About this episode

Simon Warren discusses the art of climbing in cycling and shares insights from his extensive work documenting climbs.

This week, James and Will are joined by cyclist and author Simon Warren. It seems mad to think it, but when the idea of a clickbait listicle was just a twinkle in the internet’s eye, Simon was busy writing an actual book about cycling, which quickly became the text that defined a genre: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs released in 2010. Featuring everything from Box Hill to Bealach na Bà, 1 00 Greatest Cycling Climbs documented – you guessed it –one hundred of the greatest cycling climbs across Britain in meticulous style, from statistics and geography to descriptions of the roads themselves. Simon has written more than a dozen books since, all dedicated to discovering and documenting the best climbs around the world, from Tour de France stalwarts to dusty tracks in Tuscany and cobbled bergs in Belgium. In this episode, Simon talk about what makes good climb good but a great climb better; elevation versus length; the importance of the struggle; how Simon finds his climbs; how to plan your attack on a daunting climb; and of course, what the best climbs in the world are. Simon has just re-released an updated version of Cycling Climbs of Scotland (Adventure Books) . Plus, you can check…

People in this episode

Hosts: James, Will

Guest: Simon Warren

Topics covered

• cycling
• climbing
• fitness
• books

Sponsors

Boyd Cycling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cyclist Magazine

Products: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs App

Books & works: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, Cycling Climbs of Scotland

More episodes of Cyclist Magazine Podcast

• 165. Phil Cavell: The Cycling Addiction · September 3, 2026 · 1h 8m
• 164. Doping, with James Witts · August 20, 2026 · 1h 23m
• 162. The simple (yet complicated) truth behind bike design, with Chris Dodman · July 23, 2026 · 1h 17m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Cyclist Magazine Podcast podcast page.