Length (m) |
Average Gradient |
Men's CR |
Woman's CR |
Strava Segment |
2180 |
9.3% |
Dan Evans 6:11.8 |
Value |
One of the most iconic climbs in the country, over the years it has featured in the Tour de France, Tour of Britain and Leeds Classic. Currently on strava, Holme Moss it has been ridden 70,000 times. With the constant gradient, superb surface and wide road, the climb technically isn't very difficult but due to it's elevation (524m AOD) it's very exposed to the elements and the particularly the harsh weather in the Pennines means it can be an extremely rough climb.
The road truly starts climbing from the town of Holmfirth but the hill climb is on a vastly shorter course, featuring the last (and hardest) 2km. Traditionally Holme Moss HC is the second half of the Huddersfield Star Wheelers and Holme Valley Wheelers combined event. The first half is Jackson Bridge which is one of my top 3 favourite hill climbs so I always go to Holme Moss with a buzz from the morning.
Even if you aren't a "hill climber" Holme Moss is well worth riding, the views are sublime and with an alpine feel it's quite pleasant to ascend. During a hill climb however it' s a tad less enjoyable, you can see the finish from quite a way to go and if you on a bad day it's easy to lose your head.
The course record is a bit of an odd one, there have been some variations on the length over the years but for the current segment it's held by Dan Evans. In 2020 Tom Bell went faster than Dan's time for the modern segment but the 2020 event was held on a longer course meaning there was no official timer for the segment and therefore Tom's time for the course is invalid. It's a shame because he beat the course record riding it in roughly 6 minutes.
The road truly starts climbing from the town of Holmfirth but the hill climb is on a vastly shorter course, featuring the last (and hardest) 2km. Traditionally Holme Moss HC is the second half of the Huddersfield Star Wheelers and Holme Valley Wheelers combined event. The first half is Jackson Bridge which is one of my top 3 favourite hill climbs so I always go to Holme Moss with a buzz from the morning.
Even if you aren't a "hill climber" Holme Moss is well worth riding, the views are sublime and with an alpine feel it's quite pleasant to ascend. During a hill climb however it' s a tad less enjoyable, you can see the finish from quite a way to go and if you on a bad day it's easy to lose your head.
The course record is a bit of an odd one, there have been some variations on the length over the years but for the current segment it's held by Dan Evans. In 2020 Tom Bell went faster than Dan's time for the modern segment but the 2020 event was held on a longer course meaning there was no official timer for the segment and therefore Tom's time for the course is invalid. It's a shame because he beat the course record riding it in roughly 6 minutes.
2020 Event
My training this week had been great, my legs were feeling strong but oddly didn't have the greatest sensations warming up. The course had been significantly lengthened to enable us to clip in on a flatter section; I was expecting to complete the course after 8 minutes rather than 6.5.
The weather was all over the place, raining on and off with the wind swirling across the hillside with no clear direction. On my recce it was a cross tailwind for the last 50% so I was planning on that carrying me to the line.
Setting off I felt good and felt lively on the flat section before the climb before knocking off the effort to descend over the bridge. I powered hard on the steep section where the standard course starts and stood to the right hand corner before hitting the only full headwind section. My minute man was in sight now and as the road ramped up to the left I managed to pass him allowing me to focus on my own effort.
Weirdly this was where I started to crack a bit. I felt a little numb and my initial enthusiasm waned. The wind felt stronger than the recce and it wasn't the tailwind I was banking on. I find Holme Moss hard to ride, during a hill climb I like to stand as much as possible, but because the gradient never really ramps up, I can't utilise that as much as other climbs.
I tried to keep on top of the gear but wasn't quite on it. I did what I could and got to the line in 8:16 which was good enough for second place. Tom Bell won with an absolutely scorching time of 7:44. He absolutely demolished me. Even if I'd had a fantastic day I couldn't have touched Tom, he was on a blinding day. I'd been focusing on short climbs this season so wasn't too disappointed to lose as I have bigger goals in the next two weeks.
The weather was all over the place, raining on and off with the wind swirling across the hillside with no clear direction. On my recce it was a cross tailwind for the last 50% so I was planning on that carrying me to the line.
Setting off I felt good and felt lively on the flat section before the climb before knocking off the effort to descend over the bridge. I powered hard on the steep section where the standard course starts and stood to the right hand corner before hitting the only full headwind section. My minute man was in sight now and as the road ramped up to the left I managed to pass him allowing me to focus on my own effort.
Weirdly this was where I started to crack a bit. I felt a little numb and my initial enthusiasm waned. The wind felt stronger than the recce and it wasn't the tailwind I was banking on. I find Holme Moss hard to ride, during a hill climb I like to stand as much as possible, but because the gradient never really ramps up, I can't utilise that as much as other climbs.
I tried to keep on top of the gear but wasn't quite on it. I did what I could and got to the line in 8:16 which was good enough for second place. Tom Bell won with an absolutely scorching time of 7:44. He absolutely demolished me. Even if I'd had a fantastic day I couldn't have touched Tom, he was on a blinding day. I'd been focusing on short climbs this season so wasn't too disappointed to lose as I have bigger goals in the next two weeks.
How To Ride
It's quite consistently hard, there are no major shifts in gradient but it never slackens off until the final 100m. Consistency is key, it's very easy to set out at a blistering pace and pay for it later. It's worth going steady on the first ramp and getting into a good rhythm early on. It's longer than you think and a consistent effort would be fastest.
With the exposed road, weather on the day will make a huge difference. A headwind will kill you, preventing you from getting out of the saddle to shift your muscular focus. There are makings on the road dictating the distance to go, this is helpful gauging one's effort but be careful as this can be demoralising towards the top!
In the final 250m or so, the gradient reduces to about 4% and if you have anything left, this is where you must give it all.
With the exposed road, weather on the day will make a huge difference. A headwind will kill you, preventing you from getting out of the saddle to shift your muscular focus. There are makings on the road dictating the distance to go, this is helpful gauging one's effort but be careful as this can be demoralising towards the top!
In the final 250m or so, the gradient reduces to about 4% and if you have anything left, this is where you must give it all.
My Efforts
Year |
Time |
Power (W) |
Placing |
2020 |
8:16.0 (Long course) |
430 |
2nd |
2019 |
4:58.6 (Short course) |
422 |
3nd |
2016 |
6:59.5 |
- |
6th |
Previous Results
Year |
Men's 1st |
Men's 2nd |
Men's 3rd |
Women's 1st |
Women's 2nd |
Women's 3rd |
2020 |
Tom Bell 7:32.6 |
Jude Taylor 8:16.5 |
Francis Woodcock 8:29.9 |
Monica Greenwood 10:05.5 |
Hannah Bayes 10:49.0 |
Josie Cram 11:06.0 |
2019 |
Andrew Feather 4:48.5 |
Jude Taylor 4:58.6 |
George Peden 5:11.7 |
Lucy Lee 6:30.9 |
Hannah Tweddle 6:47.4 |
Gemma Hobson 7:06.8 |
2016 |
Dan Evans 6:11.8 |
Kieran Savage 6:28.4 |
Andy Cunningham 6:31.4 |
Jessica Roberts 8:41.5 |
Josephine Gilbet 8:46.8 |
Claire Swoboda 8:53.8 |
