• Kent Road
• Length: 0.11 miles
• Avg gradient: 16.5%
• Peak gradient: 20.5%
• Difficulty: 3/5
• Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 2/5
• Elevation gain: 99ft
• Strava

Arguably one of Sheffield’s steepest hills.

In any discussion about Sheffield’s steepest hills, there will be a few usual suspects; Hagg Hill, Jenkin Road and Blake Street, but it would be surprising if Kent Street didn’t also get a look in. Blake Street is often credited as Sheffield’s steepest but, despite being the same length, Kent Street has a slightly higher average gradient.

The start of the incline begins between Rushdale Avenue and Albert Road, facing north (there is an interesting footpath you can cycle up in the other direction but we’ll save that for another day). Unfortunately, Albert Road is a blind crossroads so, unless you can get a mate to stand there and give you the all clear, it’s safer to start at that junction (and also where the Strava segment begins).

You can see the handrail in the distance, that’s your target, where the road bends slightly to the right and kicks up steeply. Before that, you immediately begin on a 13.5% climb, and for every 15 metres or so, the gradient increases by about 1% (the maths here is very approximate but you get the idea) until you reach the railing.

It’s here that the hill breaks 20% for the final spike, which you’ll really feel as the apex slips into view. Well done, you can now arguably claim to have cycled up one of the city’s steepest hills.

It’s sweet but too short to be genuinely formidable.