# Good climbs in Austin?



## Sojourneyman

Any good climbing routes in Austin? I live in the North part and and bike through rolling hills in the beginning then flats, and I was wondering if there was any good lengthy climbs to bust my butt on?


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## stevers

There's a nice hill in Jester Estates off of RR2222, Spicewood Springs Dr off of 360, 
I think its Westlake Dr, but I don't remember seeing a sign. 

I used to do a loop from NW Austin via Balcones / Exposition to Red Bud Trail, and then past Westlake High School to Loop 360. Then take 360 north and go on Spicewood Springs towards Mesa.

Haven't ridden in Austin in a couple of years, but I still remember these hills....


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## Kalrog

Are you going for long hills that you can grind out? Or are you going for short hills that you can do some repeat work on? Or maybe just a nice route that actually has some hills on it?

There is always the Tour das Hugel (did I spell that right?) that does something like 12k of climbing over 100 miles all in Austin. There are some great ideas in that route.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/tourdashugel/


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## El Guapo

*Here are a few...*

Off Hwy.360: Courtyard, Jester, Beaufort, Bluffstone, Yaupon...all of these exceed 14%.
Laps on 360 give you a good mix of 5-9% rollers.
Hwy.620: climb from the river crossing (below the dam) all the way to the top (intersection to the Oasis).
Lime Creek: Triple B**ch.
In Westlake: Redbud
Hwy.2222 between 360 and 71: lots of rollers.
Cuernevaca: climbs from Lake Austin to 2222.
Lost Creek loop: 3 STEEP climbs in a row followed by a brief 20% exit from Barton Creek Resort up to 2222.


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## texbike

Sojo,

There aren't any LONG grinds like you will find in more mountainous areas. The three longest that I can think of are:

1. Redbud Trail going from Lake Austin Blvd toward Bee Caves Rd. There are several steeper pitches along the route once you pass the river, but it is mostly a gentle, consistent grade heading toward Bee Caves Road.

2. LaDera Norte off of 360 (zip is 78731). This is a slow slog, with a couple of steeper pitches thrown in for excitement.

3. River Hills Road off of 2244 (Bee Caves Rd). Take Cuernavaca all the way down to the very bottom where it ends and take a right on River Hills. This will put you at river level and allow a nice ride all the way back up to Bee Caves Road. It is mostly a gently rising ride with a couple of steeper sections.

I did four local climbs last night after being out of town for the week: Redbud Trail, Courtyard, Jester, and Spicewood Springs. They may be short, but they felt MUCH longer when I was doing them!  


-Texbike


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## stevers

Like I said I used to do my NW Austin / 360 loop, but now when I visit my parents, they've got a couple of climbs near their house:

1. Mesa Drive from 2222.
2. Mountainclimb from Dry Creek
3. Dry Creek from 2222

I TRY (operative word is TRY) to do these as practice for the MS150, since I now live in Katy and understand flatland better then hills...


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