THE CYCLING CLIMBS OF EAST ANGLIA

The great cycling climbs of the United Kingdom and Europe are well documented, both on the internet and in print, Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs being but one example.  The thought of riding these famous and challenging roads is enough to draw cyclists to the remotest areas and even to travel abroad to the Alps and Pyrenees.  However if you live in East Anglia, this is simply not an option most of the time.  From Norwich, for example, the nearest point over 400m is a 3 ½ hour drive away.  So in order to train for the high mountains, East Anglians must make do with what they have and in researching this website I climbed over 3,000m.  Not only this, but simply because hills are easy, that is no reason to avoid them.  The rolling landscapes and quiet roads which fill much of East Anglia make for fantastic cycling. That is why I have documented the 40 best cycling climbs in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex.

 

Like many books and websites, I have assigned difficulty ratings to each climb.  These are decided based on an amalgamation of length, gradient, altitude gain and my personal reaction to the road.  It must be noted that these ratings are purely in relation to the rest of East Anglia – a 5/5 can be considered comparable to a 3/10 elsewhere in the country.  I have also attempted to achieve a fairly even spread (see the map view) despite this being a challenge in some areas.

 

I am a 17 year old cyclist from Cambridgeshire and I completed this website as my Extended Project Qualification.