Hillclimbing (cycling)

Hill climbing
Winnats Pass was used for the 2021 British Hill Climb National Championship for the first time since 1977[1]
Highest governing bodyUCI
NicknamesHC
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersIndividuals
Mixed-sexNo
TypeCycle sport
EquipmentRoad bicycle
VenuePaved roads
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
An Oxford University Cycling Club rider on his way to a hillclimbing victory

Hill climbing is a cycling event, as well as a basic skill of the sport. A hill climb is a competition of sustained climbing, that finishes at a higher altitude than the start line.[2] Occasionally featured as stages in major professional races, such as the Tour de France, they are usually referred to as mountain stages. Mountain stages may take the form of a normal road race stage, or as an individual time trial, although time trial stages are not necessarily from the bottom to the top of a hill, and can simply be a time trial over hilly terrain.[3] As events, a hill climb may either be an individual time trial (which forbids cooperation, drafting, or team tactics), a road race or in some cases a gravel race.

Great Britain

In Great Britain, there is an end of season tradition of cycling clubs promoting hillclimb time trials in October for small cash prizes. The hills tend to be relatively short, usually taking between 2 to 15 minutes to complete, making them brutal, all-out efforts where a high power-to-weight ratio is the most crucial factor for success. The races attract many spectators, including locals not otherwise interested in cycling, who come to watch the pain[4] in the faces of the competitors.[5]

Competitors strive to save as much weight as possible on their equipment, some going as far as to drill holes in their bike. [6][7] In more recent years, the British hillclimb scene has brought talent to the fore with junior podium riders catching the eye of professional teams.

British National Champions

See British National Hill Climb Championships for men, women and junior results (men's results since 1944).

USA

Notable US hill climbing races include the Mt. Evans Hill Climb, the Mt. Baker Hill Climb, the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, and Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit event on Pikes Peak (which has also been the site of USA Cycling's Hill Climbing National championships)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Hill Climb Championship 2021 - Results -". Cycling uphill. 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. ↑ "USA Cycling Rulebook" (PDF). USA Cycling Rulebook. July 2024. p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  3. ↑ Alex Ballinger (2018-10-23). "A brief history of Tour de France mountain time trials". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ↑ "Mega gallery: All the pain faces of the 2022 National Hill Climb Championships".
  5. ↑ "Would you like see some cycling pain faces? If you answered yes watch Bikeradar's Hill Climb Diaries!". Cycling Plus Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ↑ "Chinese bikes and components galore, 21mm tyres and rim brakes FTW: some of the most intriguing bikes and set-ups from the 2025 National Hill Climb Championships". road.cc. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  7. ↑ "2021 National Hill Climb Championships tech gallery | 6 weird and wonderful lightweight bikes". BikeRadar. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
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