When choosing, don’t only concentrate on the ascent: the descent is what can make or break (literally) an attempt.

What is the condition of the road, how wide is it, are there lamposts, are there lamposts the entire length of the hill, are they on all night, are there any blindspots, huge potholes, gravelled corners, sharp corners, switchbacks, raised metalwork….?

Consider other factors such as:

• surface
• is there any shade (tree canopy to give a break from sun/showers)
• is it exposed to wind and in which direction is the prevailing wind (20 hours of headwind is not going to float your boat)
• how technical is the descent
• how busy is the road
• are there any busy periods to be mindful of
• how wide and busy is each lane (you’ll be zigzagging up in the latter stages)
• is there street lighting (batteries especially of the USB-recharging variety have finite lives and if you can get away with a smaller and lighter blinker front and back rather than requiring a full on path-illuminator then so much the better)
• is there a logical and easily-accessible area where you can legally and comfortably park for the entire effort and set up Base Camp with all your food, liquids and supplies
• are there any cafes/restaurants/petrol stations/convenience stores nearby and if something does go wrong, can assistance – yes, I mean an ambulance – be with you easily and quickly?

Be honest with yourself and once you’ve identified a couple of viable options, take time to go out and do 3 or 4 repeats on each one at a snails’ pace and see which suits best in terms of gradient and the above factors.