The old adage, “It never gets any easier, you just get faster,” is no truer than in the niche world of competitive hill climbing. Joe Norledge from Bristol is one of those masochists who loves to take part in these lung busting, lactate inducing events that take place at the end of the cycling season. For 2016 he thought he’d go even faster if he did it on a fixed gear bike.
Read MoreUrban Hill Climb, Swain's Lane
The Urban Hill Climb on Swain’s Lane in Highgate, made a welcome return this Saturday with over 200 riders taking part. There were a number of categories with men, women, youth, veterans and even cargo bikes represented.
Swain’s Lane is a well-known climb in this part of town that locals like to test themselves on and is arguably the most famous in London. At 900m it’s not the longest, but with sections as steep as 18% it’s not to be sniffed at. In 2014 Stanislav Cmakal ‘everested’ Swain’s Lane by ascending it 142 times in one day!
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