Norikura Hill Climb: the climb and how to prepare
- Distance
- 20.0 km
- Climbing
- 1,425 m
- Highest point
- 2,719 m
- Categorised climbs
- 1 · up to 20 %
- Shape
- Point to point
Measured on the course you ride in Cycloscape. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
1,461–2,719 m · 1 categorised climbThe Norikura Hill Climb climbs 20.5 km and 1,260 m from the Norikura Tourist Center to the Norikura plateau, on the border of Nagano and Gifu, on a mountain road closed to private cars. It is held at the end of August — on 31 August in 2025 — and the organiser has not yet announced the next date.
Norikura Hill Climb at a glance
- Where
- Norikura Kōgen, Nagano, Japan
- Official website
- norikura.gr.jp ↗
- Next edition
- Date to be confirmed by the organiser
- Route
- Norikura Hill Climb: 20.5 km, 1,260 m climbing
- Terrain
- Mountain — long climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Ride the real course on your trainer. The route of Norikura Hill Climb, 20 km, as a 3D world, with your trainer following its gradients — any day, and as part of your Event Coach plan. Part of Cycloscape Pro.
The routes
The Norikura Hill Climb is one route.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Norikura Hill Climb | 20.5 km | 1,260 m |
What the course asks of you
The Echo Line climbs through forest and then above the tree line into alpine scenery, finishing well above 2,500 m. The gradient is steady, the altitude increasingly noticeable.
A pure uphill time trial at altitude: train long efforts just below your threshold and pace the first half conservatively — the thin air at the top punishes an early surge.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train long climbs: steady efforts of 30 to 60 minutes just below your threshold match the cols of the Norikura Hill Climb far better than short intervals.
- Build the long day: rides of five to seven hours in the final two months, towards the 20.5 km of the route you choose.
- Practise eating and drinking on a schedule, and descending: a mountain day is as much going down as going up.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Treating the first climb of the Norikura Hill Climb as a race: a long col ridden above the pace you can hold for hours costs you the rest of the day.
- Saving nothing for the last climb, where the most kilometres are already in your legs.
- Skipping food on the descents: the next climb starts with what you ate on the way down.
Prepare the Norikura Hill Climb with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing the Norikura Hill Climb, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation: structured workouts held by your trainer in ERG, Race Pacing for how to spend your effort, and Performance Lab to see whether the work is landing. Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Frequently asked
When is the Norikura Hill Climb?
The organiser has not announced the next edition's date yet. Event Coach lets you set your own target date until it does.
How long is the Norikura Hill Climb?
Norikura Hill Climb: 20.5 km with 1,260 m of climbing. The course as the organiser listed it for 2025.
How many riders take part?
3,654 riders in 2025.
Can I ride the course of the Norikura Hill Climb in Cycloscape?
Yes, inside Event Coach with Cycloscape Pro: once you start your preparation, the course is ridden on your trainer as part of the plan.