Magnus Cort
www.procyclingstats.com
If cycling the Tour de France is not for you, there are plenty of other great hills, short and steep, long and flat, by the sea, along fields and through forests – especially on Bornholm. However, it’s not just the hills that make the island of Bornholm a great place for road racing. Here I will describe a number of nice hills and suggest some routes for keen cyclists who take their road bikes with them on holiday to my neck of the woods.
Voted Denmark’s toughest climb by the website Danske Bjerge. And covering a distance of 1,250 metres with a 7.5% average gradient, it can feel just like you’re climbing a mountain. Not a feeling you can get in many other places in Denmark. The only downside is that the road is a dead end, which means you have to cycle from the main road down to the harbour in Vang before you can turn your bike around and begin the ascent.
The hill is included in route suggestion 1, which you can see here.
A climb that twists and turns up to the Hammer Lighthouse on a fairly small and winding road through a dense forest. This climb is also a dead end, so you’ll need to turn your road bike around at the top. The views are amazing up there, so it’s a great place to catch your breath. And then there’s an almost mountainous descent. The climb starts on Fyrvej just outside Sandvig.
The hill is included in route suggestion 1, which you can see here.
This climb on Bornholm has the most vertical metres and is closely followed by several other climbs. Covering a distance of 3,200 metres, it is by no means steep, but the distance and total number of vertical metres make it well worth a visit. The climbs start from Døndal river, close to Bornholms Kunstmuseum (Bornholm Art Museum) in Rø, heading in the direction of the art museum and Gudhjem. After about 800 metres, where the road flattens out, keep right and the road rises again towards Rø.
The hill is included in route suggestion 4, which you can see here.
Brøddegade in Gudhjem is right in the centre of town, so it’s probably not the best place to try setting a new record on Strava in the summer. But it’s a really cool steep climb in the town centre with houses on both sides all the way up. This climb was part of the Post Cup route in 2014, with a finish right at the top.
The hill is included in route suggestion 4, which you can see here.
Another great climb in Gudhjem, this time the ‘Serpentinervejen’ with two real hairpin bends. From Gudhjem harbour, ride along Nørresand to Helligdomsvej where the climb ends. It’s definitely a hill to try, really special.
The hill is included in route suggestion 4, which you can see here.
A long climb without much gradient, it’s steepest at the start and after 500 metres it flattens out more and more. The climb was part of the Post Cup route in 2014. It starts at the junction of Kjelsebyvej and Melstedvej/Randkløvevej on the road between Svaneke and Gudhjem.
The hill is included in route suggestion 4, which you can see here.
The climb starts at the harbour in Hasle, where you head north and begin with a hairpin bend up to the roundabout, where you cross straight over to Bykjærvej. Follow Bykjærvej for approx. 500 metres, then turn left onto Kumlehøjvej and work your way up through the countryside to Rutsker.
The hill is included in route suggestion 3, which you can see here.
Ypnasted Hill is one of the most famous hills among Bornholm locals, as it is part of the Bornholm Rundt fun ride, where it is arguably the worst climb on the route. But by Bornholm standards, it’s not really that bad. There are two ways to cycle the hill. In the Bornholm Rundt, you head out of Bølshavn (the road between Svaneke and Gudhjem) in the direction of Gudhjem on Randkløvevej.
However, it can be made a little tougher by starting down in Ypnasted. To get to Ypnasted, head down a road called Ypnasted, which is off Randkløvevej. Start at the harbour in Ypnasted and turn right onto Randkløvevej. This adds an extra 350 metres and actually increases the gradient slightly.
The hill (not including Ypnasted) is included in route suggestion 2, which you can see here.
The climb goes from Helligpeder (the first small town located on Teglkåsvej just north of Hasle) and then up to the main road. The start especially is really steep and it’s not made much easier by a very sharp right turn into the climb, which you’ll get if you’re coming from Hasle. The climb can be continued all the way up the main road with a left turn to extend it, but not at quite the same gradient.
The hill is included in route suggestion 3, which you can see here.
The only climb on Bornholm with an average gradient of over 10%. At 350 metres and an average gradient of 11.1%, there is a 39 metre difference in height between the bottom and top. The hill is the last road up to the right of Teglkåsvej north of Hasle and is typically part of a route from Rønne heading northwards.
The hill is included in route suggestion 3, which you can see here.
