100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, Simon Warren (2010)

A nicely executed gazetteer of tarmac ascents in the UK on which to perform pedalling heroics

Frances Lincoln 9780711231207 Pocket sized 174pp £8.99

When does one who rides a bicycle as a means to get about, become a cyclist? The tipping point, I would suggest, is the moment at which they first make a detour to take in a hill, rather than seeking a route that avoids the ascent.

For make no mistake, cyclists like it when the road starts to rise. Hills are the feature moments in any major race, touring accounts regularly have the big climbs as their centrepieces, and bragging about climbs bagged and cols conquered are a staple of conversation in lycra-wearing circles.

Quite why hills should exert such a magnetic appeal is another matter. Self propelling yourself up any steep incline is undoubtedly a grind. It is rewarded by the sense of achievement and the buzz of having got the better of an immense physical obstacle.

But, the transcendental feeling that envelopes you as you roll over the crest of a hill is something more than the sum of those parts. That the Italian poet Petrarch is reputed, in 1350, to have kick-started the Renaissance and initiated the romantic movement when he made the first ascent of Ventoux – just because it was there – gives some indication of the power of those emotions.

Against that backdrop, Simon Warren’s pocket-sized collection seems like an idea so good, that it is hard to imagine why no one has thought of it before.

There is a photograph of each of his selections, a description of the climb, a profile chart and a map and instructions that will lead you to the bottom of the hill. He also catalogues the length of the climb, the scale of the ascent and provides indication of how long it should take you to get to the top.

One might quibble with his selection – it is in the nature of any selection that personal favourites have been omitted. Brassknocker Hill in Somerset would have been on my list, and I would certainly have included some of the mighty climbs of the Scottish borders. He acknowledges, however, that such moans are inevitable.

Fundamentally, though, this is an excellent little compendium, that anticipates, in its ‘fill-them-in-as-you-go” chart at the end of the book, that readers will try to tick-off his selection. If Warren has any sense, he will launch an online companion that will allow his readers to log their results and share other information. If he did that, he might find that, not only has he written an excellent book, but that he has also kicked off craze.

PS June 10