Length (m) |
Average Gradient |
Men's CR |
Woman's CR |
Strava Segment |
1100 |
10.3% |
3:08.0 Kieran Wynne-Cattanach (28/09/2024) |
Jess Evans 4:22.0 (06/10/2018) |
Length (m) |
1100 |
Average Gradient |
10.3% |
Men's CR |
3:08.0 Kieran Wynne-Cattanach (28/09/2024) |
Woman's CR |
TBC |
Strava Segment |
On the outskirts of Pateley Bridge, in Nidderdale, you'll be able to find Nought Bank Road. Like many in the area, the climb is a tough one. Known as Guise Cliff, Nought Bank Road is home to the first stage of Otley CC's annual two stage hill climb.
The climb starts hard. So hard in fact, that the timekeepers will kindly provide you a rock to rest your rear wheel on whilst they hold you in place. You can't see very far, but as you curve to the right, the gradient remains high. The climb averages over 14% for the first 500m. Whilst hard, it's actually a very pleasant stretch of road. There is a crafty chicane bounded by fern bushes on both sides at the 300m mark. I really like this section, the bushes provide local serenity and mark the end of the steep section. You can keep a good gear and push on towards the turn.
From here, there is a brief respite as you pass the HQ and get a nice cheer. From now on, the climb really starts to bite. After the shallow break, the road now opens up and the Nidderdale countryside becomes visible. Not racing this in a hill climb, it would be quite pleasant. However, when your legs are screaming it's hell. It's only 500m to the line but it's still 8.5%, exposed and dead straight. It feels like it goes on for much longer than it actually does, especially with a headwind but you've got to push to the line.
Whilst the male course record is officially by Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, set in 2024, Hill Climb titans Tom Bell and Andrew Feather went faster in 2021 but the course was accidentally extended by 200m so their times over the official length were not recorded.
The hill climb segment starts halfway up Nought Bank Road rather than the base and it could be much longer, probably double the length. It's actually missing another 750m at over 10%, but the road is narrow with limited room for a car and a cyclist to pass. Meeting an oncoming car here would be disastrous and unfair so I think it's fair to start where the road is wider. Still, it's worth a ride up on a sunny day.
The climb starts hard. So hard in fact, that the timekeepers will kindly provide you a rock to rest your rear wheel on whilst they hold you in place. You can't see very far, but as you curve to the right, the gradient remains high. The climb averages over 14% for the first 500m. Whilst hard, it's actually a very pleasant stretch of road. There is a crafty chicane bounded by fern bushes on both sides at the 300m mark. I really like this section, the bushes provide local serenity and mark the end of the steep section. You can keep a good gear and push on towards the turn.
From here, there is a brief respite as you pass the HQ and get a nice cheer. From now on, the climb really starts to bite. After the shallow break, the road now opens up and the Nidderdale countryside becomes visible. Not racing this in a hill climb, it would be quite pleasant. However, when your legs are screaming it's hell. It's only 500m to the line but it's still 8.5%, exposed and dead straight. It feels like it goes on for much longer than it actually does, especially with a headwind but you've got to push to the line.
Whilst the male course record is officially by Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, set in 2024, Hill Climb titans Tom Bell and Andrew Feather went faster in 2021 but the course was accidentally extended by 200m so their times over the official length were not recorded.
The hill climb segment starts halfway up Nought Bank Road rather than the base and it could be much longer, probably double the length. It's actually missing another 750m at over 10%, but the road is narrow with limited room for a car and a cyclist to pass. Meeting an oncoming car here would be disastrous and unfair so I think it's fair to start where the road is wider. Still, it's worth a ride up on a sunny day.
How To Ride
Guise Cliff is not very long and starts hard. For me the best pacing strategy is to start hard when the gradient is steepest, hold it through the chicane then recover as you bend left past the HQ. From there, smash it out of the saddle until you pass the dry stone wall where the gradient starts to ease. It drops to about 5% here and you can push for the next 2-300m to the line. It's not that punishing if you go too hard but the course is affected by the wind. Every year I've done it, it has been an easterly or northerly wind which pushes you to the top for the last 500m. Watch out for this and adjust your pacing accordingly.
2022 Event
For the first time since 2016, I was back at the Otley CC hill climb. I didn't get a win in 2021 and wanted to start the 2022 season with the victory. The autumnal weather was starting to set in. The leaves were reddening and the cold winds were setting in. I had done a recce and warmed up well. My plan was to start hard whilst the gradient is steepest and then hang on with the cross tailwind at the end.
As the final five second count down a car passed me. Just as I accelerated off nightmare struck, an oncoming car! This caused the car which had just overtaken me to stop. Undeterred, I sped past the now parked car and got into hill climb flow. I turned up a couple of gears and kept out of the saddle through the chicane. I was doing good watts, I had averaged 570 for the 1:40 to the turn but I felt over geared and the cold air was starting to cripple my lungs.
I eased off past the HQ to gather some strength for the sprint to the line. Andy Askwith, my minute man, was in sight now and I blazed passed him to the wall. I was suffering hard now and my pace began to falter. I dug for the line and crossed with a time of 3:21.6. This was good enough for first place by 16 seconds over Nick Munrow.
I was pleased to win but I know there's more to come. I could have kept speed past the HQ and probably dug a bit harder in the last 200m. That's just a case of relearning to suffer!
As the final five second count down a car passed me. Just as I accelerated off nightmare struck, an oncoming car! This caused the car which had just overtaken me to stop. Undeterred, I sped past the now parked car and got into hill climb flow. I turned up a couple of gears and kept out of the saddle through the chicane. I was doing good watts, I had averaged 570 for the 1:40 to the turn but I felt over geared and the cold air was starting to cripple my lungs.
I eased off past the HQ to gather some strength for the sprint to the line. Andy Askwith, my minute man, was in sight now and I blazed passed him to the wall. I was suffering hard now and my pace began to falter. I dug for the line and crossed with a time of 3:21.6. This was good enough for first place by 16 seconds over Nick Munrow.
I was pleased to win but I know there's more to come. I could have kept speed past the HQ and probably dug a bit harder in the last 200m. That's just a case of relearning to suffer!