Fastest cycling descents

[christian]

The motorcycle thread got me thinking - what are the top five fastest cycling descents - straightest, steepest, longest. I think I have the #1, but what are the others?

1) East Side of the Passo Fedaia, from Ciamp de Lobbia to Malga Ciepela. It's a straight 3.5 km descent of about 12%. 100 km/h-105 km/h is easy if you tuck.

[fourflys]

1) East Side of the Passo Fedaia, from Ciamp de Lobbia to Malga Ciepela. It's a straight 3.5 km descent of about 12%. 100 km/h-105 km/h is easy if you tuck.

and have the cajones! :D

[David Kirk]

There is a hill close to where I grew up, just north or Rome NY, called Gifford Hill. It's about a mile long with a sustained 20%+ grade at the top and it gradually lessens as you go down. It has good sighting as you go with just a long gradual curve to it. If you sprint over the top and tuck it you can break 60 mph without trouble. I hit 64 mph on it in the right conditions.

It's really fun........just don't think about getting a flat at those speeds!


dave

[christian]

Dave - that's close enough for a road trip for me. Looks like you mean Dopp Hill Road, heading northbound, yes?

[MattTuck]

In terms of longest.... I'd have to think that Mauna Kea is up there.

You can basically ride from the peak to the ocean without turning the pedal, atleast that is how I understood a ride report I once read....

[54ny77]

Some fast hills that come to mind:

Backside of Pacific Island Drive in Laguna Niguel, CA (descending towards Crown Valley).

Park Ave in Laguna Beach, CA.

Kanan Dume up in Malibu, CA.

And Highway 101 descending into San Luis Obispo, in an early a.m. (light traffic) and with little to no wind (or even better a tailwind). Not sure if that's even allowable anymore (it's been many many years since I've been on it).

[christian]

Mauna Kea****ty road surface and lots of switchbacks. Heck of a climb, but useless for what we're talking here - "gravity motorcycling!"

#2) in my book is north side of the Grossglockner Hochalpstrasse, from the Edelweisspitze down to Ferleiten. Not that steep, but long, and not too many switchbacks after the first series, but be careful of the ones that are - they are sharp and require a strong hand on the brakes. Never got above 100km/h on that one, but I managed to keep pace with an early nineties K100RS up until Pfiffairn, so it counts as a good one in my book.

[benitosan1972]

Monitor Pass in Markleeville, CA. It's one of the stages of the Death Ride. I was cruising down around 60+mph according to my computer, then got passed by someone in a better tuck/aero position! I estimate he must've been doing 65+mph! That was scary on skinny 23c's & speed wobbles were imminent.

Then some dude tells me about Sonora Pass in Sonora, CA. He says if you like speed, go there, lower your tire psi to around 60-70, then hang on cuz you can hit 80+mph??? I didn't/don't quite believe it's possible to go over 80mph on a roadbike, but since I've never been there, and some people just have huge balls/no fear, then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt... but that's just too fast for me.

[sworcester]

Palm Spring tram hill. I hit 60 but you have to slow down to make some corners.
Pacific Island drive is pretty good too.

[kramnnim]

In terms of longest.... I'd have to think that Mauna Kea is up there.

You can basically ride from the peak to the ocean without turning the pedal, atleast that is how I understood a ride report I once read....

Mauna Kea isn't paved all the way up...longest paved climb is nearby, Haleakala. 5%ish grade and lots of switchbacks, so not that easy to go really fast. Lots of fun, though.

[christian]

Cheers boys! Keep 'em coming. I smell road trip.

[Jawn P]

There was a thread on Facebook that a few of my friends chimed in on.

Elite road nationals were at Big Bear, WV a while back, and they reported hitting max of 69mph. Terrifying.

[CaptStash]

50mph is easy on the West side of Sonora Pass, but most of the descent is slower due to the switchbacks, and I have approached 60 on the mile of insanity at the base of the climb. I'm pretty sure 70 would be possible if you really wanted to do it, but even I'm not that crazy. It is one heck of a tough and rewarding climb though. I get to do it every year when I go to summer camp.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=96560&d=1338568182

CaptStash....

Monitor Pass in Markleeville, CA. It's one of the stages of the Death Ride. I was cruising down around 60+mph according to my computer, then got passed by someone in a better tuck/aero position! I estimate he must've been doing 65+mph! That was scary on skinny 23c's & speed wobbles were imminent.

Then some dude tells me about Sonora Pass in Sonora, CA. He says if you like speed, go there, lower your tire psi to around 60-70, then hang on cuz you can hit 80+mph??? I didn't/don't quite believe it's possible to go over 80mph on a roadbike, but since I've never been there, and some people just have huge balls/no fear, then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt... but that's just too fast for me.

[Louis]

The short downhill leaving my subdivision allows anyone brave enough to top 50 mph with just a few hard pedal strokes at the top (after which you spin out). The max I've seen on my computer is 54 mph. You then have to brake semi-hard at the bottom because it T's into the main road. (I bet that one hill is responsible for at least 50% of all my brake pad wear.) A fun start to all my rides, but doing the climb on the way home is a tough way to end.

[velotel]

I don't ride with a computer or anything, not even a watch, so don't really know what speeds I hit. Plus for me memorable descents are all about curves; straights are boring, hang on and gravity will do what it does. That said, I do remember coming off the Izoard on the north side and one section where the pavement was excellent and the grade must have been way steep because all of a sudden I was flying at speeds that made me wonder if I was completely nuts and maybe I ought to give the brakes a bit of a touch. I didn't. At least not until screaming into the approach to the hairpin to the right. Felt like that might have been the fastest I've ever touched.

Also remember some drops in Italy on super steep grades where the acceleration was wild but nothing was ever long enough to see just how far up the scale I'd get. Both sides of Ventoux are fast. The Malaucène side gets way fast right after the ski area junction and there's not much but the size of your balls to limit what you hit. The Bédoin drop is way fast but it's a curvy drop so in terms of absolute speed, probably not what you're looking for.

In the end it's all relative to the proximity of things that can make your life very painful or worse. Straight is easy, it's the bends that separate the riders.

[christian]

The promises of 70 mph and higher speeds seem very unlikely to me. Even at 12+% in a full tuck, it takes a looooong time to accelerate from 62-63-64 mph. Like more than a couple seconds. That makes 70 seem almost impossible. But I'd like to try it.

[benitosan1972]

I hit the 60+mph on aluminum with a Wound Up carbon fork + Ksyriums
I wouldn't trust 70+mph on full carbon frame + wheels, hit one pebble and
you might be floating atop a pile of carbon dust and fragments, no thanks
I'll be a chicken and watch others do it on YouTube while drinking my 64oz
coffee-flavored Monster and eating Slim Jims, that crazy brave psycho I am not!

[Louis]

I wouldn't trust 70+mph on full carbon frame + wheels, hit one pebble and you might be floating atop a pile of carbon dust and fragments, no thanks

This sort of statement never ceases to surprise me. Is there any evidence at all out there that a CF frame is more likely to fail catastrophically given that sort of input than any other material out there? I very much doubt it, but am willing to be enlightened.

[Serotta_Carbon]

This sort of statement never ceases to surprise me. Is there any evidence at all out there that a CF frame is more likely to fail catastrophically given that sort of input than any other material out there? I very much doubt it, but am willing to be enlightened.

No.

[David Kirk]

No.

what he said.

Dave

[DarkStar]

South side of Smugglers Notch just past the switchbacks hit 63mph on my MTB, 911 pacing me gave me the numbers. Young and stoopid back then, would never try anything like that today.

[bart998]

Monitor Pass in Markleeville, CA. It's one of the stages of the Death Ride. I was cruising down around 60+mph according to my computer, then got passed by someone in a better tuck/aero position! I estimate he must've been doing 65+mph! That was scary on skinny 23c's & speed wobbles were imminent.

Then some dude tells me about Sonora Pass in Sonora, CA. He says if you like speed, go there, lower your tire psi to around 60-70, then hang on cuz you can hit 80+mph??? I didn't/don't quite believe it's possible to go over 80mph on a roadbike, but since I've never been there, and some people just have huge balls/no fear, then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt... but that's just too fast for me.

Monitor Pass is awesome! Locally, the bottom of Mt. Baldy road from the tunnels to Claremont is a good ride to shoot... 3 miles of straight, steep downhill. Often hitting 12%. Heck, all of the road from the village down is good!

[martinrjensen]

Well technically that's true but you have a stint of gravel in there and you are not going to be doing any kind of speed on that. All down hill? You got that right though, but not to the ocean. You are 10 miles from the Ocean at best.In terms of longest.... I'd have to think that Mauna Kea is up there.

You can basically ride from the peak to the ocean without turning the pedal, atleast that is how I understood a ride report I once read....

[Bob Loblaw]

Mountaingate Drive (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mountaingate+Drive,+Los+Angeles,+CA&aq=0&oq=mountaing&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.545434,90.966797&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Mountaingate+Dr,+Los+Angeles,+California&t=m&z=16). I used to do repeats up that sucker, and with a good run at it could hit 60 on the way down. The bike was a Bridgestone RB-1, and it was plenty stable. I would have gone faster if the road was longer.

BL

[Dekonick]

Near my house - Illchester. Easy to hit 50, and 65 is possible if you crank. I no longer bomb the hill because as you round the last bend and hit the 18% grade, you must watch for cars from the left (Bonnie Branch) and PEDESTRIANS from the right (new foot bridge into the state park). The cars made it easy... but the strollers, dogs, and people in general have made it unsafe to enjoy the thrill of Illchester.

I do like the bridge to the park... just wish people would be smart and watch out for cars/bikes coming down Illchester. Oh well... it is amazing at how so many parents stupidly let their kids run... into major roads...

:eek:

[Zoomie80]

Computer read 62mph on Hwy 50 going into Canon City, CO. Went down North Gate Rd at the Air Force Academy going 52-54mph many times...then one day I saw deer by the road as I flew by. That was a big scare so I kept things a tad slower after that.

[Louis]

then one day I saw deer by the road as I flew by

I've had this problem with Bambi a few times. Actually had them in the middle of the road at least twice. Once s/he got smart and bolted when I was still a good distance away. Another time s/he stared at me for a while then decided to bolt. I could clearly hear the hooves scrabbling on the asphalt as I few by a few feet away.

My question is this: As you head toward them how do you decide which way to go, left, or right? (Assuming no cars) I've conclude that heading straight at them might be safest, since a) you don't really know which way they are going to go, and b) hopefully by the time you get there they will have vacated that area.

Anyone have any particular thoughts on this?

[rugbysecondrow]

This sort of statement never ceases to surprise me. Is there any evidence at all out there that a CF frame is more likely to fail catastrophically given that sort of input than any other material out there? I very much doubt it, but am willing to be enlightened.



The operative word is trust...you don't need evidence when what one is operating on is a feeling, a security...two thing necessary for the sort of descending you all are talking about.

[Louis]

The operative word is trust...you don't need evidence when what one is operating on is a feeling, a security...two thing necessary for the sort of descending you all are talking about.

Perhaps, but there are rational fears, and there are irrational fears. I prefer to base my opinions and my feelings on sound evidence.

[rugbysecondrow]

Computer read 62mph on Hwy 50 going into Canon City, CO. Went down North Gate Rd at the Air Force Academy going 52-54mph many times...then one day I saw deer by the road as I flew by. That was a big scare so I kept things a tad slower after that.


Yep. Going fast doesn't scare me, it is the inability to handle my bike appropriately at that speed. I tend not to ride faster than I can control my bike or maneuver safely. If I go past that point, then I back off the speed a little. I don't operate my bike in a void or bubble, so being aware of how I would brake or avoid an accident is a big deal. Around here, it is determining what new pothole is going to take up residence at the base of the hill, that will throw a kink in things for sure.

[rugbysecondrow]

Perhaps, but there are rational fears, and there are irrational fears. I prefer to base my opinions and my feelings on sound evidence.

I think he said trust, not fear. One needs to trust their gear, especially when pushing limits. Nothing wrong with that. Carbon is good, but it has earned a reputation not for failure but for catastrophic failure...not good when cruising at 60mph. Failure might not be likely, but it sure can create doubt when it is spectacular.

By the way, who bases feelings on sound evidence...how boring. The great thing about feelings is that you don't need evidence, they exist free from that trapping, at least they ought to.

[Louis]

I think he said trust, not fear.

Now you're splitting hairs.

If he doesn't trust it, then what other feelings might he have about the bike? Fear of what he thinks could happen may well be one of them.

CF bikes don't explode after going over a pebble, whether you're going 10 mph or 50 mph. In fact, I bet there's a decent chance that at 50 mph the loads in the frame due to going over say, an 0.25" step in the road are lower than the loads at 10 mph for that same step. (depends, among other things, on the tires and the air pressure in them)

Something bad might happen if you go over a 3" diameter stick in the road, but similar things might happen on any material frame. Why are so many folks willing to trust composite forks? They too are made of CF but I don't hear folks repeating horror stories about them.

[Ti Designs]

OK, I'll admit it here, it is about the bike. Tandems are way faster.

[JohnHemlock]

OK, I'll admit it here, it is about the bike. Tandems are way faster.

Ha, I was coming down Wolf Creek Pass two years ago and hit 60mph, which felt pretty cool since I had never gone that fast. A tandem went past me and I suddenly felt like Orville Wright racing an SR-71 Blackbird.

[benitosan1972]

this:
http://cdn.comingthru.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DSC02811.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V54WWNeyyp4/SdpIAuPNTCI/AAAAAAAABPE/4AVNcDIR98E/s400/noel-davies-broken-bike.jpg


scares me more than this:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_evEkbyzF7EM/TcRCwnA1xkI/AAAAAAAADDk/jTVqB-Kk0KU/IMG_20110506_100202.jpg


that is all. sure, both are ruined, but i bet i could ride my way out of the situation on an aluminum or steel bike, maybe, but at least there would be something left to work with

[Louis]

this: scares me more than this:

So how did those results come to pass?

Same forces on the frames, or something completely different?

There are pictures out there of crumpled frames of every type. Unless you're comparing apples to apples just looking at the results due to ???? means nothing.

[Richard]

The same irrational belief that carbon would explode leads you to believe that you would ride out of the situation that bent that Cannondale. You would not have.

[mike p]

We've got many wonderful glacial carved hills here in upstate NY. I can hit low 60's on quite a few. I think it would really take something special ( hill wise ) to do better than that.
I ride steel, carbon, and AL. All three go downhill without exploding. How many that only " trust " steel are on a carbon fork.

Mike

[Bob Loblaw]

Yes, but all that probably happened after the bikes hit the terra firma. I am not a huge fan of carbon in general, but after over a decade of regular use, you have to concede it's a proven technology for frames and forks. If you look at randonneur forums, there are carbon rigs out there going strong with 60k on them.

Wheels, OTOH (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngv7Iu3y1o0)...I would not like to flat on one at speed on the road.

BL

sure, both are ruined, but i bet i could ride my way out of the situation on an aluminum or steel bike, maybe, but at least there would be something left to work with

[firerescuefin]

this:
http://cdn.comingthru.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DSC02811.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V54WWNeyyp4/SdpIAuPNTCI/AAAAAAAABPE/4AVNcDIR98E/s400/noel-davies-broken-bike.jpg


scares me more than this:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_evEkbyzF7EM/TcRCwnA1xkI/AAAAAAAADDk/jTVqB-Kk0KU/IMG_20110506_100202.jpg


that is all. sure, both are ruined, but i bet i could ride my way out of the situation on an aluminum or steel bike, maybe, but at least there would be something left to work with



Looks likes the aluminum held up better after being run over by a bus...let's just say that wasn't caused by a pebble @ 60 MPH. Race cars, fighter aircraft, etc. put CF through it's paces a little bit more than a road bike.

[Dekonick]

Odd - I feel fine at speed. My fear has to do with variables I can't control - like furry rats with tails... cars... kids... to a lesser degree sand and pot holes are a problem around here...

Either way, I feel MUCH better bombing on my Ti Hors Categorie than anything else I have ridden. It just makes me feel one with the road... but still can't do much about uncontrollable variables.

In a race, the course has been (somewhat) scouted and is clear of many hazards. Just riding you don't have the same level of control over the environment. Our roads suck...

:mad:

[HenryA]

There are many hills on the Blue Ridge Parkway where 60+ is possible. That is really fast on a bike for anyone who hasn't done it. A little buffeting side wind moves you all over the road.