Originally Posted by
AndreyT
Well, yeah, but in this LA video this guy zigzags a lot, which puts it in a completely different category. Once one starts zigzagging, it is no longer a 33% climb. Depending on the specific zigzagging trajectory, a 33% grade can be easily turned into a kindergarten-level 5% grade (on average) or less. It is a simple trade-off between the effective grade and the distance.
In your video you appear to make a point of taking the climbs head-on: no zigzagging whatsoever, the full grade is working against you. That is indeed pretty impressive.
He probably has standard road bike gearing, which gives him no choice but to zig-zag. I put mtb gearing on all bikes that I use for climbing, so that allows me to climb in the saddle more, and avoid having to zig-zag. However, that Broderick climb would have been one I would have zig-zagged after the first failed effort if it had an actual road. That sidewalk wasn't wide enough to switchback the climb.