Starting on the giant smooth stones of Swan Bank Lane, it then returns to the comfort of tarmac for its first half. There are myriad such climbs around Halifax, from the better known Shibden Wall to the fearsome Old Lane, but Trooper Lane takes the cobbled climb to the next level. Unlike many of the other climbs here, Trooper Lane falls shy of the magic 30 per cent mark, but it has something none of the others do, something that makes it significantly harder to ride: cobbles. Trooper Lane, HalifaxĬobbles add additional spice to this already challenging climb. If you are feeling brave, you could lock horns with it on the left side, but it’s a tactic that many have tried and failed. The key to success is to ride on the right or ‘wrong’ side of the road, then divert back to the correct side at an angle to minimise the impact of the slope – get over the first 10 metres without the climb steering you into the gutter and you’ve cracked it. It’s arguably best to climb up and avoid mishaps on the abrupt change of gradient – spin a small gear from the bottom of Park Street then, once at the base of Vale Street, turn on the afterburners. Starting on Park Street (itself a sprightly 20 per cent) that juts out from the A4 as you head east out of the city, you can either roll down then turn sharp right or climb up and turn sharp left. It’s not the sort of climb you just roll up and over, you need a plan of attack, you need to be primed, in the right gear and committed to it 100 per cent. On approach, the road looks nigh on impossible, a wall of tarmac with a flight of steep steps running along each side for pedestrians. Famous for an Easter Day egg rolling contest held on its slopes and for the fact that drivers have to park their cars at an angle to the street, rather than parallel to it, this is just the sort of challenge that draws in hill climbers. Vale Street may be incredibly short, but its first 10 metres are hard to get your head around, let alone your legs. Located in the aptly named Totterdown, Vale Street in Bristol is home to one of the UK’s steepest residential streets (and previously a mural by the city’s best-known artist).
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