Or so it seems. Strava, it appears, is not only a playpen for overly-competitive type A's (although it's definitely that. The KOM I achieved yesterday has already been bested...I will go back and rectify this!), it is also informative. How?
One of the guys I follow - and one of my future clients for an Alps tour this summer - just climbed what looked like a mistake: an 80 km segment that had 3157 meters of elevation gain...straight up. I had heard rumors of this mythic monster, but hadn't seen a profile of the beast till yesterday.
This is the graph that profiles the Alto de Letras, Colombia's (and the world's?) longest climb. It starts at a (presumably) sub-tropical 468 meters, in the town of Mariquita, and tops out at an arctic 3663 meters.
Take a moment and think about the longest climb you've ever done, then start multiplying not only the elevation gain, but the distance as well. For me, I suppose the Col de la Bonette would be one of the longest/highest I've done:
- Distance: 24 km
- Elevation gain: 1589
- Highest point: 2802
So for me: Distance x 3.3, Elevation gain x 2, Highest point x 1.3.
Here is a helpful graph with a few other famous climbs that highlights the Alto de Letras' awesomeness.
Graph by Cycling Inquisition
So, fellow Strava users, when you get that KOM on the ‘Climb from Stop Sign to 7-11′ segment you created last week, pause for a second and return to reality. You'll be a better, humbler climber for it.
Read Cycling Inquisition's article on this climb here (and everything else he writes). Here is a personal account of the climb, too.
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