100 Climbs Route: Day 26, Lincoln to Ironbridge

In August 2018, three Cycling UK members - Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater – cycled a 3,300-mile, 29-day route around Britain to take on all 100 hills featured in Simon Warren’s book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. This route plots day 26 of the journey, 129 miles from Lincoln to Ironbridge, taking in the climbs of Terrace Hill and Jiggers Bank.

It’s an epic almost-130-mile cross-country thrash today, where the number of counties passed through far outstrips the number of climbs you’ll face. Be prepared for a slight sting in the tail, though.

Things start off smoothly enough with a cruise south-west from Lincoln to the Vale Belvoir - a rare outpost of hills in this largely flat area. None of the climbs in ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’ are easy but some are easier than others and – despite its poor surface and steep slopes – at less than 1,000 yards long, Terrace Hill is one of the more do-able challenges.

With muscles now warm, it’s time for that mammoth Midlands trek, east to west over to Shropshire and crossing pretty much every county in-between. The route also passes Cannock Chase, so if you fancy hopping off your drop-bar speed machine for something a little more rugged, there’s a great opportunity to put your off-road skills to the test.

Don’t use all you energy, though, because the destination at Ironbridge is still a fair way away - and even when you arrive there, it’s not end of the story.

Rather than calling it a day, you've got to take on the challenge of Jiggers Bank, which rises out of Ironbridge Gorge. It’s a smooth, sweeping climb that takes you past the Ironbridge Gorge Museum - celebrating the area’s history as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution - and up towards the route for Telford.

One last climb after almost 130 miles? You must be mad!