Hardknotts Pass – Can The Orbea Denna get me to the Top?

🚴‍♂️ Taking the Orbea Denna M20i up Hardknott Pass – widely regarded as the hardest climb in England! With brutal gradients hitting 30%, tight hairpins, and relentless ramps, this Lake District classic is a true test of both rider and bike.

In this video, I put the Orbea Denna M20i through its paces on one of the UK’s most legendary climbs. Can it handle the steepest road in England? Watch to find out!

📍 Climb Details:
• Location: Hardknott Pass, Lake District
• Avg Gradient: 13%
• Max Gradient: 30%
• Distance: ~2.2 km

👉 If you enjoy epic climbs, cycling challenges, and honest bike reviews, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more UK cycling content!

#HardknottPass #OrbeaDenna #CyclingUK #LakeDistrictCycling #hardestclimb

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[Music] It’s like a river. Today is hard not pass day on the Denner and uh that sign says 30% and this is going to fully test out the bike. So, I probably got a mile run, maybe two mile run into it to warm the legs up and then we’ve got it from the telephone box up the cattle grid and then we’re going to try it. The conditions aren’t perfect. There’s a 20 mph wind. It looks like it could rain, but with the Lake District, I’ve only got this bike shortterm. I need to get out there. It would have been perfect on a perfect condition day cuz the views are stunning. But, I’m going to try my best and get you the footage and uh see what it’s like on this dinner. We can get an 18 storm man up there. This bike can get up anything. Hardest climb in England. So, let’s go. So, you can just see the cliff faces of hard not there in the distance. And uh looks impossible to climb from here. And I’m slightly worried because the plan was to come and do this at 5:00 in the morning to try and avoid any sort of traffic. And uh just the way the weather is at the minute, I’m just trying to get out when I’ve got little slots and it’s 1:00 in the afternoon and I’ve already gone past through past some crazy cars. So hopefully they’re not going over hard knock because especially in these conditions, I would like to take a car over myself when it’s wet like this. So we’ll see. I’ll get back to you when I get to the phone box. So, here we are. The famous telephone box and sign with a million stickers. And the weather is atrocious. I’m absolute salt. Luckily, I’ve got my waterproof jacket on, but I’m worried about the road being too slippy. So, I’m going to do it my best shot. If I don’t make it up, I’ll come back on a dry day before I take the bike back. But, I’m going to give it a go. These tires are quite grippy, so going to stick on my chest. Hopefully get a little bit of drone footage, but we’ll see. Uh, so let’s go. Stick with me. Don’t fast forward anything, please, cuz that helps the channel grow and other people to see it. So, if you can do one favor for me, do not fast forward. So, let’s go. All right. So, let’s get it in boost mode. Let’s go. So, just a casual 8% at the minute. [Music] slightly wooded cuz there’s quite a lot of traffic coming down. [Music] [Music] [Music] We’ll just take it easy here at 5%. [Music] That won’t help me out a bit. [Music] Bit zigzaggy. [Music] [Music] How people do this on an old bike? I do not know. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] 25%. Jesus. [Music] Wa! Look at that. Looks impossible. Just looks totally impossible. I’m coming to that nightmare bit. [Music] One thing’s for certain, I’m going to have to be careful when I’m descending this. I’ve come for the climb, so I’m just going to take it steady on the way down. Two bars of the battery gone, but it’s doing well considering it’s pulling up a 18 storm, man. [Music] Here we go. This is the bit I’m not looking forward to. Just for a front wheel bit of nightmares. [Music] This is a bit [Music] It’s like a river. Oh. People get excited. I think they’ve done it. We’re still hell of a climb to go here. [Music] Oh, [Music] so 23% And last bit I think here it looks deep. [Music] [Music] I can’t explain to you. I’m a bit emotional at the minute what that means to me to get up there. It’s Oh, it’s such an achievement for me considering 3 years ago I couldn’t even ride a normal bike 100 m from my house. 22 stone lost far and a half stone and I’ve just gone up Harnut’s pass. Yes, that motor on that bike had something to do with it. Yes, it did. That bike is amazing. A be a Denner. I’d highly recommend getting one. 100%. You can get up anywhere you want. But that’s just amazing for me. Absolutely amazing. Headwind, 20 mph headwind, a river running down the worst bit of it. And I’m going to have to be careful when I go back down there. And the conditions horrendous. But yeah, I did it. And yeah, I just can’t put it into words. I’m just gobsmacked. I know. Please, please, please, if you feel anything for me for doing that, just subscribe. It don’t cost you anything. And just watch my videos. And if you haven’t watched this fully and you’ve skipped bits, start again, play it, let it run out, go and make a brew, and just help me out by running the whole video. That helps me get out to other people and helps me grow the channel. Help keeps me doing this for free of charge and doing stupid things like this at my age. But yeah, Hard Notch Pass, the hardest climb in England. Well, I think it’s the hardest climb in England. Some people might think other, but yeah, done. And the rain’s coming, so I’m going to get back down and uh I’ll try and do a bit of the descent, but I’m going to go down super slow because of the river going down it. So, yeah, let’s get you on me chest. Thanks again for watching. I got to admit, I am slightly worried of going down here, but I do know one thing. I’ve got Altegra brakes on the canyon. And uh I know how good they are. But that 30% bit river flowing through it, it’s just meant wind is blowing crazy. Hopefully your wind blows covering that. Oh, look at the view on that. Absolute stunning. Super slow here. Super slow. This is the worst bit. I’ll be a lot more confident once to do this bit. I mean, look at the river flowing through it. Super slow and careful. I can’t believe I’ve just rode up this. How Look at the river. Here’s a river. Brakes are unreal, though. I knew the Altegra brakes are unreal. Oh, that wind’s just totally dropped. Now I’m in a bit of shelter. Car’s coming up. Hopefully they’ll stop. I want to try and get up to that rum and have a look. Turn the power off. Don’t need boost now. I’m going to stop a minute because I want to go on a bit off road now and go and have a look at that Roman fort just up here a bit. So, I’ll get back to you in a minute. So, I’m currently at the middle of Hard Knock Roman fort and uh yeah, absolute fantastic how it’s still here thousands and thousands of years ago. And uh yeah, I can just see where I’ve come down from. It looks totally impossible. So yeah, sorry about the descent not being so fast, but I’m no way I’m risking it with that river flowing, but yeah, still got quite a way to go down yet. Uh so yeah, I’m going to get you back on me chest and we’re going to make our way down. So let’s go. So going up to that Roman fort was highly worth the wet feet. Feet are totally soaked, but it was totally worth it. I haven’t been there since my dad took me in as a kid. I’ve done loads of walks around here when he did the way rights, but I always just run down here. I never stopped and had a look, which is a shame when you get to my age and right. So, I’ve got another 25% steep bit down to the uh cattle grid. So, I’ll have to be careful again. I mean, just look at that view. Absolutely stunning. So, you cyclists who are watching and do this on a normal bike, I absolutely tip my hat off to you. totally absolute fantastic because I don’t know if I could ever do this on a normal bike. I’ll give it a go, but it’s just so steep. Uh I mean, I watch Cycle the Nation. I watch every every one of his videos just to even so just to try and help his charity out and get his channel out there, but he he flies up this. I mean, it’s nothing to him. And I’m like, how can how can you physically cycle up here on a normal bike? I mean, look at this bit here. Skitting again. Both brakes are on. It’s just sliding. Worth the effort when you get to the top, though, I’ve got to say. I mean, the biggest thing for me is I actually didn’t stop. I stopped on the flat in the middle where the Roman is just to get me drone in and out. But I didn’t have to stop if it went for the drone. I mean, I thought on that 30% bit, I thought 100% I’m going to have to be doing in that in sections, but no, this bike just breezy w up there and just thought, I ain’t stopping. I’m going. And this motor just kept going. I mean, I’ve used three bars. Still got 2/3 at least of the battery left. So, I mean, that’s fantastic. pulled my big heavy ass up there and uh yeah, fantastic achievement. So, yeah, I’m back at the telephone box now. So, it’s just a straight ride back to the car. So, I’m just going to pull a minute in it and just think of me thought because for me that was something I thought was totally impossible. I’ll have to get some stickers made up and put one in on on that sign over there. But yeah, fantastic achievement and uh please watch the full video and uh this Denner, take a look on Wheelbase. Thank you very much Wheelbase. Thank you very much Dom for lending me this bike and letting me achieve this. It’s just such a big thing for me. And uh yeah, subscribe, like the video just for the sake of me getting up the top of there. Please, please, please. I’m not asking for any money or nothing. All I’m asking for is you to click that button, subscribe, and click the like and uh put a comment and comment as well because that helps as well. And uh yeah, and if you want to watch any more videos in then I’ve done a few now. I’ve done gravel. I’ve took it up the highest paved road in Britain Great Dumbfell. And I’ve done a review on it. Uh first ride review. A full review is coming soon. So please take a look at them. They’re in a playlist. I’ll stick at the end of here. Uh and have a watch of them. So yeah, thanks for watching and I’ll see you on the next