The Northampton Hillclimb (Strava segment) is a 6.6 mile, steep climb, the longest (in distance) in our hillclimb series. The climb starts in Northampton at the intersection of Chesterfield Road and Spring Street. It climbs sharply for about a mile, and then includes a high-speed half-mile descent before climbing further, including the "Wall" at the four-mile mark with grades approaching 20%. It ends in Chesterfield at the intersection of Chesterfield Road (called East Street in Chesterfield) and Bofat Hill Road. Riders are responsible for their own timing, so make sure that you have a cycle computer or watch. You must come to a complete stop at the start line. The course gains 1,272 feet over 6.6 miles, for an average gradient of 3.7%.
The start and finish lines are shown below. You can click the start and finish images for an interactive view of the start/finish locations.
Hillclimb - Northampton