The hill begins in earnest, opening with a 12-13% incline as you pass the Management School. There is a gentle curve in the road and cars will probably be parked on both sides, so be aware of any oncoming vehicles. This is the steepest section and the gradient begins to reduce to single figures once you pass Redcar Road, ending at around 7% at the apex with School Road.
A little blast that won’t set the cycling world alight but a happy, little challenge none the less.
It’s like the evil twin of the neighbouring Ranmoor Crescent. This road has all the climbing but none of the forgiving bends. It’s a straight up (literal and figurative) stinker.
You begin, just off Fulwood Road, by the Ranmoor Inn. As the road curves around the church you’re immediately into a dead straight 10% climb. To add insult to injury, as you slowly climb up the hill, the gradient gently increases, peaking out at about 14% as you pass Tapton Park Road. At this point, it definitely feels harder than you expect.
Keep on peddling and you’ll soon reach the sweeping left hand bend where the gradient drops down to 7.5%, and you pass Ranmoor Crescent. Grind on a short distance more until the end of the segment and then, when you reach it, ask yourself why you didn’t just ride up Ranmoor Crescent instead?
The Strava segment starts at Grand Depart sign but it’s actually a short distance before the incline begins. Similarly, the segment ends at the Birley Stone, despite there being a few more feet to climb after that point.
With the park on your left, the start doesn’t look too foreboding, at around 6%, but by the time you’re passing The Pheasant pub, the hill has already sneaked into double figures at 11%. A short way on from this you’ll find that the road narrows as you cross over a railway line. Plod on and hope that you’re not be being followed by an impatient motorist unable to overtake you.
After the wiggle of the railway bridge, you’re onto the steepest 13% segment of the climb, which it roughly maintains until you reach Greenhead House Farm and The Little Sausage Shop. Rumour has it that somewhere on Jawbone Hill is a ‘Scotch Egg Shop’ but I suspect that, in reality, it’s this sausage shop they’re thinking of. Along here, on your left, you will spy the first of two reminders of the Tour De France’s visit: a yellow painted bike fixed to a metal ‘Shimrod’ sign, and shortly afterwards, opposite the farm, a battered old bike tied up in a tree.
Once you’re past the sausage shop, the gradient drops to a more palatable 5.5% but don’t be fooled, this is just the first false summit! The climb continues, slipping back up to 9.5% as the road bends to the right. You are well into the countryside now and while the steepness does relent a little, the hill is just playing with you. It’s got one last stinker in store.
The road begins another right-hand bend and, as you pass the Grenoside sign, you feel that must be the apex…but not quite! Although it’s apparently only 6.5%, the final 150 yards up to the Birley Stone always feels much harder than it should.
The end of the segment might not be the absolute top of the hill but it’s a great place to stop and take in the view over Sheffield. It’s also a great place to turn around and speed right back down to Oughtibridge.
A recommendation from the CycleSheffield FB forum, this a little hill that I would never have come across otherwise and serves as a nice partner to Paradise Street. If you’re still craving the Belgian taste of cobbles, this is one to have a go at.
First off, look at the length. This is a sprint, not a marathon but, much like when I attempted Paradise Street and Blake Street before that, don’t try to show off and go in bigger than you can, as you may well find yourself embarrassingly panting, out of breath halfway up this rather short hill. Not that that happened to me, of course…
Bungay Street is out the back of the train station, a path cutting through Sheaf Valley Park and you can see the top from the bottom, so just blast onwards and upwards but watch out for pedestrians – I imagine it could be quite busy during commuter times. It commences at about 6.8% and the gradient steadily increases until you reach 12% at the top, where the path meets South Street and the climb concludes, with a great view across the city.
Just like Paradise Street, it’s head down, pedal away, see how quickly you can get up.
Pre-bike, I often used to commute this way, so Rutland Road was one of my earliest introductions to what Sheffield hills are like – even though I was in the car. As a consequence, this hill had a slightly foreboding reputation (in my head at least) and it was a while before I tackled it. When I finally did, and managed to beat it, it felt like a real achievement. However, it was a long time until I added Cooks Wood Road on the end.
Starting under the railway bridge, the road stretches far up ahead of you, although you’ll probably not be able to see it for all the cars. This is not a quiet climb and you will get some form of aggressive motor vehicle pass you. The photos here were all taken at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown and I still got close-passed. You won’t ever see the road it as quiet at this otherwise.
For the first third, it’s a fairly steady 9-10%, with not much to look at except a large variety of industrial units, so just head down and try not to get hit by a grumpy motorist. As you reach Parkwood Springs and the Sea Cadet Corps, on your right, the road flattens for a short run to the traffic lights.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get a red and can have a legitimate breather before taking the left turn onto Cooks Wood Road. You’re straight into the climb again and although it never gets more than 2% steeper than Rutland, Cooks Wood Road feels a lot more challenging. There’s no obvious landmarks but near the bus stop, the road ramps up and you’ll need to drop into that lower gear for another 0.1 mile, until you pass the entrance for Parkwood Springs on your left (an old style 1:9 gradient sign still remains on the other side of the road). The Strava segment continues for another 350 yards or so but once you’re here, you’ve done the heavy lifting.
Hopefully you made it up in one piece and, if you fancy a change of tempo, you could always ride the Parkwood Springs MTB track back downhill.
Situated out in the lovely Mayfield Valley, this hill is snuggled out amongst a wealth of winding country hills. It’s an area well worth exploring and never too far from civilisation.
You’ll approach this climb from either Brown Hills Lane or Harrison Lane, both of which send you down Gorse Lane. It’s quite a speedy drop with a sharp, blind bend just before you hit the climb. For safety’s sake you’ll need to pull on the brakes which unfortunately will cost you some momentum for the start of the climb.
One of the consolations of this hill is that the toughest parts are out of the way first, including the immediate sharp bend to the right at 14%. Once you’re around that, you can see the next bend approaching but the gradient only drops a few points here, and surprisingly, shows up as less steep around the switchback. It certainly doesn’t feel easier.
Wiggle your way up, as the Mayfield Valley opens up on your left, and around the next right hand bend, with the gradient remaining in the low double figures as you pass Harrop Lane on the left. You’ve now got a steady 6-7% climb for about 0.3 miles, returning to double figures as you approach the cottage and the junction to Fulwood Lane, where you turn right.
The hard bit is done now but it’s worth carrying on. The road floats around the low single figures and only once briefly touches 6% (it’s this section that has reduced the average gradient of the segment) but the views over the valley towards Sheffield are lovely. Once you’re reached the top you’ll be greeted with one of my favourite vistas of Sheffield.
Many of Sheffield’s hills are fairly anonymous, some have a little local notoriety and some have enough of a reputation to feature in the Tour de France. Jenkin Road (or the Côte de Wincobank Hill as it was renamed for The Grande Départ in 2014) is one of those hills.
As a result of its reputation, I’d been putting off attempting this climb for some time but finally relented during lockdown, figuring that I’d be delaying fewer cars as I plodded upwards. The fact that I do every climb at least twice (once to do the climb and a second time to take photos) just added to the trepidation.
Starting from the junction with Holywell Road, you’re already at a disadvantage, having had to stop at the crossroads and therefore beginning from a standing start. It’s here that the sign, commemorating Jenkin Road’s role in the 2014 Tour, is placed. It states that the average gradient is a perfectly acceptable 11% but the maximum gradient is a formidable 33%. I think that’s an exaggeration and Strava and Veloviewer both agree, putting the peak gradient closer to 16.8%. Jenkin Road’s steepest segment is slightly wiggly, so maybe in a straight line it’s closer to 33%.
The hill begins at a fairly standard 10% as it stretches ahead of of you. With houses, playing fields and a church, there’s not much yet to mark this climb as distinct from the likes of Mertyle Road but, just after you pass the church, the road curves to the right, the gradient ramps up and, ahead of you, you can see why the hill made it into the Tour.
The road turns into a little S-bend here and the gradient hits 17.2% as it wiggles back and forth. Do your best here and don’t worry too much about any vehicles behind you, they’re as likely struggling up as much as you. As the hill relents a bit, down to about 12% as you pass Ridge View Road on your right, take a moment to regain a bit of strength (and have a look at the view behind you if you can) because you only about half way there.
You’ll shortly reach a sweeping switchback, which starts easily enough but its a bit deceptive and you’ll notice the extra couple of percentage points on the gradient here. However, once you’re round the bend with Wincobank Common on your right, it’s the home stretch, even dropping down to a meagre 4.5% around the next corner. Once you’ve done that, you can see the final 9.5% hump approaching and shortly you’ll be at the top. Well done.
You can see the pros on the 2014 Tour, climbing up the wiggly bit, below.
Now go and put on your yellow jersey and pretend you’ve just won the Tour De France.
A silly little climb in the city and a taste of the cobbled Paris Roubaix.
Recommended to me by a member of the CycleSheffield Chat forum, Paradise Street is a slightly ridiculous little cobbled hill just north of the cathedral. Clocking in at a grand total of 0.04 miles, it’s not a foreboding challenge but don’t underestimate the impact of that cobbled surface and don’t get cocky like I did, try to sprint it, and end up more exhausted than climbing The Dale.
Starting at the junction of Queen Street, you can see the full extent of the consistent 9% hill in front of you. It’s not far. Normally, on short sharp hills you can blast it but the surface here really plays havoc with those plans. I’m glad that I’ve got suspension on mine, I can’t imagine what it’d be like on a fancy road bike. The only thing to be wary of is that, despite its single car width, Paradise Street is a two way road, so if you encounter a car coming the other direction, you’ll probably need to move out of the way. Still, it’s not far to return to the start and try again.
All you can really say for this road is head down, pedal away, see how quickly you can get up.
This is a utilitarian climb, in that it sole function is pretty much to get you out of suburbia, towards the Peak District. At the top, you’re on the edge of the countryside, ready to discover some absolutely lovely views.
The climb begins after a quick descent on Whitely Woods Road as it cuts through the woods themselves. The climb begins as you cross over the Porter Brook but it’s nothing serious here, as the gradient remains in the low single figures until you reach Wire Mill Dam. As the road curves left, the gradient creeps up but it still remains in single figures, where it stays for the short, straight section to the next bend.
The battle begins after you follow the road round the bend. It’s only 0.2 miles but it’s a slog. It gets slowly steeper as you grind up, hitting a peak of a 10.5% just before the cattery. However, the challenge here is more psychological than physical because the hill is so straight and with slightly boring fields either side there’s not much to look at on your way.
When you’re past the cattery, the road bends left once more and you’re well on your way to the apex as, shortly after, you turn onto Common Lane. From here, with every pedal, the gradient drops away and you find yourself at the start of Ringinglow Road, ready to get out to the Peaks.
Starting and finishing in similar locations and running fairly parallel to each other, the Gladstone Grind / Snaithing Lane climb is similar to – but easier than – Tom Lane. They’re both suitable tasters for some of the hills in the Peak District that these roads lead you towards.
Begin at the crossroads with Fulwood Road (the segment could begin at the bottom of Hangingwater Road but I’ve never managed to reach this crossroads without the lights turning red) and the hill is straight into double figures, hovering around the 11% mark. It’s a tree-lined road with a broad right hand curve that seems to stretch on and on. If you’re lucky, the yappy dog at number seven will come charging down the driveway at you but he’s stuck behind a gate, so you can pedal on safely.
Shortly after the road straightens out, Graham Road joins from the left. It’s heads down here and grind on as I find that there is something about this section that feels a real slog. It’s probably as it’s just a straight 10% line, with just a postbox near the crest to aim for.
A short distance past the postbox, you’re gifted a very brief downhill as you swing left off Gladstone Road, onto Snaithing Lane. The 2020 Magnificent 7 race continued up Ivy Park Road at this point but I think Snaithing Lane is a more interesting challenge, so stick with that. The downhill respite is short lived however, as the road spikes up and bends to the right. As you pass the Kings Foundation, you’re on the steepest section of the hill at around 13.5%, but it does feel steeper.
You’ll soon pass a large white house with a fancy balcony, on your right. That’s the sign that you’re over the worst, and the road drops to a more manageable 7% for the final 0.1 mile. Once you’ve reached the top, if you fancy an additional silly little challenge, turn left, then take the first right up Carsick View Road. A cheeky little spike that was not quite close enough to include as part of this entry.
Sheffield Cycling Climbs 