Here’s a nice video of a hill climb contest with a difference – earlier this month, cyclists in Lisbon took to the route of one of the Portuguese capital's most historic funicular railways, the Elevador da Glória, to mark the centenary of the first such race, named the “Subida à Glória” – in English, the Climb to Glory.

Subida à Glória from Manuel Portugal on Vimeo.

Besides coping with a gradient in excess of 17 per cent on the 265 metre course, riders had to dodge the tracks and if that weren’t hazard enough, they had to ride up cobbles made slippery by the rain, too.

Despite that, Ricardo Marinheiro managed the ascent in 39 seconds, shattering the previous record of 55 seconds set by Alfredo Piedade in 1926 – we’re guessing his bike was rather heavier.

Hopefully there was a special prize for the female cyclist who made it up the ascent on a Brompton.