THE 7 CLIMBS OF THE COURSE - Description and assessment From the 23rd to 25th of September 2011, the world's best bike riders will speed through the terrain in Rudersdal Community nordwest of Copenhagen. The circuit is 14 kilometers long, and even though it is a relatively easy route compared to former world championship routes, there are some moderate climbs on the way. The website Danskebjerge.dk has examined them thoroughly, and below you'll find an overview of all seven. Or go directly to the maps! The seven climbs are picked according to their size (measured in vertical height meters) and location. They are placed in the same order as they appear on the route. To the right of the data tables, each climb is "categorized" in accordance with their relative degree of difficulty - with three hill symbols as the hardest and one hill as the least hard. Terrain elevations of less than 5 height meters are not included in the overview. CLIMB 1 Begins at around 0.5 km Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 23.5 36.5 13 300 4.3% Course: Starts at the roundabout on Øverødvej and ends just after a long bend to the left on Vangebovej. Description: This is the first of seven climbs on the world championship route. It is characterized by starting immediately after a right turn in a roundabout. That means that speed is low as the road starts to rise which makes the climb harder than it seems. The climb is followed by a short downhill section and then the hill in front of Søllerød Castle. So the terrain is a little cryptic, and if you want to attack, this could be a place to consider. CLIMB 2 Begins at around 2.3 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 27.5 54 26.5 480 5.5% Course: Starts at the crossroads Vangebovej-Mothsvej and continues along Søllerød Slotsvej up to Søllerødvej and Søllerød Castle. Description: "The Castle Hill" is number one on all parameters: It is simply the most beautiful, hardest and most interesting climb of the world championship. The gradient exceeds 5 percent most of the way, so solid pedalling is needed here. And with its characteristic S-turn halfway up and the picturesque castle on the top, the climb really stands out. This place offers the best opportunities for attackers on the whole circuit, and the chances are further enhanced by the many turns both before and after, making it quite easy to get out of the line of sight of pursuers. CLIMB 3 Begins at around 3.6 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 42 49.5 7.5 325 2.3% Course: Starts at the crossroads Søllerødvej-Attemosevej and ends at Kong Valdemarsvej. Description: This is no big climb, but two things make it worth mentioning. Firstly, it is situated in the middle of that part of the world championship route that has the most hilly terrain and thus the best conditions for attacks. Secondly, the climbs takes off at a crossroads: the riders will turn sharply at a relatively low speed, and possibly a powerful accelleration at this place can have an effect on the opponents. This may not be the location where the world championships will be decided, but when cyclists' legs are tired, even a small slope can have a role to play. CLIMB 4 Begins at around 4.6 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 29 45 16 650 2.5% Course: Starts near a lake to the right and ends at the street Ørnebakken. Description: Measured in height difference, this is the third toughest climb of the route. Fields and marshes on both sides of the road, the surroundings here are quite different from what you meet at the other climbs. This more open landscape could mean more wind, but if the wind is from west or southwest (which is common in Denmark), the riders will get it from behind, and then it will not matter... Further reducing the potential significance of the climb is the fact that the road is fairly straight and easy to get a clear view of. CLIMB 5 Begins at around 9 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 20 29 9 440 2.0% Course: The climbs starts in the turn before the crossroads Rundforbivej-Skodsborgvej in which it ends. Description: This one may cheat a little, because it begins in a soft left turn, and not until you have entered this turn do you realize that the terrain is sloping upwards. The slope is certainly at a low level, but after nearly 5 kilometers of almost flat road, at least the riders will here get a chance to get up from their seats. The end of the climb is marked by a sudden turn to the right. CLIMB 6 Begins at around 10.3 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 23 30 7 460 1.5% Course: Lies at Skodsborgvej. Starts just before Bettesvej and ends close to the street Tyrsbakke. Description: In comparison with the six other climbs of the circuit this really is a small hill. And there are no particular things to notice about the course of the road. But on a route that in a world championship perspective belongs to the most flat ever, a continuous stretch with a height difference of 7 meters deserves a place in this overview. CLIMB 7 Begins at 13.3 kilometers Start (m.s.l.) End (m.s.l.) Height meters Length (m) Slope (average) Difficulty 27 48.5 21.5 540 4.0% Course: Situated at Kongevejen, the climb starts at the side streets Skovridergårdsvej/Hjortholmsvej and ends on the top of Geels Bakke. Description: Here we have it - the most talked-about climb of the world championship route. It is not the most charming of them all, and not even the toughest - that first price goes to the hill at Søllerød Castle. But the climb on Kongevejen, often named Geels Bakke, delivers the asphalt of the home stretch, and the design of this can prove decisive: The world championship may well be decided in a big sprint, and in that case the slope can work in favour of some riders and turn out to be a problem for others. The question is, however, whether some of those who don't have sprint abilities will use the climb to set up attacks before they go up the hill for the last time. Kongevejen may be wide and straight, but it is followed directly by an unrhythmic section with several other climbs, including the "Castle Hill". So if you want to get away from the main bunch, you will want to consider going full steam ahead up the hill of Geels Bakke. As it appears, the four toughest climbs are found within the section that runs between kilometer 13 and kilometer 5. In addition, these climbs represent the most sloping terrain of the circuit - around 80 vertical meters. See the height profile. All seven climbs together make a total of 100.5 height meters. This number make up a considerable part of the total amount of height meters on the circuit, since the circuit in general is pretty flat. This website, Danskebjerge.dk, estimates the total number of height meters to be just around 110. Since the professional male riders need to complete the circuit 17 times, this means 1870 height meters in all - corresponding to more than one and a half time Alpe d'Huez. It should be noted, however, that the professionals start off with an extra distance of 28 kilometers, beginning in the city centre of Copenhagen. All photos: Danskebjerge.dk Related pages:   The course: Analysis (1:2)   |   The course: Analysis (2:2)   |   The course: The 7 climbs - description and assessment   |   The course: The 7 climbs - Geography and topography   |   Things to see