On September 28th we took Team Quella rider Callum Jeendin to Swains Lane, Hampstead London to race in the annual Urban Hill Climb on our steel-framed Varsity Imperial 54cm single speed bike without any alterations from our standard model and with our standard 44/16T gear ratio. This is the only closed road hill climb within Greater London and an iconic event on the UK circuit. The Swains Lane climb averages over 8% and maxes out at 20% over 900m of tarmac.
The occasion not only brings the lycra-clad cycling fanatics, prepping on turbo trainers at the roadside but a whole host of entrants from cargo bikes, folders, e-bikes and custom- created monstrosities! Love them or loath them, they all add to the days camaraderie and its so refreshing to see a cycling event with an eclectic mix taking part. We saw folk ride up the hill with dogs, fancy dress, baskets, panniers, trikes, recumbents and even a fella with two kids and a barrel of beer strapped to the front rack!
After an alfresco breakfast we registered for the event around 11.00. Having a natter on our stroll back to ‘Van HQ’ we met a gentleman with a self- designed bike that can only be described as an ‘electric, small- scale, 21st Century, Penny Farthing ‘thing’’. We couldn’t leave without a go and before he could resist Quella rider Callum took off for a spin around the park.
Luckily there was plenty of free parking around the area and we managed to squeeze our Quella support van into a spot around the corner from the start. Final tyre pressures checked, we decided to ‘walk the course’ to see what all the fuss was about before our precise start time of 15:19:30 seconds. As we meandered up the hill on foot our bike’s ‘timing tag’ suddenly registered, luckily a friendly bloke hunched over his console in the timing van shouted ‘You’ve been clocked! I’m guessing you’ve not entered yet’ as he stared at our fresh faces and gave us a wry smile. Thankfully, he re-set the tag and suggested we head back to the start via a different route through Highgate!
Now, we’d like to point out that it wasn’t planned, but to the top of Swain’s Lane is the infamous pub The Flask, a North London institution with a history dating back centuries it’s been frequented by famous authors, playwrights and rockstars alike. It would have been rude not to introduce ourselves and ‘wet the bike’s head’ with a pre-warm up pint, so we obliged. Now, we do not claim to be nutritionists but I swear it gave Callum the additional boost to push out the 500+ watts which he achieved during the race, Tadej Poacar take note!!
So, feeling refreshed it was back to the start and the race was on!
Most of the road is pretty much covered by dappled shade created from the overhanging trees that line most of the climb, keeping the sun at bay. The cover gives way for 30 metres or so at the halfway point, where Swain’s Lane Lodge, a 19th Century Gothic style gate house lies in the background.
After this, the 20% gradient kicks-in hard and, doglegging from the lodge it quickly removes the ‘not far to go’ vibes as the gradient begins to burn into the thighs and, for the next 50 metres or so, the struggle to keep the chainwheel revolving becomes the priority on the 44/16T ratio as the road narrows and evolves into an upward tunnel where an imposing brick wall separates Waterflow Park from Highgate Cemetery.
When you manage to raise your head the sunlight where the tree line ends at the finish becomes visible. With only 100 metres or so to go, the lactic acid is squirting through the veins and it feels you’re cycling through glue and your ‘sprint finish’ energy has all but dried up . The pounding of the heart begins to vibrate across the chest and the lungs are screaming for air as you eventually crawl over the line.
Start times were every 30 seconds and with various semi-pro racers taking part many riders were overtake. Averaging over 350 watts for the entire climb and maxing out at 508 watts Callum reached the top in 2m 15 seconds, luckily he had enough in the tank to unclip from his pedals before he made friends with the concrete. However, he quickly cheered up when we tapped the QR code at the finishing post and Callum’s result was showing 76th quickest in over 276 riders. Who say’s that you can’t go up hills on a single speed??
After a moment to recover we felt obliged to head back to The Flask for some well earned post-ride celebratory drinks where the pain was quickly forgotten and Callum decided that he wished he had registered twice so he could have another go!
The Urban Hill Climb is definitely one for the annual cycle calendar, keep an eye on next years event it usually take place the back end of September.