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Swain’s Lane, Highgate N6 Swain’s Lane is my primary training hill as it’s the toughest climb I can fit into my hour’s commute to the office. I was overjoyed when I found it but there are plenty of days I wish I hadn’t, which is why I only tend to ride it between May and October. Outside these months I use the longer and gentler Highgate West Hill; if I rode Swain’s Lane all year round, I’d be a) a wreck and b) bored to death of it. I usually attack it on my old fixedwheel bike, which makes it a real grind, and I have a strict routine I stick to each time I go up. I stay in the saddle to the plateau outside the cemetery and then out of the saddle to the finish, which, unlike the official race distance, means going all the way to the brow.
Simon Warren, author of the best selling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, takes us through his five favourite hills in and around London – and (for those who fancy testing themselves) reveals his 950m personal Length Height gain 71m Climbs rating 4/10 best times 100 Quickest time (over the Urban for each one Hill Climb race distance) 1m 42s
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College Road, Dulwich SE21 The second of my London training hills is College Road in Dulwich. What makes this road special is the fact that it’s a toll road – there’s a booth with barriers at the base and cars have to pay £1 for the privilege of using it. This, of course, makes it much quieter than the other ways up to Crystal Palace and is, therefore, perfect for hill intervals. As with Swain’s Lane, I always ride it on my fixed-wheel bike. I start my watch at the first lamppost past the ticket booth, accelerate, and then sit back down. The slope is reasonably steep, but you’re rewarded with an easing after the station, where you can spin before the gradient bites again. Then it’s hard to the top, so I stay seated until the road bends left, and from here it’s out of the saddle and 100% to stop the watch at the roundabout. Anything under three minutes and I’m happy.
Length 1,320m Height gain 58m 100 Climbs rating 3/10 Quickest time (for my measured distance) 2m 51s