RIDING BRITAIN'S STEEPEST HILL

Deep in the heart of Wales, climbing nut Simon Warren thinks he has discovered Britain’s steepest hill. This is the story off how he found it and just how painful it is to ride

- Simon Warren

“There’s always a bigger fish.” That’s what the ancient proverb says, and just when I thought I’d ridden the steepest road in Britain and put the matter to bed once and for all, up popped another hideous incline to further move the goalposts and redefine suffering.

When I first tackled Hardknott Pass I assumed nothing could ever beat that, but then a few years after, I discovered the road up to Abdon Burf in the Shropshire Hills and my perception of torture was changed. A while later, the utterly horrendous Cowlyd in North Wales found its way onto my radar and again the slate was wiped clean and a new standard was set.

For a while there, I thought I’d settled it. I’d evaluated the merits of all contenders from Rosedale Chimney to Ffordd Penllech via Bushcombe Lane and Vale Street. But then came that bigger fish, then came a new vision of hell: Afon Ddu, AK A the Baby Zoncolan.

This mini monster was brought to my attention by hill-climb master and double national champion Dan Evans after I noticed a string of expletives in his Strava feed. If a man with legs as strong as Dan’s struggles up a climb then what chance do we mortals have? I had to go and check it out.

A few weeks later, I arrive with our photographer Andy, Dan and his wife Jess – a hill-climb champion in her own right – to share the experience with them and get the local lowdown on this insane 700m of near-vertical concrete.

‘Avoid like the plague’