There’s a newly anointed king of the mountain for San Francisco’s steepest street. Elite cyclist Harry MacFarlane conquered Bradford Street on Sunday after a 14-second hill ride up the approximately 230-foot street near the Alemany Farmers Market.
London-based MacFarlane tied the previous record — set by Mike Scanlon in December 2020 — but since his ride was more recent, the fitness tracking app Strava awarded MacFarlane “King of the Mountain,” the top achievement on the platform.
“Cycling around San Francisco was really interesting because it’s so so steep in so many places. Which is something I haven’t really encountered in any other city, to be honest,” MacFarlane told SFGATE on Tuesday. “You get hills in other cities, but not like that.”
On Strava and Instagram, the cyclist shared a clip of the climb, where he started on Tompkins Avenue near the Express Service Auto Glass. “No brains. No pacing. Just max sprint,” he wrote at the start of the ascent. Bradford is famous for the 41% grade near the back end of the short, narrow street. The sharp slope slowed MacFarlane down, but he managed to crest and reach the staircase at the top.
“41% is f—king wild,” MacFarlane commented on Strava. The cyclist is the reigning British National Hill Climb Championship title holder after winning in 2024 and 2025. MacFarlane is currently touring and competing in races throughout the United States.
Express Service Auto Glass owner Morena Mendez told SFGATE she’ll occasionally see cyclists ride up nearby Bradford Street. “Most of the time, they jump off and walk up the hill,” she said. “I wouldn’t recommend going up that street. I wouldn’t do it.”
MacFarlane added that he hasn’t connected with Scanlon about sharing the title. But he’s already thinking about a return to San Francisco to nab the throne for his own. “I’d like to go back and try and get it,” he said. “So maybe there’s a second in there. It was good fun.”