steep enough to give me a feeling of accomplishment when I get to the top. Your hill is a bit steeper. Since you feel it is a challenge use it for practice. You can learn how to pace your self, so you will be totally exghausted when you reach the top. Alternate sitting/spinning and standing/honking as these will use different muscle groups.

I thought I was going to fall off the bike and die when I finally reached the top. I tried alternating standing/sitting every couple of minutes but ended up sitting and roughing it out for the second half of it.

I am looking forward to seeing how I improve on it, but I have a hard time believing that I'll ever enjoy it.

100 feet of gain in a half mile dosen't sound so bad to me.

never done the math but i bet i ride a hill that gains 3-4 hundred feet in a mile of so. it used to hurt but it dosen't so much anymore.

used to do it once a week on a geared bike and practiaclly fall over dead at the top. now i ride it daily on my singlespeed.

not trying to brag but rather trying to say: KEEP IT UP AND IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONG!

the 2x20 is no small feat either!

5% grade is substantial, but by no means extreme.

compared to what we have in new york, it's a good sized hill. and considering you're commuting (and assuming you have bags etc.) it's going to be tough hitting that everyday. but you'll end up a much better rider for sure.

Isn't the climb in the palisades to the top of alpine like 7-8% grade for almost a mile? That hill is cake, I can hit 3-4 mph going up that thing easy.

Melbourne's premium training hill, the 1/20, is 919' in 4.2mi, a 4.2%. My best time is 20min, 12.6mph. All-time best is 18.1mph :eek:

The most demanding hill that I have had to deal with around here is on Walter Reed, uphill from Shirlington. I just eyeballed it on a topographic map and it is about 180 feet in one quarter mile. That is about 1 in 7. It is quite a workout climbing it; however, both times I was towing a trailer.

Your hill is not as steep as mine, but it is twice as long. I'd say they are probably comparable. I find the short, steep hills easier than the long, lower-intensity grinds.

Paul

The most demanding hill that I have had to deal with around here is on Walter Reed, uphill from Shirlington. I just eyeballed it on a topographic map and it is about 180 feet in one quarter mile. That is about 1 in 7. It is quite a workout climbing it; however, both times I was towing a trailer.
Paul
Been up that one a few times. Healthy climb.
Williamsburg Blvd in Arlington, VA has a couple of good hills, so does Military Rd, but one of the steepest I know is N 41st St connecting to N Randolph St on the Arlington side of Chain Bridge. Someday I'll stop and try to measure the grade. Usually I'm just trying to keep from wiping out.
Come to think of it, Chain Bridge Rd coming up from Chain Bridge is quite a hill.

That sounds about right for a lot of the hills here in San Francisco. Once you get to the top of one of these suckers you feel like you can do anything it's quite inspiring

There was an 18-20% grade in this one-Snake Mtn.


http://bloodsweatandgears.org/Maps.html

There's a street near me that rises 75 feet in a quarter mile, and I find it pretty hard, and would never commute up it if I could avoid it. One of the Toronto Fixed guys said that the toughest hill he's encountered in Toronto so far is Fallingbrook Av or Fallinbrook Wood (I forget which, but they're parallel) and according to gmap and google earth they rise about 95 ft in 0.16 miles, so they're much steeper than what you encountered, but not as high [EDIT that averages out to about a 10% grade but parts are steeper.) I'd say you've got a challenging hill.
Having said this, I think Google Earth altitude measures are somewhat approximate so take that into account.

I live by a hill that drops 2700 feet in 6 miles. I guess thats about an 8.55 grade. I've never had the guts to go up it, I just like to get dropped off at the top of it and bomb down. On my knobbies I hit 39.7mph once before hitting the brakes. Someday I'll go down it with my slicks. And another someday I'll attempt to go up it.

Certainly not the steepest hill out there, but an example of a tough climb located in Austin, TX:

http://www.kingofjester.com

This is a good climb..
http://www.matterhorn.no/Nyefile/MHBERGET.jpg

You'll be needing studded tyres with that snow.

I want to know how fast you can get going down it! My personal best is 43 MPH on a hill that I took a few times last summer, but which sadly is not on my normal commute. :(

100 feet of gain in a half mile dosen't sound so bad to me.

never done the math but i bet i ride a hill that gains 3-4 hundred feet in a mile of so. it used to hurt but it dosen't so much anymore.

used to do it once a week on a geared bike and practiaclly fall over dead at the top. now i ride it daily on my singlespeed.

not trying to brag but rather trying to say: KEEP IT UP AND IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONG!

the 2x20 is no small feat either!

hey .... because you climb like a kite does not detract merit from the guy trying to figure out how good of a climber is he.

It is a 5% hill

it is steeper than most people would face .... congratulations on your first climb.


Big secret ..... the 20th time you do it it will get flatter.


Trust me ...


:)

Hills like that force you to make sure that your wheels are true, your tires pressures are high, and nothing is rubbing. On my commute, the most favourable hill rises about 200 feet, in about a mile.

There's another option that looks easier, but gets steeper the higher you go - a real soul-killer!

the google earth thingy is not all that accurate .... the good news is that the hills are actually steeper than indicated by google earth.

I think it might be off by a up to a whole 10% on average. meaning ... instead of 10% grade is like 11 or 12.

I once rode down a monster in Colorado on a friend's bike, I must confess that I cheated on the climb (the bike was in the back of a Subaru Outback). The starting point was the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass - something like 11,000 feet, though I would have to check with the photo to make sure. Nevertheless the grades were pretty tame. For outright meanness I've never come across anything worse than Porlock Hill in Somerset. 350 meters (1,150 feet) in less than a mile. At the bottom there is some 1 in 4 (think cliff).

Here is a link to Porlock Hill on StreetMap.Co.Uk (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=287500&y=146500&z=3&sv=porlock&st=3&tl=Porlock+Hill,+Somerset+&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf) I tried using Google Earth to check out distance / elevation change without success.

If I can find the photo for Monarch Pass I'll attach that later.

Once you get to the top of one of these suckers you feel like you can do anything <SNIP>

When *I* get to the top of some of them I don't feel like I can do *anything* except stand there gasping, waiting for my heart to slow down. ;)

I think it might be off by a up to a whole 10% on average. meaning ... instead of 10% grade is like 11 or 12.

It's possible, although I'm not sure how I can find out for sure. A good GPS should be able to help me out, correct? Not that I have one, but how do most people determine what grade their hills are?

Where do you live? That doesn't sound like much of a hill to me, but geography is everything. There's a nine-mile climb near my house that gains 3,000 feet in elevation. That feels like a climb. Coupla roads around here have sustained 15 percent grades. Definitely a climb. Learn to embrace the pain.

It's not a huge hill in terms of distance, but sitting at the bottom of it looking up (and i do have to tilt my head back to look straight at the top), it's enourmous. I'm beginning to doubt that the Google Earth elevations are accurate and am looking for other ways to measure how big it really is.

You made it. Thats the biggest part. There is one in Lake Placid NY that I still have not conquered. It is part of the Lake Placid triathalon and is rated, "beyond category". I don't even attempt it any more, its easier and quicker to turn around and retrace my 22 mile trip to get to the base.

There is a small steep hill in my hometown that has about a 10 percent grade. Once I made it to the top going about 25 mph. Of course, I was following a moving truck. Isn't drafting wonderful?

Congratulations on conquering the hill and also for having the guts to take a 20-mile route that you weren't familiar with :) I hope the hill is accomodating to cyclists, decent amount of room for you and the cagers?

Around my city, we have some hills but they're mostly not too insane. Southbound Monroe from downtown is pretty steep, I've sent my heart rate over 200bpm going up that one. Out north of the city we have a decent-sized hill called Mount Spokane, it has something like 4000ft / 1200m of altitude gain from the base to the top. I'm glad I live where it's not super-flat (Florida, etc) because I like these challenges sometimes :)

It actually was a pretty rural (read: middle of nowhere) wooded area that didn't have much traffic (2 cars over about five miles). Not very accomodating, but not much to worry about either. Thanks for the encouragement, it's much appreciated. :)

For outright meanness I've never come across anything worse than Porlock Hill in Somerset. 350 meters (1,150 feet) in less than a mile. At the bottom there is some 1 in 4 (think cliff).

I've ridden up porlock Hill a few times, and its a nasty bugger but surprisingly isn't the toughest in the area, a few miles along the coast is a small town called Lynton . The direct road to it from the harbour below gains 500ft in about 1/2 mile. Next to it is a cliff railway which gains the same height in 996ft :eek: . (i've never managed to ride up it)

On my commute the worst hill gains about 100ft in 350yrds, and come within 1 mile of leaving work

It's possible, although I'm not sure how I can find out for sure. A good GPS should be able to help me out, correct? Not that I have one, but how do most people determine what grade their hills are?

Better mapping software is a better way to determine.

Plenty of topomaps to be had that do all the calculations for you, or do your own math

may hit it once a week or so just to see if it gets any easier.

It does not get any easier, you just get faster. ;)

Better mapping software is a better way to determine.

Plenty of topomaps to be had that do all the calculations for you, or do your own math
Where does one go about finding such maps?

It does not get any easier, you just get faster. ;)
I'll take easier, I'll take faster. I'm not picky. :D

Biggest hill i've ridden so far is Mt. Constitution in the San Juan Is., Washington. I'm having trouble recalling the elevation gain...but it was something like 1500~2000 feet over 4 miles. My buddy and I did it in the rain; good times.

I use Google Earth, you can get it at http://earth.google.com

I've ridden up porlock Hill a few times, and its a nasty bugger but surprisingly isn't the toughest in the area, a few miles along the coast is a small town called Lynton . The direct road to it from the harbour below gains 500ft in about 1/2 mile. Next to it is a cliff railway which gains the same height in 996ft :eek: . (i've never managed to ride up it)

On my commute the worst hill gains about 100ft in 350yrds, and come within 1 mile of leaving work

I'm no expert but isn't 500ft gain in 1000ft = 100% grade?

Where does one go about finding such maps?

De Lorme Topo Maps

REI has some topo maps to be purchased online.

Better mapping software is a better way to determine.

Plenty of topomaps to be had that do all the calculations for you, or do your own math

Google Earth makes getting the distances and elevations pretty easy.
This site will take care of the trig for you.
http://www.1728.com/distance.htm

I'm no expert but isn't 500ft gain in 1000ft = 100% grade?
I would have thought 500 ft gain in 500 horizontal feet is 100% grade, in other words rise over run X 100%. Of course pythagorean stuff starts to happen at that steep a grade. The bike travels along the hypotenuse of a right triangle, so the horizontal distance travelled is slightly shorter than the pavement distance.

I've ridden up porlock Hill a few times, and its a nasty bugger but surprisingly isn't the toughest in the area, a few miles along the coast is a small town called Lynton . The direct road to it from the harbour below gains 500ft in about 1/2 mile. Next to it is a cliff railway which gains the same height in 996ft :eek: . (i've never managed to ride up it)

On my commute the worst hill gains about 100ft in 350yrds, and come within 1 mile of leaving work

We spent the night at the Youth Hostel in either Lynmouth or Lynton. It would not be hard to work out when - it was the day that Prime Minister Ted Heath (Conservative) lost his rudder and many lives were lost in the Fastnet Yachting Disaster:

From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/09_september/24/storm.shtml) "On 11 August 1979, 303 yachts, crewed by some 3,000 yachtsmen, left Cowes in the Isle of Wight to begin the 600 mile Fastnet Race. But only 85 of the yachts would cross the finishing line..."

Riding in a storm force 10, waterproof cape failed and my riding partners gear block unwound itself causing the loss of the bearings and ratchet mechanism. Anyone witnessing me on a loaded bike towing my partner on his loaded bike in that hell across the moor would probably still remember it. The stuff of legends.

The next day my partner wanted to quit and call his father for a ride back to Caldicot in South Wales. I would die before giving up - I rode to the next town and bought him a new rear wheel with gear block (the only local bike shop did not have the tool to remove the duff block from his still good wheel).

This was a very long day and very sunny day, alas it was also the first day I wore shorts - I was so badly sunburned that when I got to bed I had to lie on top of the sheets and keep the shorts on!

Hi,
I'm an overweight middle aged guy. Just so you know. The 'hill'
that I use to train for climbing starts in Gorham NH. I forget the specifics exactly, but it is something like 1100 feet in about 12 miles. The steepness slowly increases as you head towards the Pinkham notch center. It hits a 7% grade for about a minute just before the end.

If that isn't enough, just hop off the bike, have a sip of water, and head up the trail to Mt Washington. The ride back is incredible if you like fast. The center has good soup.

http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodges/pnvc/index.cfm

I would have thought 500 ft gain in 500 horizontal feet is 100% grade, in other words rise over run X 100%. Of course pythagorean stuff starts to happen at that steep a grade. The bike travels along the hypotenuse of a right triangle, so the horizontal distance travelled is slightly shorter than the pavement distance.

DOH... oh yeah 1:1 is 100% grade..
So what's 2:1? like 50% grade? That's pretty insane...

Here's a nice lil' hill that I often climb (actually two hills with a short respite between), 500+ feet in a bit under a mile.

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/915/monsonroadhill1uk.jpg

No, that's no small hill by any standards! 100 feet elevation gain in half a mile. Wow!

Are you kidding? a 5% grade is doable by anybody. My guess is that Google earth gave him wrong numbers. If that hill looked impressive, and he sweated enough to wonder if he was going to finish it, assuming he's not a total beginner but still a casual cyclist, my guess is that he hit a 10% slope at the very least. I climbed a 22% slope for 500m long ago, it was the day after I quit smoking to get back into cycling for more than commuting, and I barely did it, coughing half my lungs on the way, but I did it, so I know our friend here did more than 5% if he was impressed by the climb.

Please ... .post the coordinates of the hill so I can run a topographic profile in detail of your climb, so to put an end on the speculation and deceit :D