The Climbing Cyclist - The joy of riding uphill & a guide to Victoria's best climbs.

September 18, 2013

Introducing the Domestique 7 Peaks Series 2013/14

The Domestique 7 Peaks Series is back for another year and it promises to be another great series of rides. The dates have been set and there's plenty more information to come. Read more

September 16, 2013

Interview: John van Seters after his 430km, 9,100m ride

Last weekend Hells 500 hardman John van Seters rode 430km and climbed 9,100 vertical metres all in a single ride and all on a 7km stretch of road. The ride was an attempt to "climb Mt. Everest" by doing repeats of the famous 1 in 20 climb. John took the time to speak to me about his epic achievement. Read more

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Ups and downs (in cycling and in health)

In the past few weeks I've managed to get out to the hills and do some very enjoyable rides. But I can't seem to shake this lingering illness; instead I seem to have gone backwards. Read more

September 5, 2013

Behind the scenes of the Hells 500 "Hurt" video

A few months ago I was lucky enough to take part in a shoot for a Hells 500 promo film. That film has now been released and in this post I share a couple of behind-the-scenes photos and thoughts from the day. Read more

September 2, 2013September 2, 2013

Guest post: The 2013 Sam Miranda Tour of the King Valley

Verita Stewart's had a big year. She won a couple of tough races in C grade early in the season, got the call up to B Grade and now finds herself riding in the National Road Series (NRS) in the Cycling Victoria development squad. Here's Verita's account from her first NRS race: the Sam Miranda Tour of the King Valley. Read more

August 25, 2013

Rest, recovery and very little riding

It's been a frustrating month for me, cycling-wise, and I've only been able to do a handful of slow rides due to illness. But I'm trying to be patient and see out this bug I've got, instead of getting back on the bike and making it all worse. Read more

August 21, 2013August 21, 2013

Sharing the road and leading the way

There's no doubt the relationship between cyclists and motorists is strained, and little appears to be changing. So what can we do to foster respect between all road users and ensure everyone stays safe? Read more

August 15, 2013July 2, 2014

Donna Done Dirty 2013

Riding up mountains in the middle of winter mightn't sound like much fun, but when the ride is organised by Hells 500 and you're surrounded by great people, it's a great way to spend a chilly Sunday morning. Here's my report from the second annual Donna Done Dirty. Read more

August 7, 2013August 7, 2013

New climb added to the site: One Tree Hill (Ararat)

The One Tree Hill climb in Ararat is a little shorter than I'd normally post to the site, but with an average gradient of roughly 10%, it's a tough little climb that's more than deserving of a spot here. Read more

August 3, 2013

After Le Tour: looking back and looking forward

It's been a week and a half since I got home from the Tour de France and I'm still recovering. But it's good to be back and good to be back on the bike, even if it is about 15 degrees cooler than I would have liked. Read more

July 23, 2013April 4, 2014

Climbing Alpe d'Huez, Semnoz, Mont Revard and more

In the final week of my Tour de France trip I got in a couple more rides and followed the race as it made its way through the Alps and then to Paris. Click through to the post for a quick summary of the rides I did and a whole heap of photos. Read more

July 16, 2013April 4, 2014

Climbing the Tourmalet, Hautacam, Mont Ventoux and more

It's been another massive week here in France but I've managed to get in a bunch of great rides, including some truly legendary French climbs. I've also taken plenty of photos, a selection of which you can see in this post. Read more

July 8, 2013April 4, 2014

Cycling Corsica and Chasing Le Tour (week 1)

To say it's been hard to find time to blog here would be a huge understatement. Ever since the Tour de France started my days have been chock-a-block full from start to finish. But I've found some time and here's a few ride reports and a bunch of photos from the Tour de France so far. Read more