Five lung-busting British climbs that no bike race has dared to use for a summit finish... yet

There are summit finishes no major race in Britain has dared go to, but Simon Warren has. And he’s eager that you, and the pros, should too - Photos by Chris Catchpole

There are probably a myriad of perfectly good reasons but there’s no escaping the fact that last year’s Tour of Britain, was, well, a bit flat, and let’s be honest flat doesn’t entertain anyone, not until the final kilometre at least. What we bike racing fans want are hills, big hills and more than that we want, we demand, a proper summit finish.

There have been a few in our national tour in recent years and granted they provided spectacle, but we could do better, much better. Out there lie roads that could truly entertain, climbs so long and high that they would not look out of place in a Grand Tour and it’s about time we used them.

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Simon Warren

Simon has been riding for over 30 years and has a long connection with Cycling Weekly, he was once a designer on the magazine and has been a regular contributor for many years. Arguably, though, he is best known as the author of Cycling Climbs series of books. Staring with 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs in 2010, Simon has set out to chronicle and, of course, ride the toughest cycling climbs across the UK and Europe. Since that first book, he's added 11 more, as well Ride Britain which showcases 40 inspirational road cycling routes. Based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Simon continues to keep riding his bike uphill and guides rides, hosts events and gives talks on climbing hills on bikes!