Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Just thought I would see what other people think. Of the three 'big' climbs in Canberra - Mt Ainslie, Mt Majura and Black Mt - which do you think is hardest?

For mine, I always thought Ainslie was harder than Majura, where I had otherwise read the opposite. Having done Ainslie today, I am inclined to reverse my decision. Black Mt is a harder initial climb, but gets easier.

I cant decide which is hardest. Majura seems most consistent, where Ainslie is intense near the top, and Black Mt has the difficult first third.

My personal hardest climb is the one where I climb out of bed in the dark to go for yet another ride.


But... I'll say BM. I'll ride Ainslie before BM any day, therefore it must be easier. BM takes longer, it's harder to hold a consistent power output due to the levelling out at points, there's more traffic and the descent is far more dangerous with the blind corners and trying to get the speed off before the T intersection at the bottom.

But : at the end of the day, I think Stromlo or Majura are more useful hills for training in that you can use them for a bigger variety of training. Both Ainslie and BM force you into a bloody hard ride unless you are running a triple crankset.

Ainlsie for me between it and BM. Haven't done Majura.

I find I can pace myself up BM more easily and it more rewarding as you can easily look down at the Lake where I just came from. I'm ok at Ainslie now I know to save some energy for the last kick, but still prefer BM anyday.

Ainslie descent is better though as you have the nice flat section at the bottom to slow down.

I haven't done Majura either, so it's between Black Mtn and Mt Ainslie for me too. I have only done Ainslie a few times but I found it to be harder than Black Mtn, not sure if it is because I did it in summer and it was freakin' hot or because I have done Black Mtn a lot more and know the climb better. I thought that Ainslie just seemed to get steeper and steeper, whereas Black Mtn is steep initially but then it's not so bad.

when i first started riding in january, it was scrivener dam hill!!

i like stromlo, havent done ainslie or majura, red hill was short but steep and well black mtn hurt me, so for me my hardest is black mtn and my most fun climb is stromlo

Once you have done Ainslie, Majura and Black Mountain ... there is Fitz's Hill.

After you have summited Fitz's there's Cardiac Climb (aka Cardiac Arrest) on Stromlo's hard-pack. After Cardiac Climb you are ready for Flee Creek. After Flee Creek there is Harry's Spur.

After Harry's Spur ... you'll be an absolute Legend.

Keep us posted.

Warren.

PS, Then if you still looking for a testing ride just a bit further afield and back on tarmac, try Tom Groggen to Dead Horse Gap ... you'll know why the horse died.

Fitz's ain't "city-ish".

It's like BM, but without the blind corners and less people have died on Fitz's. I still rate BM as 'hardest'. Corin is good fun.

Fitz's should only be approached as a time trial ... one shouldn't dawdle up Fitz's. That would be sacrilegious. Corin is a steady painful torment.

As a side note, it is the World Solo 24hr MTB Championships and the Scott 24 hr at Stromlo tomorrow and Sunday. See you there.

Warren.

WarrenH wrote:Fitz's should only be approached as a time trial ... one shouldn't dawdle up Fitz's. That would be sacrilegious.

As a side note, it is the World Solo 24hr MTB Championships and the Scott 24 hr at Stromlo tomorrow and Sunday morning. See you there.

Warren.

I hope they leave the crit track cleaner than they did last year. Wood screws, cable ties, spring clips... and my pet hate - chewing gum.

Yeah, Fitz is well out of town. I didnt find it tough at all last year. Will see how I feel this year. Corin is on my list of hills to do, too.

As for MTB hills, thats cheating. You got granny gear.

I think it's the thrid last hill before the end of the bitumen after Fitz's is the steepest (steeper than Fitz's). I doesn't go as far but it just seems quite tough. Maybe because of all the hills that have been ridden up before you get there.

I probably dislike Red Hill more than Majura, Ainslie, Black or Stromlo. I'll let you know for sure after Sunday ( 5 Peaks ride). Coppins Crossing is included in this too I believe, the trick to it is not to go to hard too soon as the actual top is after where you think it is.

Some of the hills at the back of Narrabundah/Red Hill on the route that the Wednesday Southside bunch follow are tough too. You start off with Carnegie Cres hill and then left onto La Perouse for a bit of a recovery and then it's a left at the Red Hill shops and zig zag through the hilly back streets and finally come up Tamar St on to Mugga Way. Then there's the short hill sprint up Fitzgerald St (off Hopetoun (AT) Yarralumla).

IMO Ainslie is less pleasant than Black Mtn for the reasons already outlined. I haven't done Mt Majura. The climb I dislike most of all is the dodgy footpath running through Mawson between the shops and Hindmarsh Dr. It's probably only about 10m vertical but I go from flying along at 40ish to 25 or less and it's just a little pimple on the trip home - such a loss of speed over that small an ascent frustrates me. At least with the real climbs I go out there with the sole intent of riding up them

yeah i find that last climb thru mawson not fun either, usually cause im stuffed and i cbf doing it and am already mentally in the shower!!

mrgolf wrote:Yeah, Fitz is well out of town. I didnt find it tough at all last year. Will see how I feel this year. Corin is on my list of hills to do, too.

As for MTB hills, thats cheating. You got granny gear.

Fitz's is well out of town? ... for a cyclist it is only above the Naas Valley turnoff that's city-ish to the average mountain goat.

mrgolf, if you found Fitz's no problem, and you say MTB's have a granny ... well here is my email hudson@actewagl.net.au You are welcome to ride my new Anthem and I'll photograph you displaying the cheating granny gear ride of Cardiac Climb, so we can show the web how easy you think resorting to the granny is.

Cardiac Climb is only 670 metres in length. This thread is called the 'Hardest Climb in Canberra (city-ish)' ... I'll guarantee that within 120 metres of track (not altitude) on Cardiac Climb you will be suffering (almost) complete oxygen debt.

The shots are in order from the pleasant turnoff at 'Blue Gums' to the first 120 metres of track (not 100 metres of altitude) at the creek crossing. Please contact me, do let's get together and you can show show me how easy riding with a granny gear actually is. I'm sorry that the photos here display a flattened incline ... just an inherent weakness with the photo optics.





















Only 500 metres to go ... now the real features start.

Others have found the features on Cardiac Climb difficult too. Even at the start of the climb.





The reward for summiting Cardiac Climb.



mrgolf please do come and show me how easy you think that riding with a granny can be. I don't use the granny gear. When one should resort to the granny ... it is quicker walking or carrying the bike.

Living in Canberra ... one morphs into a mountain goat or they possibly give cycling away. In my next life I'm going to live out on the Hay Plain. The flattest place on earth some say.

Warren.

PS, If you're wondering if I'm a mountain goat, please visit my MTB-MG album ... http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... a/?start=0

That certainly looks very tough, doubt I could do it regardless of what gears I had! Can't really see the point though if it's actually too tough to ride and you need to carry your bike for half of it.

Another good road hil in Canberra is the one leading back up from the Lower Molonglo Water Control Centre at Holt, affectionatly known as 'Poo Hill'. I quite often go there for a training ride and then just to stretch the legs a bit further detour through the newish Golf Corse Estate and then back up Southern Cross Dr (nice hill there going past Kippax) and then left onto Kingsford Smith Dr and follow that up to the end where it intersects with Kuringa Dr.

There are some good hills out Tuggers way as well. I quite like the Athlon Dr climb from Drakeford Dr back to Woden and the Isabella Dr climb then onto Monaro Hwy from Tuggers to Hume is quite good as well. Another good one is Yamba Dr from Phillip to Tuggers.

Yes, Warren, you truly have a larger member than I!

A little too defensive, it would seem. Bud, I MTB as well. My granny gear comment was only a gentle nudge. Hope you are OK.

To be honest, you prolly ride mtb better than me because I consider it more dangerous than road riding as there is more chance of coming off, and at 38, I have a developed sense of self prez. The pics you posted look like fun, though.

As for this thread, perhaps I should have specified road. And, yes, there are some climbs within 100kms of Canberra I would consider more difficult. Corin, for example, which is closer than fitz. You live and learn.

Cheers bud. Enjoyed your contribution. :thumbup:

Feck, I reckon I'd fall off in the first 20m!

And I don't get the photo with the safety barrier - where the heck does the trail go??!?

Ainslie has my vote - it just seems to go hard, harder, HARDEST - oh and then just for sh%ts and giggles, the magpie makes the HARDEST part harder again ATM! lol

mrgolf wrote:Yes, Warren, you truly have a larger member than I!

That is somewhat surprising Mate!, because you sound like the biggest tool that's ever responded to one of my posts in the last 20 years. BRAVO, you go to the top of the Class !

Let's go and ride Cardiac Climb and you can show me what you've realy got Piccolo Dick.

You do sound a tad fixated Mate! Not at all cool. !!! spammer !!! envy is not at all cool. Can I suggest you work on it. If the suggestion even needed to be made?

Warren.

WarrenH wrote:

mrgolf wrote:Yes, Warren, you truly have a larger member than I!

That is somewhat surprising!, because you sound like the biggest tool ever to have responded to one of my posts in the last 20 years of me being on the web. BRAVO go to the top of the Class !

Let's go and ride Cardiac Climb and you can show me what you've got Piccolo Dick.

You do sound a tad fixated Mate! Not at all cool.

Warren.

Why are you assuming he was insulting you?

Twizzle, ganging-up Mate, totally Canberran? ... I do expect no more from you guys.

Warren.

WarrenH wrote:Twizzle, ganging-up Mate, totally Canberran? ... I do expect no more from you guys.

Warren.

No - I simply think that you are over-reacting. Again.

Yeah, I am not ganging up here either, bud. It was totally tongue in cheek. An attempt to deflate some apparent tensions. All love here. Yes, I would like to do cardiac climb sometime. But it was never a competition. I have already conceded you would mtb better than I.

This thread reminds me of this http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthr ... ps/page169

Wow, how to hijack a thread! I though this was a discussion about the merits of various road (my assumption) climbs in the Canberra area near the city, suddenly its about mountain biking at Stromlo and then the Brindabellas and then "they're all picking on me".