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| The climb begins - Alpe d'Huez. Ratio: 42.1hm/km |
Do you ever
finish a shortish ride and wonder why you feel so knackered? Maybe it has
nothing to do with speed or about your condition but about the
climb-to-distance ratio.
Here in
Austria, rides are often measured in Höhenmeter
(hm), which is the vertical ascent, as being more significant than the actual
distance covered. But that is only half the story.
After years
of living in the Alps, and years of riding in mountainous areas, the idea of
calculating the amount of climbing per kilometre pedalled, only recently came
to mind while grinding up part of a circuit that seemed to have far more uphill
than down.
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| Lonely climbs in the heart of Sardinia. Ratio: 21.5hm/km |
By dividing
the vertical ascent by the total distance, I came up with a figure of 19.3
meters of climbing per kilometer. Looking at this compared with the average for
the year to date I could see why I was puffing a bit: over the past 3000km, the
ratio was just 6.4hm/km (hm is for Höhenmeter
– vertical ascent).
2017 seems
to have been an easier year than the previous four; for each of those the ratio
has averaged just over 8hm/km. This year has been skewed by a 750km ride along
the incredibly flat Weser and Fulda bike trails in Germany.
 |
| It's easy to see why riding the Weser is popular. Ratio: 0.3hm/km |
Looking
back at some of the days ridden on tours this year gives a different picture of
the terrain – and how tough (or not) the days really were considering they are
done on bikes carrying a moderate load:
Average for
the year to date 6.4 hm/km
Day rides:
Austria,
Steinberg Circuit 12.9
Austria, Enns
Radweg, Altenmarkt – Steyr 14,0
Sardinia,
Alghero – Bosa 19.1
Sardinia,
Bosa – Pozzomaggiore 21,5
Germany, Weser:
Bremerhaven – Bremen 0,3
A couple of
big Tour de France specialities,
completed in recent years when calculated with the distance for the climb and descent,
are good for comparison:
France:
Sault - Mont Ventoux - Sault 26.4
but for the climb only 52 hm/km
but for the climb only 52 hm/km
France:
Bourg d’Oisans - Alpe d’Huez 42.1
but for the climb only 84 hm/km
but for the climb only 84 hm/km
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| The mysteriously barren landscape at the top of the Mont Ventoux. Ratio 26.4hm/km |
So it is
clear to see why Germany’s 500 km Weser cycle route between Bremerhaven and
Hann Munden is one of the most popular. Why so many people find an e-bike
necessary on this flattest of trails is a mystery.
A short 28
km circuit from home shows a climb-to-distance ratio of 24hm/km which makes me
feel a bit more justified in feeling knackered at the end. The final 5km is all
up hill with much of it at 12%, which really is a sting in the tail.
Whether any
of this makes sense, has any relevance or is even statistically sound, I don’t
know. But doing these calculations is a way of occupying the mind when plodding
slowly up a long hill. What do you do to take your mind of the grind?
For blogs on this site for these routes:
For blogs on this site for these routes:
- Flat out along the Weser - June 2017
- Sardinia 1, 2 3, - May 2017
- Mont Ventoux, take it easy - September 2015
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| What do you do to take your mind off the grind? |
Are there a few more factors to consider that make climbs harder or easier? Road surface, whether there are breaks in the gradient, exposed to wind, hairpins, etc?
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