Road Cycling - The hardest Kilometer in the world.

Hello...

I've put at http://www.gravityspain.com/Pistas%20catalogadas_archivos/Serra%20Gelada/Serra%20Gelada.htm the pictures of what is the hardest kilometer in Spain and, maybe, in the world.

It's 20 % average and 34 % maximum ! :eek: At Benidorm, in the Mediterranean.

You can find the altigraph at http://www.rutasdeciclismo.com/index.php?page=puertos&id=90&PHPSESSID=fecde160902eeb0caf657e0133325816

Is there something similar in the US or somewhere else ?

Hope you like my road downhill web: www.gravityspain.com :D

See you:

Capi

Baldwin Steet in new zealand 38%

The first one out of my door, any day...

Those sound steep. Used to have trouble on some of the ones in San Francisco (like Filmore), but I don't know the exact grade, but there were steps along the sides for pedestrians.

Dixon Street, by where I live, I did it yesterday, about three blocks at 42%

Pizza cake!

Corsaire ;)

Pretty much any part of Trail Ridge Road at Rocky Mt NP----Estes Park CO.

Baldwin Steet in new zealand 38%

For a whole kilometer? Ohh

The Angliru has a kilometer that averages %17.5
That is after a kilo at 13.8% and before a kilo at 13.1%

The toughest thing I've ridden was only about 10% average over a mile.... there isn't enough altitude here.

What approximate elevations and latitudes are these roads at, as higher elevation means less oxygen and a harder climb. Higher latitudes have an effect like gaining elevation but less pronounced, this comes from some mountain climbing doctor at the university that was speaking of altitude sickness. example: 1000 meters above sea level in Alaska has noticably less oxygen than 1000 meters in Kenya.

I wish I had a way to calculate the % grades of some of the hills around here. The canyon behind me house has an altitude change of around 2000' ... maybe 2200' feet in maybe 12 miles ?? Starting altitude is around 5100' I think. It's a pretty tough climb IMO.

There is a hill near my house that is about 700 meters with a gradient of ~30%. Hardly anyone even drives on it.

There is a hill near my house that is about 700 meters with a gradient of ~30%. Hardly anyone even drives on it.

sweet! how fast have you gone down it?

Not fast at all. It hasn't been paved in a long, long time and it's breaking up with frost heaves and pot holes.

This wasn't bound to cause a "mine is steeper than yours" debate, was it? :rolleyes:
Almost anywhere in Tasmania :D

That looks to be as steep as the two climbs I did this past weekend. Wish I hadn't seen exactly "how" steep it was. Yikes! And yes, I'll be doing that again next year. It will take that long to get my nerves back. They're still somewhere on top. Oh, by the way, the two climbs were McKenzie Pass from Sisters to the Dee Wright Observatory and Three Creeks Lake Road out of Sisters. I have done the Pass three times now and have yet to make it to the top. Road blocked by snow.

I forgot. Cool bike and pictures on your website, Capi.

There is this mountain in the middle of Illinois that is steeper thgan anything you've seen in your life. I'm not kidding. It is, however, hard to find. Once you have conquered the Illinois Monster, as we locals call it, you know there is nothing that can stand in your way. You can spend a lifetime looking for this mountain, but it's there. Really. FEAR the Illinois Mountain ...

I wish I had a way to calculate the % grades of some of the hills around here. The canyon behind me house has an altitude change of around 2000' ... maybe 2200' feet in maybe 12 miles ?? Starting altitude is around 5100' I think. It's a pretty tough climb IMO.
2200 feet in 12 miles is an average of a 3.47% grade.

2200 feet in 12 miles is an average of a 3.47% grade.


Cool ... how did you calculate it? :o

It's the ratio of the level distance to the change in elevation
Example 100 feet forward and 7 feet up is a 7% grade
7 percent = 7per cent= 7per hundred
cent means one hundred
You either have to use all feet or all miles 1mile=5280feet
Then you can use A squared +B squared = C squared,
C is always the hypotenuse A and B are the other sides.
in this case C=12miles B=2200feet find A

Then its just 2200/a * 100=%grade

For a rough easy quick estimate use
elevation change / road distance *100 = % grade

The steeper it gets the less acurate;
0.4% off at a true 20%,
1.25% off at a true 30% grade[it will give 28.75%],
and 3% off at a true 40%[result will be 37%])

You rock, thanks :)

There is this mountain in the middle of Illinois that is steeper thgan anything you've seen in your life. I'm not kidding. It is, however, hard to find. Once you have conquered the Illinois Monster, as we locals call it, you know there is nothing that can stand in your way. You can spend a lifetime looking for this mountain, but it's there. Really. FEAR the Illinois Mountain ...


Would that be the Ohio street exit from River North in Chicago? Just kidding. I used to live downtown.

Would that be the Ohio street exit from River North in Chicago? Just kidding. I used to live downtown.

LOL! No, but you have to be MAD to cycle on half of those roads in the city!

LOL! No, but you have to be MAD to cycle on half of those roads in the city!


You have to be MAD just to walk across the street in some parts of the City. But, I do miss Chicago.

Dixon Street, by where I live, I did it yesterday, about three blocks at 42%

Pizza cake!

Corsaire ;)

yeah, you need lots of those.

hells point, steuben county indiana.

Pity it's not cleared for biking...but a few stupid enough to try to sled down it had a rather painful ending. The drop is practically vertical, and completely lined in trees.

Baldwin Steet in new zealand 38%

I rode up 22% for 0.4miles last weekend and could barley keep it upright with a 30x23!!! I CAN'T IMAGINE what 38% would be like ... yikes.

While clearly not the toughest, Bopple Hill in Western New York state rises 600 feet in 0.8 miles. It's plenty tough.

-mark

There is this mountain in the middle of Illinois that is steeper thgan anything you've seen in your life.

I 've seen it. I've been to the top, though not on a bike. It has a name.....
The Sears Tower.

Mt. Washington Auto Road:

The Numbers

Terminus 6288 ft. (1916.58 meters)
Base (Toll House) 1565 ft. (477 meters)
Elevation gain 4727 ft. (1440.79 meters)
Length 7.6 miles (12.23 kilometers)
Grade Avg.12%, extended 18%, final 100 yds. 22%
Road surface 65% paved, 35% packed gravel

If you could stand on the pedals and not roll over, your nose would scrap the pavement in front of you.

The Talmedge Bridge going into Savannah is about the steepest thing around here.