Skyline Road
Length: 2.4km
Average gradient: 6.7%
Introduction
A few kilometres west of Yarra Glen, the climb up to Skyline Road is short but surprisingly steep. Great scenery and fantastic views of the Yarra Valley make this climb well worth the effort.
The Start
The climb to Skyline Road begins at the small white bridge on the Eltham Yarra Glen Road (C726), around 1.3km from its intersection with the Melba Highway.
The Finish
The climb to Skyline Road ends, unsurprisingly, at Skyline Road. Be aware that Skyline Road intersects the Eltham Yarra Glen Road on both the right and left. The climb ends when Skyline Road is on your left, some 200m after passing it on the right.
Riding the climb
At only 2.4km in length, the climb to Skyline Road is short but sweet. You’ll start climbing a few hundred metres before the official start at the white bridge and upon reaching the bridge, you’ll find that the first 500m of the climb itself are quite steep. After the steep start, the road flattens out slightly as it heads around a sharp hairpin right at the 800m mark.
After the hairpin, the road resumes a gradient of around 7% which is maintained for the next kilometre or so. Short flatter sections in the climb’s second kilometer allow you to catch a glimpse of the fantastic view over the Yarra Valley.
Two kilometres into the climb the road flattens out, allowing you to pick up some momentum for the last 400m to the finish.
Profile
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Location
The climb to Skyline Road is located on the outskirts of Yarra Glen, on the Eltham Yarra Glen Road (C726). From Yarra Glen, take the Melba Highway (B300) north for a couple hundred metres before turning left onto Eltham Yarra Glen Road (C726). The white bridge which designates the start of the climb is 1.3km from the turn-off.
Yarra Glen is a good 50km from Melbourne through the leafy north-east, or around 60km through Lilydale and then north along the Melba Highway (B300).
Times
To join the cyclists who have posted their best times up the climb to Skyline Road, head over to Cycle2Max.
Looks good on the photos but in reality you get chased by trucks and tradies all the way – and with no shoulder its pretty stressful.
This is a “Short and Sweet” climb but should be left to a Sunday morning as its a little hairy with heavier traffic periods. The nice long descent down the other side is a real cherry on the top of a good ride around that region. Well worth a go if you have not riden this one.