I’m away in the Lake District for my birthday, staying at the Woolpack Inn, which happens to sit right at the foot of Hardknott Pass, arguably the hardest climb in England. So obviously I couldn’t just leave it alone.
My top end isn’t where it was in late 2024, so chasing the KOM was off the table. Instead, inspired by Ryan Condon, I went for something dumber. Take the Strava Local Legend in a single day. The current Legend had 11 ascents in the last 90 days… which meant I had to climb Hardknott 12 times, back to back, to take the crown.
12 reps. ~3,600m of climbing. 30%+ gradients. A headwind. And a very hot day. This is one of the hardest cycling challenges I’ve ever done!
📍 THE CLIMB
Hardknott Pass, Lake District — 2.54km / 306m / 15% avg / 30%+ in places
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👉 What insane cycling challenge should I do next? Drop it in the comments, if it gets enough likes, I’ll genuinely go and do it.
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0:00 The plan (and why not the KOM)
1:05 11 to beat, so 12 reps it is
2:19 What makes Hardknott so brutal
3:05 The grind begins
8:05 Halfway + refuel
9:45 The pain blur
11:44 Double digits
12:58 The final push
14:25 Done. 12 times.
15:36 Was it worth it?
17:19 Next time: Smith Lane
#HardknottPass #StravaLocalLegend #Cycling #LakeDistrict #CyclingChallenge #HillClimb #UKCycling
26 Comments
Happy birthday, Tom!
Astonishing!!
What challenge should I try next?
Strava activity for those curious: https://www.strava.com/activities/18690594966
Good effort mate
smashing effort 💪 I failed it only once in the Fred Whitton. Wouldn’t mind trying in again sometime. Andrewon2wheels is going to do 24hrs of climbing it in a few weeks. Enjoy it for now 😁
Get yourself at the Ronde van Calderdale next year. That makes the Fred feel easier
This is one of the funniest episodes I've seen 😄
You had to overcome boredom there as well as fatigue, I know you just couldn't believe you was wasting a day going up and down there haha.
Not just me then that always meets a bloody car at the steepest point of a climb.
Tom, you are becoming a legend.
You have to be a special kind of stupid to be a cyclist, and this proves it🤣. But in all seriousness, what an effort! I salute you
Your a madman 😂 Amazing effort though
Haha, I just said to Ryan yesterday that he was inspirational; this proves it! A good effort!
Well done Tom. It would be nice to see you tackle Trooper Lane nr Halifax. As steep as Hardknott but on cobbles.
Happy birthday mate! The lake district is a beautiful area i would love to visit someday, great effort!
How long… 90 days?
As if you didn't have a 34 tooth sprocket on 😬
If I could give more than one kudos I would. Well done Tom.
Have you tried doing a 1 day Everesting challenge ?😂😂
Congrats on the local legend
Well done, but I think your gonna lose that title soon, if Andreon2wheels has anything to do with it, hes doing a 24hr challenge soon of going up Hardknott Pass as many times as possible in 24hrs
Now that you're a streamer, you should livestream an Everesting event.
That hurt just watching it Tom, great achievement though. 🚵♂️
madness… well done
Proper effort there. Congrats
Absolute nutter! Love it!
Chapeau Tom! That's coming from someone who has never done it & is not likely to do it.
We all (probably) have a local climb we dread/avoid; I can't imagine contemplating doing it TWELVE times. Madness, but chapeau
Hard as nails 💪