The Background
Hobbes famously wrote in Leviathan that life was "nasty, brutish and short". He could easily have been talking about Fillmore Street. Seen from below, you might look up at it and think, how the hell am I going to get up this wall of pavement? But don't let that scare you. While the climb can be very intimidating, focus on the last part of Hobbes statement. It's "short". We're talking about only 4 city blocks here.
Fillmore is not the steepest climb in San Francisco. That dubious honor goes to Filbert Street, but it's probably the most famous because, for years, this short climb was featured in the San Francisco Grand Prix. It's was a serious spectacle. Throngs of spectators lined the street watching professional cyclists duel it out on the wicked little ascent.
A couple things to keep in mind while watching the video. The cyclists may be younger than us and fitter than us, but they were racing and doing a circuit that took them up the climb 10 times. We'll do it once. And we're not racing. Typically, recreational cyclists have easier gearing, compact and triple cranksets. So while some of the pros were forced to weave up to the top, you shouldn't let that intimidate you. (That's not to say you might have to resort to weaving.)
The Trouble With Measuring
Now the tricky part.
How steep is it? Really? Well, let me tell you. I don't know. Now, I could go out to Fillmore with some surveying equipment and and a high-tolerance altimeter and come back with some pretty accurate measurements. But I'm not going to. Short of that, I'm left with a handful of online tools of with a massive margin of error. So be it. You've got to work with the tools you've got.Over a long climb, small differences in measurements don't make much of a difference, but for such a short climb—four short blocks—any small errors are going to be magnified. How's that for a caveat?
So, while I will try find and use the best numbers possible, please take the stats with a grain of salt. Two things to keep in mind:
- The climb is steep. Very steep.
- Each block gets progressively steeper as you near the top.
Ok, then. Ready?
The Climb
Fillmore Street climb heads south from Marina Boulevard, but it doesn't start rising immediately. You'll roll through some high rent district at a gradual incline of less than 2% grade before you hit the climb. Hardly noticeable.
As you cycle past Lombard Street and into the Triangle, you notice people doing sensible things, getting coffee, walking the dog, reading the newspaper. You're headed up.
4 city blocks. In San Francisco. We're talking about 1350 ft., roughly 0.25568182 miles (1350 feet combines four blocks abotu roughly 300 feet and 3 cross streets at roughly 50 feet). The vertical climb is only about 220 feet. But that computes to a grade of 16.2%. Fearsome.
Each of the four sections gets progressively harder. So while the first leg from Filbert to Union is only about 8%, the last section from Vallejo to Broadway tops out at a lung-spitting 28.3%. Just to put this into perspective, the last climb to the parking lot at Mt. Diablo is only about 17%. Hard, yes, but compared to Fillmore, it's a pussycat.
Here's what you're looking at:
| Section | Distance (mi) | Climb (ft) | Grade (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filbert to Union | 0.057 | 23 | 7.66 |
| Union to Green | 0.057 | 49 | 16.33 |
| Green to Vallejo | 0.057 | 56 | 18.67 |
| Vallejo to Broadway | 0.057 | 85 | 28.33 |
| Filbert to Broadway | 0.256 | 220 | 16.296 |
The Strategy
The right strategy for you will depend on a few factors. Your gear setup. You weight. Your fitness. But it really comes down to two things:
- Pedal Hard
- Don't Stop
In all seriousness, you're going to have to stop at top of each section since there are stop signs (and cross) traffic). You'll probably want to anyway, so this isn't such a big deal. It's a chance to catch your breath and prepare for the next big effort. Even early in the morning when we climbing, there will be cars on the road. Keep an eye both for cars coming down the street—the grade might give you the urge to weave across the entire width of the road—and the parked cars are parked perpendicular to the road and might not expect to see a cyclist laboring up the climb at 5mph (or less).
Have fun and don't forget to enjoy the view from the top— you'll to while your heart rate settles down.
Just to give a little taste and to show that the OYJ can tackle this climb, here's some video of Randy and Fred from the 2009 Fog City ride: