100 Greatest Cycling Climbs

SIMON WARREN has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. A few weeks later he rode his first race, a 10 mile time trial on the A1 from Newark to Grantham and back. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills, and so began his fascination with steep roads. His quest to discover Britain's greatest climbs resulted in the bestselling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, followed by Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, Hellingen: A Road Cyclist's Guide to Belgium's Greatest Cycling Climbs and 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the Tour de France: A Cyclist's Guide to Riding the Mountains of the Tour. Simon works during the day as a magazine art editor and lives in Walthamstow, east London with his wife and two children.

A must-have for any British cyclist and an essential read for anyone who thinks they know their way around the hills of the British Isles. Cycling Weekly Once you've opened pandora's box you won't be able to show up at your next club run until you've bagged them all. London Cyclist At no bigger than a couple of fag packets, the book does what it says on the tin: a photo, a map and profile of the 100 best-known climbs. I love this book, partly because Warren has ridden all the hills,much like a wine connoisseur swills a new vintage, and partly because I can keep the book snug in my jacket and mull over the climbs whenever I'm not on a bike. -- Richard Caseby, Cycle Guy Sunday Times Chock full of wonderful shots of valleys and long winding roads, this pocket-sized guide holds great value for photographers - particularly as Simon's chosen locations double as photographic spots. Amateur Photographer Where does an aspiring grimpeur turn for inspiration and the climber's equivalent of the knowledge? If you'd asked me this last month I would have had to develop the pixel simile for shrugged shoulders. Bowmore Main Street is quite steep, and Port Askaig Brae at 14% is hardly the most welcoming sight a touring cyclist has been met with on arriving at Islay. But there has to be more, even for those who get out a bit more than I do. Simon Warren is that very man. In similar manner to the obsessive trainspotter, Mr Warren is an obsessive hillclimber and, on this evidence, collector and documentor of same. Gathered in this perfectly formed, compact and bijou volume are 100 of the finest climbs the UK has to offer, all mapped, illustrated and rated. '100 Greatest Cycling Climbs' is one of those books that you always thought existed, but didn't. The panoply of UK cycling ephemera is greatly enhanced with its release, and while not so lavish a production as the recent road climbs of the Pyrenees from rapha, it is just as necessary an addition to the bookcase. Mr Warren is to be applauded for his obsessive work, and the publishers congratulated for their faith. Brilliant. www.thewashingmachinepost.net Benefits hugely from simple, well-considered layouts, incline graphs and maps... An almost pefect handbook. Time Out Yep, you read that right. There is actually a book with 'great' and 'cycle climbs' together on the cover. I'm a great believer of free press and all that, but this one should be top of the list for spreading such silly ideas. He must have meant it in the'most hellish' sense. Oh all right, not really. For the masochistic among us, this book will be a great tick list of challenges. A fun, pocket-sized book. Adventure Travel Lovingly detailing major ascents and inviting the reader to join in the fun and tackle them. With diffuiculty ratings, profiles and location data this is a terrific inspiration for dreams of next summer's epic ride in unexplored areas. Cycling Plus