There's a new fastest time up Box Hill — but what's the world's hardest Strava KOM to add to your collection?

It's been quite the week for Strava drama. First, Rory Townsend sharpened up for the Tour of Britain by smashing the previous fastest time up Box Hill, then just two days later a group of strong riders from Foran Cycling Team rocked up at the iconic Surrey climb, leading out Dom Jackson to a quite ridiculous 33.7km/h ascent and knocking another eight seconds off the KOM.

Sitting atop a leaderboard that includes the best of 1.39 million efforts by 128,000 riders, Jackson can probably make a decent case that he is the holder of the most competitive Strava KOM in the world, a 4:05 ascent that beats 2012 Olympic Games road race times, the fastest ascents of several editions of a WorldTour one-day race, and the best efforts of some of the globe's strongest bike riders. But is it the hardest KOM in the world to nab? Let's find out...

Box Hill, Surrey, United Kingdom —1.39 million times by 128,600 riders — current KOM/QOM: Dom Jackson (4:05)/Alex Morrice (5:04)

As those numbers show, this is one popular climb. Nobody's arguing it's the hardest (at least we hope nobody is given the five per cent average for 2.2km) but it might well just be the most popular climb on Strava by sheer volume, thousands of riders flocking to its hairpins from across London and the south of England every week.

It was, of course, made famous by its inclusion in the 2012 Olympic Games road races and hosted the WorldTour RideLondon-Surrey Classic event for several years after, meaning that if you want to set a hot time here, you'll have plenty of professional competition.

The fastest times on Strava are a who's who of cycling, numerous pros and former pros holding a place in the top 0.01 per cent of Box ascenders. Zeb Kyffin, who finished sixth at last year's Tour of Britain has the fourth fastest time, while EF Education-EasyPost's Neilson Powless nipped over the Channel after completing the Tour de France to set a 4:30, the 12th fastest time.

Oliver Naesen, Daryl Impey, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Niki Terpstra, Arnaud Démare, Thomas De Gendt, Ethan Hayter, Connor Swift, Stefan Küng, Yves Lampaert, Simon Yates, Andrew Feather, Dan Bigham and 128,000 others have all tried, none anywhere near Jackson's time.

Sa Calobra, Mallorca — 310,000 times by 143,000 riders — current KOM/QOM : Tom Pidcock (22:46)/Illi Gardner (29:09)

Good luck taking this one.

Ineos Grenadiers star Tom Pidcock and hill-climbing queen Illi Gardner (that's a name that'll pop up a lot on this list) aren't your average British cycling holidaymakers looking for some winter sun in Mallorca...

> Tom Pidcock smashes Sa Calobra KOM by nearly two minutes

As to be expected given the much longer, steeper nature of Sa Calobra, it's got far fewer overall times than Box Hill, but can compete on the total number of people who have ridden it. Add to that the fact the Strava leaderboard is packed full of pro riders testing their legs at team training camps and Sa Calobra becomes one of the most competitive Strava KOMs going.

Pidcock, current British hill-climbing champ Gardner, former British hill-climbing champ Ed Laverack, Rémi Cavagna, Simon Yates, Sebastián Henao etc. etc. 

Alpe d'Huez, France — 324,700 times by 166,600 riders — current KOM/QOM: Sepp Kuss (35:58)/Illi Gardner (42:22)

Want the Alpe d'Huez KOM? Well, you're going to have to go faster than the best Tour de France climbers then, Visma-Lease a Bike's Sepp Kuss holding the KOM up here from the 2022 edition.

Gardner, back for another mention, did indeed go faster than the Tour de France, her time from this summer more than FOUR MINUTES faster than stage winner Demi Vollering's Tour ascent. 

Again, Gardner, Vollering, Tour winner Kasia Niewiadoma, Emma Pooley, Kuss, Romain Bardet, David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot, Pidcock... the competition is fierce (and almost certainly riding at the Tour).

Mont Ventoux from Bedoin, France — 193,761 times by 100,382 riders — current KOM/QOM: Tadej Pogačar (1:00:05)/Illi Gardner (1:10:44)

Any KOM belonging to Tadej Pogačar is probably out of reach for all of us. 

Another one that was claimed during the Tour de France, Pogačar set this time during the 2021 edition, the second of his yellow jersey-winning years. More than 100,000 Strava users have tried, nobody bettering that KOM.

Longchamp (regular lap), Paris — 9.3 million times by 29,000 riders — current KOM/QOM: Thomas Bacon (3:38)/Noemie Bucamp (4:23)

Something a bit different, but possibly the most competitive Strava segment on sheer volume of attempts is... this 3.5km loop in a Parisian park where the city's riders flock to complete laps. See also London's Regent's Park and Richmond Park for a similar vibe, although you probably want to skip KOM-hunting while riding in a busy city...

Champs-Élysées, Paris — 80,000 times by 24,900 riders —current KOM/QOM: Amund Grøndahl Jansen (1:34)/Maria Giulia Confalonieri (1:53)

While some of these other ones you'll have a shot at if you magically become the best climber in the world, I'm saying this one's impossible to beat (without being a Tour de France pro). Logistically speaking, as anyone who's visited the Champs-Élysées outside of Tour time will know, there's no way you'd be able to/or want to/or be safe to compete with Amund Jansen's 30mph+ ride up the famous boulevard without the road closures, marshals and drafting that he benefitted from.

Lights, crossings, traffic. You'll need to make a Tour team to take this one... even if you claim to have the legs for it...

Norton Summit, Adelaide, Australia — 635,693 attempts by 25,942 riders — current KOM/QOM: Chris Harper (11:00)/Sarah Gigante (12:54)

Norton Summit is Australia's answer to Box Hill — not that 'hard' but incredibly popular (and with a steady five per cent gradient and some hairpins chucked in too)... plus it's a favourite of the Tour Down Under meaning, like Box Hill, many of the world's best have had a shot at setting a super fast time up it.

635,693 times set gives you a sense of what you're up against if you want to bag this KOM, Jayco Al-Ula's Chris Harper taking the crown off teammate Simon Yates earlier this year, setting an 11:00. To do that he averaged 30km/h up the five-and-a-half kilometre climb, Strava estimating he held 511w to do so.

Koppenberg, Belgium — 203,000 times by 77,400 riders — current KOM/QOM: Lance Decabooter (1:43)/Luce F (2:00)

We'll stick to trying to ride up it without unclipping and leave the KOM for the professionals of the Tour of Flanders who smash up this every year. Back when Mathieu van der Poel still uploaded his rides to Strava (with glorious full power data too) his 2021 Flanders file showed he pushed over 600w up here to get the fourth fastest time.

Any segment where a rider of Van der Poel's talent put out those sort of numbers but still couldn't crack the three fastest times is probably not for us...

Hilo to Mauna Kea, Hawaii — 319 times by 236 riders — current KOM/QOM: Levi Heimans (4:30:27)/Jennifer Real (7:20:58)

Only 236 people to beat to claim this legendary KOM, but a hell of a lot of climbing to do so... (not to mention the travel, money, logistics involved if, like us, you live on the other side of the world)...

Reckon you could add any of these to your trophy cabinet? Let us know if you do and we'll send you a suitably unworthy prize, probably in the form of a pair of road.cc socks. What more motivation do you need?