THE CYCLING CLIMBS OF EAST ANGLIA

Like many coastal towns, the sea front at Southend requires a short descent to reach.  Of a multitude of steep routes away from the shore, Hadleigh Road is the toughest.  The 14% sign greatly underestimates the gradient of this climb – it averages around 17%, but there are patches of 20%.  Its length makes it little challenge compared to other roads of similar gradient but it nonetheless forces a low gear and a sprint out of the saddle.