from Coastin', August 2001 ...

Now that Big Tex has just completed his 3rd consecutive victory in the Tour d’France, it seems appropriate to include an explanation of the rating system used to describe the big climbs that Lance Armstrong rode as he demolished the competition. For those of you with access to Outdoor Life Network, I’m sure you heard many times over climbs such as the Alpe d’Huez, col d’Glandon, col d’Madelaine, & col d’Port Adet being described as Hors Categorie or Category 1 climbs. This explanation followed the 1997 Tour, but is still very appropriate for this year’s race.

Definition: % grade, the steepness of a hill, this is obtained by dividing the elevation gained by the distance travelled.
Example: If you travel 500 feet on a 10% grade, you gain 50 feet in elevation. -editor


RATING THE CLIMBS

By John Wilcockson , VeloNews

The actual decision on the categories is a subjective one, based on: length of the climb; altitude difference from bottom to top; average (and steepest) grade; summit elevation; climb's position on the stage (early or late); and width and conditions of the road. After considering all these factors, the Tour's director sportif, and former pro racer, Jean-Francois Pescheuz, makes his recommendations after driving over the stage routes a couple of months before the race. He can classify climbs in any of five categories:

* Cat. 4: The Lowest category could be anything from a 2km-long hill with a gentle 5-percent grade, or a half-kilometer-long "wall" with a 12-percent average. (In 1997, there were 15 Cat. 4 climbs on the opening eight flat stages; and only four on the remaining 13 stages.)

* Cat. 3: This is the first "serious" category, and could mean a 5km climb with 5-percent grade on good roads. (In 1997, there were six Cat. 3 climbs in the Tour; typical was the Cote de Chatillon on the stage to Morzine, which is 6km long with a height difference of 240 meters, 787 feet, on a wide smooth highway.)

* Cat. 2: Most racers in North America would consider this one the toughest climb they would be likely to encounter. The former Tour DuPont's Beech Mountain -- which is about 5km long with an average grade of 8-percent, topping out at 5000 feet about sea level -- would be a Cat. 2 at the Tour, even though it was a Cat. 1 at DuPont. (In the 1997 Tour de France there were 10 Cat. 2 climbs. Typical were the first two of stage 18: the Cote de Gueberschwir is 4.5km long, has a height difference of 400 meters, 1312 feet, and an 8.8-percent grade; the Grand Gallon is 24km long, with a height difference of 1000 meters, 3280 feet, but has a grade of only 4.1 percent.)

* Cat. 1: This is the classic mountain climb of the Tour, such as the Col d'Aubisque in the Pyrenees, with an elevation of about 1600 meters, 5250 feet, a length of about 15km, and a grade of about 6-percent. (In 1997, the Tour had eight Cat. 1 climbs. They varied from stage 9's Val Louron-Azet, which is 11.5km long, with a height difference of 770 meters, 2526 feet, on a narrow, rough back road; to stage 10's Port d'Envalira, which is 30km long, with a height difference of 1680 meters, 5500 feet, on a wide, smooth highway with easy grades.)

* Hors Cat. (or "above category"): These are the most difficult climbs at the Tour. They have a minimum height difference of 1000 meters, 3280 feet, and an average grade of 7-percent or more. (There were five Hors Cat. climbs in the 1997 Tour, including the Col du Tourmalet and L'Alpe d' Huez.)

Steepest Hill in Gaston County

So with the toughest climbs being rated at an average of 7 percent or more, what’s the steepest hill in Gaston County? How about a knee-shredding 25%! The “wall” in Bessemer City (West Virginia Ave) begins with a 200 foot long section at 19%, levels out slightly for about 30 feet, then increases to a 25% grade for about 200 more feet, before leveling out a bit again for the final 30 feet. Of course, it has to be noted that our “climb” is only 1/10 of a mile, and not really a climb at all by Tour standards. Furthermore, what makes the climbs so difficult in the Tour is that riders aren’t just trying to get over them, they’re racing over them, often in the big chain-ring when the grades are 4-5 %.

Editor’s note: I obtained the gradient ratings for West Virginia Ave using a fairly crude measuring system, but believe these to be reasonably accurate.