My attempt to cycle up Ffordd Penllech, Harlech, Wales - the steepest street in the world!

Please check out my blog post for the day's cycling that included this climb, paulhirons.co....
Ffordd Penllech (Ffordd Pen Llech) is a 0.2 mile street in Harlech, Wales. It lay claim to the steepest street in the world, validated by the Guinness World Records. Unfortunately this title returned to New Zealand when the rules about how the maximum gradient is measured changed. Still, conquering this beast that peaks at 37.45% was an incredible challenge!
This is an incredible hill climb for any cycling enthusiast to have a go at! The Strava segment can be found here: / strava
The guy making a quicker job of it than I was is Ben, check out his video too! • Cycling up Ffordd Penl...

[@SLH_1]

Well done, that was an excellent effort 👏
When you got to the top, I had to have a lie down to catch my breath 😂

[@PaulHirons]

Haha! Thank you for the lovely comment 😊

[@jcsk8]

That´s insane.. I once climbed a short road at 16% and I was almost dead. Can´t even imagine 24%, 40% + is INSANE.

[@PaulHirons]

I’m glad it was just a short effort!

[@MrYoungkimba]

Fuck yeah mate! Outstanding! Have you tried Bwlch er Groes?

[@brandonclark8736]

Paul, I think I speak for the entire world when I ask, what kind of physical freak are you? Amazing work!

[@PaulHirons]

Haha! Brilliant comment! 😊 Maybe I should donate my body to medical science? 😂

[@A-Tango]

Can't believe your HR was "only" 160! Great job!

[@PaulHirons]

Thanks! My HR always struggles to get high, just one of those things I guess

[@f1clips606]

Heart rate slows with age so that was probably around his max

[@PaulHirons]

@@f1clips606 my max is around 173 when I can get my cadence up, that hill was much more a low cadence muscular effort (and I don’t have much fast twitch to use to raise my HR 🙈)

[@A-Tango]

@@PaulHirons very interesting. I am 55 and my HR can get up in the 190s on a good workout, even above 200 occasionally.

[@JoeyCHROME1]

Extremely impressive mate well done👍🏾

[@PaulHirons]

Cheers!

[@JO-qd2bv]

That's a solid minute averaging close to 30%. Incredible.
There's a road in Vermont in the US that I've ridden that doesn't have any sections that steep but does average over 20% for more than a mile. I'm not sure which one frightens me more but I don't think I would be able to handle that minute. I think i would fall over

[@PaulHirons]

Thanks 😊 It was nowhere near as bad as I expected. The really steep bits were just on the inside of corners that I avoided anyway. I think I’d rather ride it again than do over 20% for a mile 😳 Great job for tackling that!

[@jgreen5748]

Well apart from the bit where you broke the law, that was very impressive!

[@PaulHirons]

Thanks! Let’s try and keep that between the two of us 🤐

[@leedorney]

I holidayed about 2ml direct from there unfortunately didn't take bicycle but my gf did drive it and it quite an incline lessens off when you see the grey building on right... @2.12

[@ChuckD59]

Attempt not. Do.
Well done!

[@mikeb3268]

Only in Wales would you be rewarded at the top with a great big bloody castle!

[@triscuitbiscuit]

Jeez. That is absolutely insane. What sort of gearing do you have?

[@PaulHirons]

I’m on SRAM with 48/35 on the front, would have been on the largest (33) on the back

[@zzhughesd]

Look how blue warm Wales got. Beaut. From a wet cold damp Nov Cheshire

[@PaulHirons]

We were very lucky with the weather for sure! ☀️

[@zzhughesd]

@@PaulHirons yes came Palma Sunday. Not to ride. Alas. Pure blue no drama daily.

[@jameskavanagh4300]

160bpm on 30%+ gradients, that is superhuman, was that heart monitor working properly ?

[@PaulHirons]

Thanks! Yes, HR monitor was working correctly 🙈 I don’t have a particularly high max HR and that was my one and only attempt, I didn’t want to go out too hard and blow up part way. Maybe on a second attempt I’d give it the beans a little more! 😊

[@waveylp4722]

Cool vid. Why were they desperate for you to go left? does the segment bare off to the left or something? surely not. Cheers!

[@PaulHirons]

Cheers! Yes, I think the segment goes slightly left, it never completed on my Wahoo but registered on Strava ok 😊

[@wobblyrod779]

A sign comprising of Red circle with white horizontal bar across it means what again?
To be fair I've walked up that hill many times and to successfully cycle up it I doff my met cycle hats to you sirs. BUT - you are still very naughty boys.

[@PaulHirons]

Yes slightly naughty. The sign is really to avoid two cars coming head to head, a bike is no wider than a pedestrian 😊

[@topaz_climber]

While it would be criminal to deprive cyclists of the chance to ride the hill, I’m surprised it is able to stand as a Strava segment seeing as it’s technically illegal to ride it! 😂

[@mrsbmthompson]

Amazing my love x

[@PaulHirons]

Thanks you 😘

[@Free__Speech]

And a electric bike would struggle on the hill

[@billybobby7607]

Should have a triple eh

[@PaulHirons]

You can never have enough gears to go up there 😂