Iveston Bank – Simon Warren Cycling Climbs of the North East
- SW Rating: 5/10
- Wheelygood Rating: Medium
- Length: 0.54 miles
- Avg. gradient: 9%
- Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/19593914
- Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/993220
By stats, it’s not all that hard, but the way in which the climb is delivered to you makes it more challenging. It’s the climb I remember most vividly from the Durham Beast sportive when it ran a few years ago.
Like Hammer Square Bank, you begin by a small bridge before making your way along a short, flat, section, before the work begins. It’s an innocuous enough start – a bit of a ramp just to drain some of the energy from your legs prior to the Main Event. Steady as she goes here – you can’t gain all that much, but you can cause yourself a problem for later on.
As the road bears left, take the right hand turn – beware traffic coming the other way as it’s a pretty blind corner and you won’t get much warning. Once onto the actual road through Iveston, you’ll find it keeps dragging up, but is no real problem.
And then you’ll begin. Past the speed limit signs, the road ramps quite quickly into the teens, so now is the point at which to apply yourself just a little bit. There’s no real respite on the hairpins as they’re steep and tight – and, if it’s been raining, covered in gravel. Keep your eyes on the prize and the pedals turning over and you’ll make it past this…
….to the steepest section. If you’ve got anything in the afterburners, now would be a good time to ignite them. This is one of those ‘what you see is what you get’ type ramps. This particular stretch goes eschews reducing the gradient by snaking across the hill and settles for the cheapskate way of simply heading straight up. Hurrah! Or not. Keep fighting – you’ll make it! On Durham Beast day, the residents were out cheering encouragement and ringing cowbells: it would have been rude to put a foot down, so I didn’t, much as I would have liked to…
Once up to the top of this ramp, you can relax, safe in the knowledge that it’s a gentle twiddle to the top safe in the knowledge that it’s another one ticked off the list!
