Routes & Climbing Calculators

The UK is home to some of the most iconic cycling climbs in the world, from the cobbled ramps of the Tour de Yorkshire to the relentless gradients of Bealach na Ba in the Scottish Highlands. Understanding the profile of a climb before you ride it helps you pace your effort and choose the right gearing. Our climbing category calculator classifies any climb using the same system seen in professional road racing, while the route gradient calculator converts elevation change and distance into a percentage gradient you can relate to familiar local hills.

Planning a ride in advance saves time and avoids unpleasant surprises. The route difficulty calculator combines distance, total elevation gain, and maximum gradient to give an overall difficulty score — useful for comparing sportive routes or grading your own local loops. The ascent time calculator estimates how long a specific climb will take based on your weight, power output, and the gradient, so you can plan meeting points and refuelling stops accurately. For descending, the descent speed calculator factors in gradient, road surface, and weather conditions to suggest safe speeds — especially relevant on wet UK lanes where grip is often limited.

The wind effect calculator is particularly valuable for UK riders, given how frequently strong westerly and south-westerly winds affect ride planning. It quantifies how headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds alter your effective speed and power requirements, helping you decide which direction to ride a loop or whether to adjust your target pace. For riders training on hills, the hill repeat calculator structures interval sessions with prescribed effort and recovery durations, turning your favourite local climb into a structured workout.