indieVelo's Upper Climb course is a 10.1km (6.3mi.) route with 679m (2,228ft.) of elevation, but don't worry, it's "Just the hard bit."
Route Description
The Upper Climb is 10.1 km (6.3 miles) with 679 m (2228 feet) of elevation gain. You’ll want to warm up properly for this one because the route lives up to its subtitle.
After the briefest flat bit of road from the pen spur at Ice Mountain base camp, you head straight into a steady 9% grade. Only after 600 meters (1969 feet) do you find relief at a false flat section until you enter the first switchback turns and resume your climb at 8%.
The average gradient for this course is 6.7%. Some riders will welcome the few false flats at hairpin turns, and one road junction, but others who prefer a steady effort will find their rhythm disrupted a bit.
As you pass the flamme rouge, the switchbacks will be behind you, and now you have a steady 6% to 8% curving road to the finish.
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.
