Cycling Climbs: Streatley Hill, Berkshire
Approach Streatley on the B4009, the climb begins once you cross the River Thames and enter Streatley village. Initially the ascent is gradual through the village and the real climb only starts once you cross the junction with the A329. Once across the junction the gradient steepens as you pass a side street on the left (The Coombe) then is made difficult by the fact that road seems to steepen as you climb up to the summit with the steepest sections at an approximate 16% gradient.
MAP
PROFILE
STATISTICS
Length – 1.3km
Height Gain – 125 metres
Maximum Gradient – 16%
TARGET TIMES
GOLD – Sub 5 minutes
SILVER – 5 to 7 minutes
BRONZE – 7 plus minutes
IMAGES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The climb featured in the Tour of Britain in 2008 as a designated King of the Mountains climb and is also the location of the Reading Cycle Club Annual Hill Climb Open TT that usually takes place in September.
STRAVA LEADERBOARD
The following leaderboard is for the main climb from just past the crossroads to the top and is the section used for CTT Hill Climb races.
Have you ridden this climb? Post your time and experiences in the comments below.
I am very familiar with this hill ever since we accidentally put it into a local charity family ride by mistake (I wasn’t on the planning committee that year!) and received, erm, lots of complaints! It is short, it is steep and it is a real knee cracker- but it finishes quickly so there is instant relief at the top, albeit without any rewarding views. The traffic can be a bit annoying, and any descent requires skillful braking (and good brakes) before the traffic lights, but it is a very short and rewarding, difficult climb to include on any good summer ride or sportive.
Just did Streatley Hill today. Short and not sweet! Turn left at the top to Stitchens Green for a nice cruise down to join the a329 at lower Basildon through some nice countryside and hardly any cars. Don’t overdo it lower down the hill as it steepens toward the top, but you get a real buzz when you’ve made it!
Ironman 70.3 training…did Whitchurch Hill once followed by 7 Streatley Hills… Then home (40 miles) then a 4 mile run. I hope it’s enough for June’s event
Good climb, I did it twice a week for 10 months whist working in Reading, try riding up Whitchurch first which is a good warm up