1 in 20

According to the Climbing Cyclist, "1 in 20" is one of the legendary climbs in Australian cycling. At just 6.8km and 4%, its no Alpine pass, nor is it really 1 in 20. Still, as a cycling monument I had to ride up it when I was visiting Melbourne recently.

The climb starts off at The Basin and winds its way up through the woods and into the Dandenong Ranges National Park. I had to ride right across Melbourne to get to it, although it was relatively easy to find.



The climb is incredibly popular: its like Centennial Park in Sydney - cyclists are swarming everywhere: riding up, coming down, standing at the top chatting, waiting at the bottom to test themselves, or loading up/unpacking in the car park at the bottom. You can see the sheer number of cyclists in this film I made of my ride up.



You should also be able to sense the speed of the climb from the film. I rode up in 17"05, averaging just under 15mph/24kmh, so I wasn't hanging around. The road surface is good and someone has painted kilometre markers on the road to give you an idea of how far you have to go. In many parts you don't get a sense of climbing at all: I was in the drops for a fair bit.

It was rather misty at the top, and I had another 50ks to go, so I didn't ride any further through the Dandenongs. There are some other interesting climbs there though: a reason to return.