indieVelo's Climbers Sprint course is a 4.0km (2.5mi.) route with 266m (873ft.) of elevation gain, dubbed "A climber's idea of a hard sprint."
Route Description
Introduced in late April 2024 as one of 5 new routes in release V0.2.47, indieVelo’s Climbers Sprint, described as “A climber’s idea of a hard sprint,” is a short blast from the mountain road starting pen that heads straight up the switchbacks towards Ice Mountain Base Camp.
There is no place to rest or hide on this one. Because it is such a short hill climb, riders will mostly use it for time challenges or back-to-back mini-races.
The average gradient is 6.7%, but don’t be fooled. You’ll spend most of your time on this course at a 9% or even 10% gradient. There is a false flat after a 2-minute climb from the pen to blame for that tame average.
Tactically, this course has one interesting feature: Some of the switchbacks briefly reduce the mid-turn gradient to 2% or even briefly descend. You can use these brief interludes to open a gap on an unsuspecting rival with a sharp attack.
Not all of the hairpin turns offer this relief, though (hint: #2, 5, and 7 do). Hairpin #7 is the last before the finish, just 250 meters (820 feet) before the banner. You can open a race-winning gap if you are prepared to attack just as the gradient eases here.
Thank you, Beta-tester Rob Miller!
Route Profile
For more indieVelo coure recons check out the indieVelo-Route Descriptions page!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
