• Smithy Wood Crescent
• Length: 0.18 miles 
• Avg gradient: 3% on the Strava segment but closer to 6%
• Peak gradient: 10%
• Difficulty: 2/5
• Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 1/5
• Strava

With its 180° curve, Smithy Wood Crescent is almost like one of the switchbacks on the Alpe d’Huez.  Almost.  This is a road I’d driven up many, many times and it always felt like it would be a formidable challenge to ride up on a bike. I was wrong.

First of all, in the hill’s defence, the Strava segment includes a bit of downhill at the start, which scuppers the average gradient.  It says 3% but I think it’s closer to 6% and it does reach double figures at the very end.

Whatever the actual stats, use the little downhill from Woodseats Road to get some speed then blast away as the road begins to climb for the first bend and then holds its steepness for a short straight stretch before you do that switchback.  Feeling like you’re cruising up the Alps, the gradient actually drops off a bit as you round the corner and approach the tree-lined final spike before joining Chesterfield Road. A quick blast.

I’m not sure why I thought this would be such a tough climb when it really isn’t much of a challenge at all.  I guess it’s included because ever since moving to the city, Smithy Wood Crescent felt like the typical Sheffield hill: short, steep and sitting in the middle of suburbia with no fanfare, when if it was anywhere else it would have a far more impressive reputation.

• urban