• Tom Lane
• Length: 0.76 miles 
• Avg gradient: 8%   Peak gradient: 12.9%
• Difficulty: 3/5
• Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 1/5
• Strava 

A nondescript, residential road in the leafier end of Sheffield, I was surprised to see that, statistically this hill is actually not that different from the far more imposing Lodge Lane.  Tom Lane is not as hard as that but it does have a couple of spikes along the way and, for the sake of this segment, a surprising little twist in its tail.  I’ve worked around here quite a bit and would regularly see a mum cycling up here with a child on the back of her bike.  Strava kudos to her for that.

Tom Lane starts innocently enough, opposite the junior school, with a gradient fluctuating around the 4-5% mark, as you climb the first couple of bends.  As you pass house number 74, however, the road straightens up, gets steeper and the hill’s first challenge is laid in front of you.  The hill is now around 12% and you feel each percentage as you pedal up to a large stone cottage at the junction of Belgrave Drive.  It is slightly less steep now but you’re still plodding upwards.

Follow the road, ignoring any junctions and continue round, first a left bend and then a right.  This little section here, for me, feels the hardest part of the road section.  There isn’t a significant increase in gradient but the approach to the right-hand bend – and the bend itself – really makes you feel like you’re dragging your bike.

You’ll soon reach a T-junction, turn right and continue upwards on what, once again, feels steeper than it is.  Take the next left (the road you turn onto remains Tom Lane) and head up this narrower section of road, often with numerous parked cars on either side.  You’ll shortly come to a brief section of 5% as you round a few more bends and pass Hillcote Close on your left. It’s here that you’re going to find that surprising twist in Tom Lane’s tail.

As you pass the steps with a handrail, on the left, instead of sticking to the road, wiggle round onto what looks like a footpath (there are no signs saying cycling in prohibited and it even has a Tom Lane road sign at the bottom so I’m sure it’s legal).  It’s this brief bumpy section that pulls the average up and my recording of this part puts the gradient between 17-22%. However, your fancy road bike might not like the surface.  It’s only short, though, and you’ll soon reach Redmires Road and the golf club.

Well done, you’ve just made it up a modest yet surprisingly challenging hill. Which is exactly what a Sheffield cycling climb should be.

• urban