Silverhills – Simon Warren #159
- SW Rating: 3/10
- Wheelygood Rating: Easy
- Length: 1.41 miles
- Avg. gradient: 5%
- Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/16398509
- Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/993220
I’m never quite sure what to make of Silverhills. On paper, it’s not that hard and, in reality, it’s not that hard either, but it always feels difficult whilst I’m riding it. It’s another one with … interesting … road quality in places, but don’t let that put you off!
It’s located on a road which is, somehow, pretty quiet despite starting from the roundabout off the A1 at the Eastern end of Teams Valley. It can be a bit tricky to get to, particularly if you’re coming at it from the West as there isn’t really a way to manage it without hitting some busy roads.
The start of the Silverhills ascent is on a reasonably decent, wide, road and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. This wonderment will be curtailed on the first ramp: it looks easy enough, but it does hit 13% and you’ll pay for it later if you try to muscle over the top with too much gusto.
From there, you begin to wind into the trees and the road starts to get progressively narrower. This mid-section of the climb doesn’t really have much to say about it, other than to note it’s one of those draggy sections and you just need to keep turning the pedals as you’ll get there eventually.
The main event here starts just as you pass a small farm on the right where equestrian services are available: note that it’s not uncommon to meet horses and riders on this section, so take care. This is especially true as the gradient really ramps up on the left hander – the road has shrunk to about 1-1/2 car widths and there’s a horrible, lumpy, section of tarmac taking up the left 1/3 of the carriageway. In an ideal world, you’d ride up this in the middle of the road, but you may not get the choice if there’s traffic. It’s my least favourite part of this climb, simply because there’s nowhere to go and, for whatever reason, car drivers always seem surprised to see a cyclist here and, from my own experience, don’t expect any mercy from them…
Once around the corner, you can deploy your main effort up the straight ramp which follows. This is the steepest part of the climb and I’d try to ride as much of it seated as you can manage: with all the tree cover, the road never really dries out and traction can be at a premium, especially in the damper months.
Once up to the top of this, you’ve essentially, finished. It’s a flat section, followed by a small grade for the last 30m to the junction at the end. Stop, have a rest and take in the view – another one done!
