Originally Posted by
Clyde1820
About as universal a measure as I can think of: percentage grade. Along with the length of the grade, that measure works well for informing how a given grade compares to another.
Yup. A few years ago, I rode
this event, which includes
Canton Avenue, which has a 37% grade -- the steepest road in the United States. But it hits that max grade for just a few meters, and the whole hill is only a few hundred feet from base to top. There were several other climbs in the event that were not quite as steep, but much longer and more challenging.
Originally Posted by
rsbob
This thread is a mediocre place for a nagging question about hills. Is it better to attack the beginning incline of a hill to increase initial momentum or just find a comfortable pace you can ride the entire hill. For instance, I am thinking 5% for a mile.
If it's a mile long hill witgh 5% grade, that running start is practically useless. Attacking at the base only gives a meaningful advantage if you're on short punchy rollers, which allow you to carry momentum from the descent up onto the next little climb.