London's Toughest Hills

My baby hill: Queenstown Road followed by Cedars Road SW4 with 15 mph sw headwind. I love it, brilliant tarmac on Cedars Road, a cycle lane and almost zero traffic.

I know the saying goes; If you don't like hills then you haven't ridden up enough of them' but sometimes I wished I lived somewhere like the fens. A few small hills are okay but after a while I find them boring and frustrating.

bristol has hills. they crush the spirit. they make me say 'oh shit' when i see them. there is one round the back of the bridge that comes up from the bottom of ashton court. it's totally evil. park street is nothing.

Is this the one that goes past the zoo, if so, from the top it looks like the world ends as the road goes down the hill. Bristol hills are bastards.

I know the saying goes; If you don't like hills then you haven't ridden up enough of them' but sometimes I wished I lived somewhere like the fens. A few small hills are okay but after a while I find them boring and frustrating.

Boring? Have you ever ridden round the Fens?

Frustrating? Have you ever ridden into a headwind on the Fens?

I think cycling is boring anyway. I gave up actually riding a bike ages ago :p

Forest Hill - coming from East Dulwich - isn't a great laugh. Especially that last bit by the Horniman. Dog Kennel hill by Camberwell isn't hilarious either.

• 1.. I have to go up Forest Hill on the way to rugby training but manage to only ever go down Dog Kennel Hill :D
  

Nice pun there, pajamas :)

I'm far from new to the hills game, but need to start riding up some of the fuckers if I'm going to enter any hillclimb comps this year.

I'd be up for tagging along, and either come geared, or get the fixed set up for the road again with whatever kind of gear you're all using. If you end up doing that Peckham climb (I don't know it) once only, I could just do some repeats while you take the sensible pub option.

that would be great BMMF - I'm sure your level would drag my sorry ass up (both level and hill). Let's talk. Gelatley Road is no long, drawn-out misery - as i say, it's very short. But it's got something of a gradient - I guess training wise it would be nuts enough if you were to repeat it.

Word to the Bristolians chipping in btw - that city's another world for hills. I only used to walk when I was at Uni but those were my fittest years, wish I'd had a bike when I look back now, great terrain.

the Bristol one I imagine nigh impossible fixed would be the small lane that goes from the coach station up to Kingsdown parade? I remember arriving back to Uni after summer with a fully laden car and nearly breaking the engine on that mother.

• 1.. I have to go up Forest Hill on the way to rugby training but manage to only ever go down Dog Kennel Hill :D
  
  

Is that rugby training with Old Alainians? I played a game for their fourths last year. It nearly killed me. Worse than Highgate hill.

I have posted this route up before and I have completed it in under 2 hours. It is very hard work but very rewarding once you finish ( At the Flask! ).

Going to HH Saturday morning if the weather is good but do this some weekends if any one is up for it. http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Tour-de-North-London

Check the elevation profile under 'Show' on left upper menu!

My baby hill: Queenstown Road followed by Cedars Road SW4 with 15 mph sw headwind. I love it, brilliant tarmac on Cedars Road, a cycle lane and almost zero traffic.

...does that count as a baby hill, it's more an inconvenience!

dark hill in richmond park that's a baby killer of a hill!

I'm doing that Sunday morning Mike. nailed Swains and Highgate hill since last week so pretty much mended as good as i can be.

how was the hols?

I envy you PJ, Bristol is a great place to ride. My cousin still DJs down there so i pop back from time to tome... I'll wait till you have a good "Fucked in Bristol" Ride and use that as an excuse to head back

the other day did muswell hill, down archway, back up to highgate village, down highgate hill, back up swains lane, down north rd, up bishops avenue, down highgate west, up fitzjohns av, then back home down highgate.

shit Dale. if you'd have asked i'd have lent you my AtoZ. saved you all those miles

BTW you about this weekend? i need a hand with a wheel...

shit Dale. if you'd have asked i'd have lent you my AtoZ. saved you all those miles

BTW you about this weekend? i need a hand with a wheel...

wanted a mixture of hills ;)

racing sat at hillingdon, sun big ride 90-100miles.

Holidays were good thanks. As is always the way on coming home though, I need another one!

If you are doing this ride on Sunday, I will try and do it with you. Shall I give you a ring sometime over the weekend if I am able to make it?

I'm doing that Sunday morning Mike. nailed Swains and Highgate hill since last week so pretty much mended as good as i can be.

how was the hols?

I envy you PJ, Bristol is a great place to ride. My cousin still DJs down there so i pop back from time to tome... I'll wait till you have a good "Fucked in Bristol" Ride and use that as an excuse to head back

@Mike - always the case. still you timed it right. weather her was shit! Sunday i am heading out 8-9 ish. i'll call you sat eve save the sunday wake up call ;)

Dogs - good luck sat man. i'll drop you a txt monday (you off?) it's a 5 min job. The wheel i built is a fraction out and i could do with an expert eye.

that would be great BMMF - I'm sure your level would drag my sorry ass up (both level and hill). Let's talk. Gelatley Road is no long, drawn-out misery - as i say, it's very short. But it's got something of a gradient - I guess training wise it would be nuts enough if you were to repeat it.

The shorter and steeper the better :)

I did 6 repeats of The Rake (see Jim Henderson below) once preparing for the National Hillclimb - when I got ill and was a bit shit on the day :(

Cool Pip. 8-9 would be good. An early start is ideal
^^ OMG that is seriously steep. Where the hell is that?

Forest Hill - coming from East Dulwich - isn't a great laugh. Especially that last bit by the Horniman. Dog Kennel hill by Camberwell isn't hilarious either.

Ha! You should try turning right at the Horniman, up to the top of Crystal Palace. Did that ONCE, with gears. On the last bit I must have been on something like 32/25, and it still hurt. Did hit 44mph on the way down once tho...
And Dog Kennel Hill is indeed not hilarious either :)

Is that rugby training with Old Alainians? I played a game for their fourths last year. It nearly killed me. Worse than Highgate hill.

I play for Guy's Hospital, just down by Honor Oak.. Going back up the other side is actually worse purely because I've been running around for over an hour before hand!

college road in crystal palace, anerley hill in crystal palace is a 10% bugger,or corkscrew hill on the edge of london

Guy's was the team we played. We lost.

Ha! You should try turning right at the Horniman, up to the top of Crystal Palace. Did that ONCE, with gears. On the last bit I must have been on something like 32/25, and it still hurt. Did hit 44mph on the way down once tho...
And Dog Kennel Hill is indeed not hilarious either :)

Is that Sydenham Hill? I did that the other day by mistake. Twice.
It was dark and I was lost.

pepys road in new cross, and forest hill in general. wnt to the horniman on sunday, had to eat 2 loads of (jerk-off winning) jerk chicken to refuel.

Is that Sydenham Hill? I did that the other day by mistake. Twice.
It was dark and I was lost.

Yep - I think.
If you are coming up from Forest Hill train station, and turn left at the Horniman.
It's a fncker. my mate lives halfway up.
That whole area is a bastard.

My baby hill: Queenstown Road followed by Cedars Road SW4 with 15 mph sw headwind. I love it, brilliant tarmac on Cedars Road, a cycle lane and almost zero traffic.

...but if you're lucky, while you're stopped at lights at the bottom of Cedars you can get a bus turning to go up there and can draft them up the hill. Sweet.

there's some hills out here that make me shit my pants when i drive up them. i have no conception of cycling up one of them, and would love to see someone do it. oddly i never pass any cyclists on those particular hills.