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Cycling fanswillbe familiarwith theUnionCy-
cliste Internationale (UCI), thegoverningbody
for competitive cycling. TheUCI has a climb-
ing categorization that is based on the diffi-
cultyofeachclimbwithCatagory4being the
easiest, through toCategory 1. HC or Hors
Category (without category) isused to signify
themost difficult of climbs. It is rumoured that
thisclassificationsystemwasdeveloped in the
earlydaysof theTourdeFrancewhencycling
officialswoulddrive the course in an old35
horsepowercar. If thecarcouldmake itup the
mountain in4th gear, it was Category4. If it
made it up in3rdgear itwasCategory3,and
so on through to Category 1. If the car
couldn’t make it up the climbat all, it was la-
beledHC.
Since thosedays, theclassificationsystemhas
become a littlemore scientific, but not much.
TheUCI stilladdsa littlesubjectivitywhenclas-
sifying its climbs. In theTour deFrance for ex-
ample, if abigclimbcomes near theendof a
tough stage, itwill receiveaharder classifica-
tion level.
Wedon’thavemountains inOntario,wehave
anEscarpment.Thisdominant landform,which
rises justover540metersabovesea level has
itshighest point locatedhere inGreyCounty.
Its steep slopes plunging toward Georgian
Bay, and the deep gouge cut out by the
Beaver River, gives us the typeof cycling ter-
rain not foundanywhere else inOntario. So
it’s nowonder thatGreyCountyhasbecome
amecca for road cycling.We’ve created a
map highlightinga fewof our favourite road
cycling routes.Youwill find itonpages22-23.
Since the UCI takes a little freedomwith its
ranking system, it seems only fair that we
changedup the“official”climbingcategoriza-
tion to be more inline with our topography.
Each of the Escarpment’s major climbs are
shownon themap,withourownclimb ranking
displayedat the summit.
With the help of a couple of Strava leader-
board rivals—CraigWebsterandPJKings—the
following isabreakdownof themajorclimbs,
sprintsand time trial segments.
TheClimbs...
A.
Clarence St. Climb (aka
Frogg’s Hollow). Category 4 –
Thisone isonSideRoad33outof
Thornbury, andclimbsup theWest-
ernEdgeof theBeaverValley.At2.3km long,
withanaveragegradient of6%and133me-
tersof elevationgain, it isa stinger. Thisquiet
road isa favorite that startsoff easyandkicks
upat theend.Bigchainringandoutof thesad-
dleare thekeys to the leaderboard.
B.
Victoria Corners to Banks.
Category 2 –On the 21
st
Side
Road, starting at Grey Road 2
thismonsterclimbsup theEastern
edgeof theBeaver Valleyand finishes at the
18
th
SideRoad.Don’t let theaveragegradient
of 3% fool you.A longer climbat 7.1km, and
an elevation gain of nearly200meters; two
verysteepsectionshitting15%accentuate this
one. Power riders shouldbeable to stickwith
theclimbers,and if thegroup is togetheralong
the plateau it will be an all out sprint up the
final pitch.
C.
Scenic Caves Road. HC –
THECLIMBbywhichallotherEs-
carpment climbs aremeasured.
2.3km long with an average of
9% gradient and 201 meters in elevation
gain, this isaclimber’sclimb. Power toweight
ratio is thekey,as the roadstartsoff steepand
gets steeper. The climb kicks upat the drive-
way on the first turn and again at the upper
guardrail. If attacks are going to come, they
willmost likelybe launched fromhere.
D.
12
th
Sideroad.DirtHC - Some
say thisone isharder thanScenic
Caves, but it is a dirt road so it
doesn’t get as much action. 229
meters in elevationgainover 2.8 kmwithan
average grade of 8%. This road literally
climbsstraightup theEscarpment.Madeeven
more difficult with speed ruts in the loose
gravel. This onemight be better left to cyclo-
crossandmountainbikes, as slick tireswill be
slipping on the dirt when the climb tips over
23%.
E.
Grey Road 19 (aka Castle
Glen). Category 2 – With a
whopping 261 meters in eleva-
tiongain, thisclimbmightbecloser
toaCategory1.However,brief respitesallow
riders to catch their breath and make this
5.7km climbabitmoremanageable.Oneof
the favoriteascents in thearea, this roadwas
resurfaced last yearand isa shiningexample
of cycling lanes done right.Withanaverage
gradeof 5%, it is a steadygrind to theupper
plateau.Ridersdon’twant tobe in the leadap-
proaching the final pitch, asattackswill come
hardand fast through the last turn.
F.
The Pretty River Climb. Cate-
gory3–Oneof themore scenic
routes, this tree canopied climb
zigzags its way over rolling ter-
rain. A long haul of over 10kmwithonly2%
gradient offers riders a chance to ride them-
selvesback into thegroup if dropped.
This isoneof the longestclimbs in theareawith
a KOE (King of the Escarpment) time of
20:48.
G.
County Road91 (Duntroon to
topofQuarryHill). Category2–
We really only included this one,
because it looks goodon themap.
It’s a great climb, however the road is ex-
tremely busy. Large trucks run upanddown
this thingalldayas thereareacouplequarries
near the top. If you’regoing todo it,wait until
after6pmwhen thingsquiet down.
H.
BowlesHill. Category1– This
one is short, steep and steep.
That’s not a typo, as this climbhits
a40%gradient.1.7km long, climb-
ing139meters in elevationwithanaverage
gradeof8%.Ascending theWesternbankof
the Beaver Valley, the beautiful scenerywill
beof littlecomfort as ridershit the redlineand
keep it there. If you haveanything left by the
timeyou see themirror, empty the tank.
I.
Kimberly KOE. Category 4 –
Climbing fromKimberly southon
Grey Road 13, this is a steady
grindup theBeaverValley.1.9km
and 5% grade, means this is another big
chainringclimb.
J.
Sideroad7BDirtCategory1–
Another steep dirt road climb.
1.8km long, climbing177meters
inelevationatanaveragegradeof
10%. Thisstrait shotup theeasternbankof the
Beaver Valley is accentuated with a tight
switchback that hitsalmost 24%.
K.
Epping Climb. Category 2 -
Following Grey Road 7 up the
Western edgeof theBeaver Val-
ley, the Epping Climb is the KOE
site for the Centurion Cycling event taking
place this year on September 12-14
. It’s long and
steady, covering9.2kmat anaveragegrade
of 2%. If thegroup is still together by the time
youhit thechurch, launchyourattack.
☛
ESCARPMENT
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{
I have always struggled to
achieve excellence. One thing
that cycling has taughtme is
that if you can achieve something
without a struggle it's not
going to be satisfying.
~Greg LeMond
