FedEx + Smuggler's Notch

[alessandro]

The World On Time:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/p180x540/10441115_10152238219812896_4520253167665090727_n.j pg

https://www.facebook.com/VermontStatePolice/photos/a.237732957895.142983.119739537895/10152238219812896/?type=1&theater

[Louis]

Ha! I just got off the phone with them.

I specifically asked a shipper (non-cycling item) to not require signature on delivery. They did just the same. I asked FedEx if they can change that - only if the sender faxes a request to the receiving station. So, I will be asking them to do that.

[tiretrax]

I'd like to see that on the Kancamagus Highway.

[CNY rider]

They running SRAM on their trucks?

[unterhausen]

I think they should ban semis off of more roads.

[Mr. Pink]

Independent contractor, no doubt. Truck looks old.

[oldpotatoe]

Ha! I just got off the phone with them.

I specifically asked a shipper (non-cycling item) to not require signature on delivery. They did just the same. I asked FedEx if they can change that - only if the sender faxes a request to the receiving station. So, I will be asking them to do that.

I had a guy ask about a package not delivered..FedEx said it was signed by L H Bush....get it?

[572cv]

Smuggler's Notch is the 'col' between Stowe and Jeffersonville Vermont. It is a classic climb for area and regional cyclists, with really steep grades on the Stowe side; I'm remembering 15-16%, but might be off. It is closed in the winter, and the spring opening is sort of a cycling signal of the season.

At the notch, the road slims to one lane, and snakes between massive granite boulders. In the summer, there are lots of tourists and hikers, their cars taking turns going through. It is really lovely.

It is also very well signed at either end: NOT suitable for tractor trailers or other large vehicles. But they attempt it often enough. Failure to read, to know how to read? to bother to read a sign instead of a half informed gps map.

There is a bridge over the Connecticut River between Lancaster NH and Lunenburg VT. It is a Covered Bridge, with OBVIOUS clearance limitations and weight restrictions, also signs. And twice, in the last dozen years, a tractor trailer has tried to drive through it. Some people are ill suited for their professions, I guess, but also may have gotten poor training by their employers.

But, if you come to Vermont, Smuggler's Notch is a good ride.

[Mark McM]

One of Boston's notorious local features is the relative low clearance under the bridges over Storrow Drive (the main thoroughfare along the Charles River).

Boston is a college town, and one of the signs that colleges are about to come back into session in the fall is when some student moving into town for classes gets their moving truck wedged under one of the bridge under passes.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--vnfYVyhJ--/183d49p0dftr8gif.gif

[Louis]

Pretty scary when you notice how high the truck's front wheels and cab got off the ground.

I hate that, when in one split second your day goes from pefectly normal to really, really bad...

[cp43]

Smuggler's Notch is the 'col' between Stowe and Jeffersonville Vermont. It is a classic climb for area and regional cyclists, with really steep grades on the Stowe side; I'm remembering 15-16%, but might be off. It is closed in the winter, and the spring opening is sort of a cycling signal of the season.

At the notch, the road slims to one lane, and snakes between massive granite boulders. In the summer, there are lots of tourists and hikers, their cars taking turns going through. It is really lovely.

It is also very well signed at either end: NOT suitable for tractor trailers or other large vehicles. But they attempt it often enough. Failure to read, to know how to read? to bother to read a sign instead of a half informed gps map.

There is a bridge over the Connecticut River between Lancaster NH and Lunenburg VT. It is a Covered Bridge, with OBVIOUS clearance limitations and weight restrictions, also signs. And twice, in the last dozen years, a tractor trailer has tried to drive through it. Some people are ill suited for their professions, I guess, but also may have gotten poor training by their employers.

But, if you come to Vermont, Smuggler's Notch is a good ride.


It's closed to cars in winter, but not to skiers! It's a great place to take your XC skis. Park at Smuggs, ski over to Stowe, have lunch, ski back. A nice day out, but not too challenging.

Chris

[nicrump]

the can opener!

One of Boston's notorious local features is the relative low clearance under the bridges over Storrow Drive (the main thoroughfare along the Charles River).

Boston is a college town, and one of the signs that colleges are about to come back into session in the fall is when some student moving into town for classes gets their moving truck wedged under one of the bridge under passes.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--vnfYVyhJ--/183d49p0dftr8gif.gif

[cp43]

the can opener!

It looks like that video/gif is from here: http://11foot8.com/

It's a bridge in Durham NC with (you guessed it) 11 feet 8 inches of clearance. As I understand it, when the over height detectors detect a too tall truck, it automatically activates the video camera, so, every time some one hits the bridge, they get it on video. I think they have ~75 videos, if you want to waste some time today!

Chris

[Mark McM]

Yeah, the .gif isn't actually Storrow Drive, but it is definitely a more dramatic image. Here's some still images that actually are from Storrow Drive:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSkxosdXsC4/TtUlfNrMPZI/AAAAAAAAHAA/jstVp8zcEMM/s1600/truck-stuck-in-storrow-drive-tunnel.jpg

http://cdn1.bostonmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BSm6pyHCIAAVMVF.jpeg

[Tom]

How do you explain that when you were on your way to the new year at MIT you drove your truck into the bridge? That has got to be embarrassing. When my brother went there we were carrying in his stuff (from the station wagon...) and heard somebody do that. We decided it had to be a Harvard man.

[saf-t]

I was a photographer in my past life, and remember selling a pic to UPI (that's how long ago it was ;-) ) of a truck with its top peeled off underneath that first bridge on Storrow.

[r_mutt]

Smuggler's Notch is the 'col' between Stowe and Jeffersonville Vermont. It is a classic climb for area and regional cyclists, with really steep grades on the Stowe side; I'm remembering 15-16%, but might be off. It is closed in the winter, and the spring opening is sort of a cycling signal of the season.

At the notch, the road slims to one lane, and snakes between massive granite boulders. In the summer, there are lots of tourists and hikers, their cars taking turns going through. It is really lovely.



right at the switchbacks, just 80 meters from the top, my estimation is that it gets close to 20% for 10-20 meters. that last bit is really brutal. from the stowe side, it's a 4.5 mile climb if you don't count the 2% grade on the lead-up for just over a mile.

[572cv]

right at the switchbacks, just 80 meters from the top, my estimation is that it gets close to 20% for 10-20 meters. that last bit is really brutal. from the stowe side, it's a 4.5 mile climb if you don't count the 2% grade on the lead-up for just over a mile.

Yea, I think you're right, but I didn't want to scare anyone :) Years ago, I rode it in the Stowe bike race a few times. Start in Stowe, up over that notch to Jeff, then back around through Hyde Park and back to the finish on the Mountain Road, 50 grueling miles. Cat 4s only had to do it once.

[fiamme red]

I may be making a trip up to that area in July. What is it like cycling VT-108 over Smugglers Notch on a summer weekend, mid-morning or noon? Is the traffic heavy? Is the descent going south to Stowe safe?

Here's another story about a truck that got stuck up there.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/06/01/truck-stuck-smugglers-notch/85272444/

A new law expected to take effect July 1 would penalize tractor-trailer and semi-trailer trucks with a $1,000 fine for using the road — or $2,000 if the incident impedes traffic flow. Fines would double for subsequent violations.

http://www.wcax.com/story/32115617/truck-stuck-in-smugglers-notch

http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/10687203_G.jpg

[r_mutt]

traffic not an issue. the descent is mostly straight except if you are coming from jeffersonville, where those aforementioned switchbacks are steep and sharp. i think i've hit 50 mph there. the climb from the stowe side is steeper- especially at the top. the climb from the north (jeffersonville) is more gradual, and of course slightly longer. when i'm pressed from time, ill climb it from the south and then turn around and go over the other way. i think it's about a 30 minute climb if you are a fit but average climber.

[ultraman6970]

Cant imagine going downhill and find one of those trucks stuck in the middle. Scary.

[thunderworks]

[QUOTE=fiamme red;1992316]I may be making a trip up to that area in July. What is it like cycling VT-108 over Smugglers Notch on a summer weekend, mid-morning or noon? Is the traffic heavy? Is the descent going south to Stowe safe?

I rode it mid-morning a few Summers ago from Jeffersonville, over the notch, towards Stowe . . . traffic wasn't an issue at all. Roughly 8 mile climb, 6-7% grades . . . not difficult at all (and I'm an old Kansas flatlander!). It's a terrific ride. Our loop started and ended in Richmond, approximately 63 miles. It was my first experience with a long, sustained climb.

[572cv]

I'm going to try to get out on this ride tomorrow. I'll share any issues. Or discoveries, for that matter.

[fiamme red]

Thanks to all for the information. It sounds from what you say that the climb and descent are not as bad as I had gathered from some ride reports. For example:

https://northerncycling.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/smugglers-notch/

Now, a word of caution: This is quite possibly the most difficult, dangerous descent I can imagine. It’s certainly the most difficult and dangerous one I’ve ever done. Remember those hairpins you climbed up? Well they are going to eat you alive going down. The simple fact is, with the traffic and steepness of the road, you simply cannot go very fast or take the best lines down those turns. Even cars have to keep it under 10 or 15 miles an hour. Unfortunately, they have very powerful brakes and engines to assist. All you have is a little rubber on a rim and gravity that wants to move you very fast. Here’s my advice: If you feel hesitant, or are worried about the descent through the hairpins, walk. Just don’t do it. You stand a chance of seriously injuring yourself. I made it down the first hairpin when I could feel the brakes overheating. That is very, very bad because if they heat the rim too much, you might have a blowout and then lose all control of the bike. I ended up walking down the second hairpin. After that though, it’s the descent of a lifetime. The road is wider, and you can just get on the drops and fly.http://manarea.blogspot.com/2011/07/riding-smugglers-notch-on-road-bike.html

We stopped at the top for a quick gel and then got to descending. This is where things got a bit loose. I did enough recon and research to know there were steep switchbacks on the Stowe side and with the narrow roads you had to be really cautious but I of course wasn't quite sure just how technical it was going to be. I have done some fast descending in the past but I have never done anything quite like this. There were several places where I really wanted to be in more control of what I was doing and it just wasn't happening. Brakes were maxed and starting to chatter and skid a bit. Very exhilarating. I made it through the switchback section unscathed, Shaun was not so lucky.

He laid it down in the 3rd or 4th switchback after a few Hail Mary recoveries it finally came undone for him. All things considered his crash went fairly well. Bike escaped relatively fine, minus a bunch of pedal scuffing.

[skijoring]

Both sides are fun up or down, even more fun on skinny skis descending the Stowe side! :beer:

[BobbyJones]

Smuggler's Notch is one of my favorite passes. A real Zen meditative climb but not annoyingly brutal.

And for truck peel-backs, I live near a major U-Haul facility. They have a section of the lot for damaged equipment. This one caught my eye. (I shudder when I think about what's going on with the vehicles that are covered under white wraps)

[r_mutt]

those switchbacks come in the first 200 meters of the decent so while steep- it's only 3 corners, it's not a surprise, and once it's over with, it's not challenging at all. make no mistake, you are on the brakes hard going down that section- but it's not hard to control. i would do that descent on a carbon clincher with latex tubes- no problem! :)

[bmeryman]

those switchbacks come in the first 200 meters of the decent so while steep- it's only 3 corners, it's not a surprise, and once it's over with, it's not challenging at all. make no mistake, you are on the brakes hard going down that section- but it's not hard to control. i would do that descent on a carbon clincher with latex tubes- no problem! :)

I'll second this. Err on the side of caution and take it slow around the switchbacks, but it's really not all that bad. Totally worth incorporating into a ride.

[572cv]

Ok, today was a classic great summer day in this neck of the woods. I did the Smuggler's Notch loop from Richmond, up to Jeffersonville through Jericho and Underhill via Browns Trace and Pleasant Valley. The climb out of Richmond was graced with excellent pavement, generally, as far as Jericho Center. After that it was still good, but you have to pay attention to weather cracks, and pick your line. At about 22-25 Km, there is a really sketchy stretch on Pleasant Valley Rd, but then it improves again to Jeffersonville, and continues pretty nicely up to the top of the notch. Going down the Stowe side, for the top switchbacks, the pavement is terrible. Holes, rough.... the kind of ripply rough that happens when the pavement sort of just slides a bit down the hill and just lumps up. So there is no way to safely take the top three switchbacks with any kind of speed at all. After that, it gets better, and the run down into Stowe is pretty good as far as pavement goes, though you still have to pay attention to the occasional crack or hole. I should also say that the drivers today were pretty mellow and very courteous. It was a relaxed Saturday AM, I guess.

I got some good eats at the Harvest Market, which is a nice place to forage for a well deserved lunch. Then I headed across Rt 100, jogged a little north, and picked up the connection to Stowe Hollow Rd. This does two things: provides a bunch more climbing, and takes you away from the stress of riding along a busy Rt 100. You can take it all the way through Waterbury Center and then pick up Guptil Rd. to take you down to Rt 100, just north of Ben and Jerry's. Some of the road is gravel, but generally not too bad, although it is drying out now, and is rockier and dustier than it would have been a few weeks ago. Road surface is quite nice where there are trees close to the road, and shade has been maintained, which also makes the riding cooler. Tolerable. But also very pretty. In Waterbury, I dropped into town off RT100 onto Stowe St., then zigged to Winooski St and the bridge across the Winooski, hung a right and headed for Richmond on the South side of the river. This is an interesting way to go. Low traffic, and about 2/3 pavement to 1/3 gravel for the distance to Richmond. The pavement is great, and the gravel is as described above. It is also nice in the middle of the day, because much of it is shaded and it is cool. Overall, I came up with 107km and 1700m of climbing on the route I used.YMMV.

I hope everyone had as great a day out on the bike as we riders in Vermont today.

[fiamme red]

Excellent ride report, 572cv. Very helpful for me in planning my route. I'll probably include Pleasant Valley/River/Browns Trace on my loop as well, and bypass most of Route 100 between Stowe and Waterbury on Stowe Hollow/Barnes Hill/Guptil (which will still allow me to stop at Ben and Jerry's).

[r_mutt]

how was the riding fiamme?

[fiamme red]

how was the riding fiamme?I haven't done the ride yet. I'll be up there this coming week. Unfortunately, because of time constraints, I'll likely have to skip Smuggler's Notch on this trip, and instead will just ride Pleasant Valley/Brown's Trace going south from Cambridge to Richmond. It's not much of a climb, but it should have a lot less traffic, and perhaps more scenic views, than Routes 108 and 100.