Saint-Nicolas begins at Place Ferrer and climbs along Rue Bordelais through the built-up streets west of central Liège. Houses line the road, keeping the ascent firmly within the town as it gains height. The street itself provides the direction and the view ahead, making the rising line of the road more conspicuous than any distant landscape.
Around 1.2 kilometres at an average of roughly 9% make this a substantial urban climb. The slope stays demanding across much of the ascent, so the work accumulates without needing a single exceptional ramp to define it. Following Rue Bordelais gives the route a straightforward shape, with the higher streets arriving after a concentrated spell of climbing. Its character comes from putting an ordinary residential road to an unusually strenuous use. Saint-Nicolas is a compact ascent whose town setting is part of the experience.
01 / The ascent
Elevation profile
02 / The numbers
Climb statistics
- Distance
- 1.18 km
- Elevation gain
- 104 m
- Average gradient
- 9.4%
- Climb category
- 4
- Start elevation
- -6 m
- Summit elevation
- 99 m
03 / Your effort
How long would it take?
Enter the power you could hold for the whole climb. We calculate a moving time from the elevation profile and the forces you ride against.
Use your intended climbing effort, rather than FTP unless you can hold it for the predicted duration.
Bike + kit includes clothing, bottles and luggage.
Advanced settings
Defaults represent a road-bike scenario. Adjust these settings to match your tyres, drivetrain and riding position.
Modelled moving time
7 min
- Power throughout
- 225 W
- Average speed
- 9.6 km/h
Based on the 1.12 km elevation profile. Assumes steady power, with no stops, braking or drafting. Rounded to the nearest minute.
The science behind the calculation
For each part of the stored profile, we solve the steady-state cycling power equation for speed, then add distance ÷ speed across the climb. Gravity uses rider + equipment weight; available power is W/kg × rider weight. This uses the profile’s distance and elevation together, without mixing in another route’s metrics.
Power × efficiency = gravity + rolling resistance + air resistance + bearing losses
The resistance equations are adapted from Martin et al. (1998), Validation of a Mathematical Model for Road Cycling Power. Air density changes with profile altitude using NASA’s standard-atmosphere model. This calculator’s adaptation has not been independently validated.
It predicts travel at the power you enter, including on descents. It does not model acceleration, cornering, braking, traffic, wind, changing weather or fatigue. At altitude, choose power you can sustain there: thinner air reduces drag, but this model does not predict its effect on your ability to produce power. Profile quality and assumed equipment settings also affect the result.
04 / On the ground
Route map
Route overview
Côte de Saint-Nicolas
Saint-Nicolas, Région wallonne, Belgium
- Route length
- 1.18 km
- Total ascent
- 104 m
- Average gradient
- 9.4%
05 / Take it home
The climb, as artwork
Turn the route into a personalised topographic print. Choose your colours and composition, then download your artwork.
06 / Keep exploring
Nearby climbs
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Côte du Doyard
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Oude Berg Burchtheuvel
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Bronckweg
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Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
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