Hill question
verdemujer
Posts: 1,397 Member
What makes a hill a category 4 or 3 or 2 or 1? I rode two category 4's yesterday and I've no idea if that was a good thing or so-so or what and I don't know if going down the scale means tougher hills or easier hills. Someone please explain how a hill is rated for me.
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The original definitions of the hill classifications came from the early days of the TdF, when the organisers would drive the route in a Citroen Avant. The category of the climb relates to the gear in which the car was able to make the climb, with the HC category being reserved for when the car conked out before the top.
These days, its a more arbitrary judgement of the organisers, with different races on occasion classifying the same climb differently, depending on what else is in the stage or the race. Phil Liggett recounted an edition of the Milk Race that he organised way back when, which had a road in Yorkshire covered by the TdF this year categorised as a 2nd class climb, where it didnt get a category at all in the TdF.0 -
Categories 4 to 1 goes from easy to hard. After 1 is HC (Beyond Category). There are various sites that explain the subjective nature of hill categories.
I create my own categories, then work to change them by improving my ability. For example, one well known climb in San Diego is Torrey Pines. When I began serious cycling (i.e., I bought a road bike, age 58), I considered it a personal challenge. Now it's not even worth a mention. This year I went up Palomar Mountain (probably a 1 Category climb by anyone's definition), which was previously an impossible dream. I didn't do it well or fast, but the change in perspective was accomplishment enough.0 -
It's elevation gain over distance, add a dash of steepness and you get the categories. Here's a link: http://cyclingskills.blogspot.com/2008/07/rating-climbs-and-defining-percent.html
But it mentions that variations and discrepancies abound. Just know that the lower the numbers, the harder the climb.0
