Hillclimbing is a sport of the motorcycle discipline, where riders use dirt bikes to climb an uphill course. The sport originated in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century, and it is place where the sport is most popular. The sport has also currently gained popularity in France and Austria.
Motorcycle hillclimbing courses are off-road courses where riders go straight up on hills that have extremely steep gradients. The course is mostly covered with sand and some courses have patches of rocky regions en-route to the top. All riders navigate the course individually with a running clock.
The riders start a few feet away from the bottomĀ to get a running start before the climb. The objective is to climb as far uphill as possible. The rider that covers the most distance is declared as the winner. If multiple riders are able to successfully complete the entire course, the rider with the fastest time is selected as the winner.
There are quite a few major motorcycle hillclimbing competitions conducted every year. King of the Hill is a league which conducts a series of hillclimbing races in the United States. The most popular race in all of motorcycle hillclimbing is the annual Rachau Hillclimbing event held in Austria.
Similar Sports
- Motorcycle Trials — a test of skill on a motorcycle whereby the rider attempts to cover rocky terrain without placing a foot on the ground. The winner is the rider with the least penalty points. Known in the US as "Observed Trials"
- Hillclimbing (Car) — car drivers race on an uphill course in a time trial format
- More motorsports
Related Pages
- About Motorcycle Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports