User Manual

Joule 2.0 User Guide page 46
Chapter 13: Definition of Terms
Elevation Gain or Rise
1. The total vertical distance in feet or meters traveled or climbed over a given distance ridden.
Percent Grade
1. A measure of the steepness of a climb where a 100% grade or 45-degree road angle is equal to
a 1-meter vertical increase in elevation (rise) for each 1-meter traveled horizontally (run). 2. The
rise or vertical increase in elevation divided by the run or horizontal distance traveled multiplied
by 100 (rise ÷ run x 100). 3. 100 x Tangent (slope). 4. The elevation gain divided by the square root
of the actual distance traveled squared minus the elevation gain squared (Elevation Gain / [square
root (Actual Distance 2 – Elevation Gain2)])
Shallow Grade or Hill
1. A road with a percent grade between 2 to 4%.
Moderate Grade or Hill
1. A road with a percent grade between 4 to 6%
Steep Grade or Hill
1. A road with a percent grade between 6 to 8%
Wicked Steep
1. Any road, trail, path, climb or mountain greater than 8% in grade.
Category 1 to 4 Climb
1. A rating system used to rank the difficulty of a climb that is based on a combination of the
length, grade, and location of the climb on the course. A category 1 climb is considered the most
difficult while a category 4 climb is considered the least difficult.
Hors Category Climb
1. A climb that is so difficult that it is beyond categorization. 2. Any climb longer and steeper than
a category 1 climb. 3. The most difficult climb in the Tour de France.