Your favorite climbs

[Dan Le foot]

What is your favorite climb?
One of my favorites is the Montezuma’s grade in Borrego Springs California. About 11 miles and 3500’ from the desert floor through a spectacular mountain pass. Mostly 6-8% with a few 10-11%ers to get the heart beating.
I set a PB this morning in 90 minutes. Slow for many of you but I’m old. My wife did it in 67 minutes for goodness sake.
She wants to climb Mt. Evans in Colorado next summer. I can't imagine even breating at 14,000'
So what is your favorite climb?
Dan

[Ken Robb]

Montezuma Grade or Banner Grade:--------------on my motorcycle! :beer:

[chuckred]

Try to get yourself acclimated, but it's just so spectacular that it's worth any suffering!

The ride down is unbelievable - there's places where the view off the edge of the road makes it appear there's nothing between you and Denver in the distance - an erie feeling of flying on the bike!

You can do several versions depending on your time/energy. Most start either in Evergreen or Idaho Springs and go out and back or make the loop. Some start in Denver, Golden or Morrison to make it even more epic.

A short but still decent version for the time challenged would be to drive to Echo Lake and just ride from there - still a several thousand foot climb!

I'm threatening to get a group together to start in Evergreen (I live there), ride down to Morrison up either Lookout Mtn or Vernon Canyon to Idaho Springs, then up Evans then back home via Squaw Pass - somewhere around 110 miles and almost 12k of climbing, self supported circuit. (For what it's worth, this would be almost 12 k of climbing straight - then essentially a coast home! We'll see...

Anyway, Mt. Evans has to be my favorite!

[gasman]

East Face, Mt Whitney 5.6 Grade IV

[H.Frank Beshear]

The road out of Debuque would be first and Blackjack road second, of course Blackjack gives us a really nice downhill for a reward. :D

[stevep]

col d'izoard.
was in the tour in 06 and is in the giro for 07.
terrific climb.

just above briancon in the alps. 2345 or so meters

[Tailwinds]

I'd have to say Mt. Evans in a very masochistic sort of way. Do it!

Oh, and Golden Gate Canyon, too. There's nothing like climbing a 6-8% grade for over 2 hrs., then seeing signs that say, "Truckers detour -- 23% grades ahead" -- and already being around 10'000' and gasping for oxygen. It made me forget about that misconception I heard out East... that there are no steep climbs in CO -- HA!

[bcm119]

Figeroa Mtn near Santa Barbara. Its not the hardest climb around, but just beautiful country-- very unique landscape. Plus, when you're done you can go wine tasting or stop at the firestone brewery.

[Ken Robb]

I'd have to do a LOT of wine tasting before I'd tackle that one. :beer:

[bcm119]

I'd have to do a LOT of wine tasting before I'd tackle that one. :beer:
That would be fine-- theres hardly any cars out there! You could always take a nap outside the fence of Neverland Ranch too.

[sellsworth]

Monitor Pass in CA, either from the east or west side. Incredible scenery and great roads.

[fogrider]

mount hamilton in san jose is pretty awesome. not steep just long...about 20 miles uphill. also the old san jose highway out of santa cruz is a nice climb. it starts out with a low slope but then it kicks up...nice store at the top of the climb. the decents in the santa cruz mountians are fast and sweeping. in my backyard climbing Mount Tam is a nice workout...a few steep spots but most of the way is not too bad, but the decents are pretty technical, if you can come down fast here, you will be able to fly down anything.

I would love to get out and climb mt evans!

[Tailwinds]

Trail Ridge Rd. from Estes Park to Granby is supposed to be one of the best rides anywhere, but I haven't done it myself yet.

All the passes -- Loveland Pass, Monarch Pass, etc., etc. -- some nice, long climbs w/screamin' descents! :cool:

Some of the rides closer to home are incredible. Boulder/Ward/Peak-to-Peak Hwy./Brainard Lake -- amazing. Deer Creek Canyon, Lookout Mtn... there's almost too much to list.

Colorado does not suck.

[Jack Brunk]

Agree with Sellsworth. Decending westward from the summit, for 10 miles you never have to use your brakes and hit 60 plus MPH.


Jack

[fogrider]

mount hamilton in san jose is pretty awesome. not steep just long...about 20 miles uphill. also the old san jose highway out of santa cruz is a nice climb. it starts out with a low slope but then it kicks up...nice store at the top of the climb. the decents in the santa cruz mountians are fast and sweeping. in my backyard climbing Mount Tam is a nice workout...a few steep spots but most of the way is not too bad, but the decents are pretty technical, if you can come down fast here, you will be able to fly down anything.

I would love to get out and climb mt evans!

[A.L.Breguet]

My favorite climb is...
into bed after a tough day of work and training. :crap:

[Steve K]

Trail Ridge Rd is very nice for the front range in CO when travel during a week day. I like the route from Lyons up hwy 7 (S. St. Vrain) over to Estes Park and then hwy 34 (Trail Ridge Rd). Some wonderful views.

[Gothard]

My namesake:

[djg]

Here's a lame one: I start my ride to work with a half mile downhill out of my driveway, there's a little flat spot at the bottom and then a short steep rise. It's just a few hundred meters, but it's steep enough to notice in any gear, and it's a hump on the fixie, which I have set up with a 72" gear. Whatever fog might lie in the head and lungs before, by the time I'm half way up I am working and riding--the hill get's me into the ride and I'd miss it if I went around it. This is the anti-epic climb, but it really is one of my favorites.

[Dan Le foot]

East Face, Mt Whitney 5.6 Grade IV
Man you must be a strong technical rider.
I couldn't even ride up the main trail.
:D
Dan

[Dan Le foot]

Figeroa Mtn near Santa Barbara. Its not the hardest climb around, but just beautiful country-- very unique landscape. Plus, when you're done you can go wine tasting or stop at the firestone brewery.

I think we drove that one last year. Didn't it go by Michael Jackson's house? Didn't it turn into dirt in places
Dan

[Ray]

Here's a lame one: I start my ride to work with a half mile downhill out of my driveway, there's a little flat spot at the bottom and then a short steep rise. It's just a few hundred meters, but it's steep enough to notice in any gear, and it's a hump on the fixie, which I have set up with a 72" gear. Whatever fog might lie in the head and lungs before, by the time I'm half way up I am working and riding--the hill get's me into the ride and I'd miss it if I went around it. This is the anti-epic climb, but it really is one of my favorites.
Thanks for the reality check. I don't live near any truly epic climbs, but lots of fun little climbs. One of my favorites is just up Wawaset Road from Brandywine Creek toward the Chester County Prison and Old Folks Home (not the same facility, but next door neighbors on the same plot of public land). Probably only about half a mile, varied grade, but a good barometer of how I'm riding. On a good day I feel like I'm flying up it and on a bad day it's a bit of a struggle or a lower gear, particularly where it gets a little steeper near the top.

In terms of memorable climbs, Last Dollar pass and John Brown Canyon are both dirt climbs in Southwest Colorado that I had to walk short portions of (brutal combination of lack of oxygen, grade, and technical conditions), and North Mountain on Cape Breton Island are well and firmly planted in my mind. I've done each of these once and probably won't get back to any of them again.

-Ray

[BillyBear]

between Lake City and Gunnison...About half way up when I stop to rest (steep and nasty, I always stop and rest) I turn around and look down on Lake San Christobal and the paradise that is the San Juan range in the Rockies...Awesome combination of great cycling, light traffic and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world...and only 5 hours away from my front door...Both Ride the Rockies and Bicycle Tour of Colorado have been over Slum in the past decade...The killer is that on a recent BTC the Slum climb was after lunch, after a leg burning sixty miles from Gunnison to Lake City...Rumor has it that it was responsible for the largest number of non-weather related sagged riders in the history of BTC...Try it out...

[duke]

Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. 18 miles to the top out of Port Angeles. About 5000 feet through Red Cedars, spectacular views and two very dark tunnels.

[Chief]

One of my favorites--Loveland Pass http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=17523

[David Kirk]

I've got a few that I like very much.............not because they are the most difficult or the highest elevation but because they have a wonderful combination of flow and difficulty.

1) Lake Desolation - just outside of Saratoga Sprigs NY. Fives mile and 1000' of vertical. A very nice flow and and it feels fast. A great climb to judge your fitness on. A really fun descent.

2) Gifford Hill - just north of Rome NY. A bit less than 3/4 mile long and just shy of 700' vertical. Silly steep at the top with a 22% grade. Like a ramp that keeps getting steeper toward the top. You can't zig zag it if you are undergeared because you'll clip a pedal. Easy to hit 60mph on the way down.

3) Potato Hill - part of the infamous "Hell of the North ride" out out Utica NY. hill itself is just south of Boonville NY. About 1.5 miles long with extended sections over 20%. Lots of dirt and gravel on the shoulder and dogs that give chase. A canopy of trees hangs over the road and the humidity is oppressive in the summer. The most difficult "short climb" I've ever done. Silly hard. Don't go down it ever.....the dogs wai by the side of the road and walk out in fron of you while you go by at 55mph.

4) Quaker Hill - Westernville NY. About 3 miles and god knows how much vertical. Very steep pitches followed by short breaks. The sun beats down on it in a big way and you need to pick your line very carefully so as not to slip in the melting/bubbling tar. Tops out on the Tug hill plateau with a view to die for over looking Lake Delta.

5) Hyalite Canyon - Bozeman MT. 10 Miles and 2000' of vertical. Relentless climb with only very short breaks. Going up it isn't that hard but going up it quickly is very hard. Climbs next to a stream and is cool in the summer. Tops out at a lake at 7000' of elevation. A good place to spend some time.


So many more........Devils Kitchen, Podunck road, Wilton Mt road, West Mt road.....etc. But the above are my favorites. If anyone is in the area and want to try any of the above and needs guidance let me know. More fun that should be allowed.

Dave

[mike p]

I'm completely blown away by the gorgeous mts. in europe and our western states. I can't get over an 11 mile climb. In the fingerlakes of upstate NY we don't have many climbs over a mile and most shorter but what we give up in length we make up in pitch. We've got many climbs steep enough that you have to stand to climb and when you stand your rear wheel spins, a real balancing act. Many are seasonal as there to steep to maintain in the winter.

Mike

[Climb01742]

1) Lake Desolation - just outside of Saratoga Sprigs NY. Fives mile and 1000' of vertical. A very nice flow and and it feels fast. A great climb to judge your fitness on. A really fun descent.

we rode this one year at open house. a good, tough one. wish i had something like it nearby to use as a fitness test.

[David Kirk]

we rode this one year at open house. a good, tough one. wish i had something like it nearby to use as a fitness test.

Lake D is one of the best as it has lots of false flat type stuff near the base and then some pretty steep stuff near the top. Even when you get to the steep stuff there are some flats that require you pick up the pace interval style to get an overall quick time from bottom to top. I've ridden Lake D too many times to count and it's remarkable to me that so many go so hard on the step stuff and then coast over the flatter stuff. For a good time it's important to go quickly even when it's easy to do so.

If you like Lake D you'd also like some of the others I've listed a few hours west of Saratoga.

Dave

[Tailwinds]

One of my favorites--Loveland Pass http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=17523

What a memorable experience. :rolleyes:

It's time to ride -- it's going to be about 60 degrees here today. :banana:

[SPINDAWG]

the Skyway in Tellico plains Tn. or the 6gap course in Georgia. They both avg. about 7% and go up to as much as 25% in places.Here's the profile for both rides.

[RPS]

In the fingerlakes of upstate NY we don't have many climbs over a mile and most shorter but what we give up in length we make up in pitch.The Texas Hill Country also has many short but steep climbs – in the one-mile-long and 1,000-ft-elevation range. My favorites are on FM 337 riding from Medina to Leakey. Within a few miles you get three of these short climbs at grades around 16 percent; often with a strong headwind to make it interesting. Not very long, but they can sure test your legs.

Preferring longer efforts, my favorite climb thus far has to be the Mt. Whitney Portal Road starting from Lone Pine off Scenic Highway 395 in California. The terrain is so different from anything in the southeast that at times it seems like another planet – particularly when looking down on Owens Lake. On my next trip west I will also include Onion Valley Rd out of Independence with its vertical-mile of climbing. And if time allows, a few more like them within a short distance.

[Serotta_Andrew]

I have only climbed this once but the road from India to the Capital of Nepal (Kathmandu) is extremely long and difficult with a fully loaded touring bike but worth the trip. The view at the pass looking down over Kathmandu is spectacular!!!!!.

As for climbs... I would put a word in for the Croce D'Aune climb!!!! especially for those Campy fans. Nothing like coming over the pass and looking to the left and seeing the monument to Mr. Campy!!

[Tom]

I'll go do some of those big ones but for now I ride locally.

(1) Lake Desolation - to echo Mr. Kirk. It's a good one because if you want a good time you have to go fast at the bottom but it's easy to overcook it. Lots of fun to come down.
(2) Rynex Corners - more local to me, it's Deso backwards. Stair steps up for the first half, flattens for a bit and then kicks a little, rolls up more shallow to the top. You have to watch yourself at the bottom because you won't have anything left to cook it at the top. It's a great morning ride before work.
(3) Crawford - shorter, two miles or so, starts at the same level as Rynex and winds up generally in the same place but no stairs, flats are false.
(4) Ennis and Stirling. The evil twins. Each a mile, but flip over backwards steep. Stirling's a blast to come down, it twists and there are springs that run across the road so even in dry weather you better have your wits about you on a couple of those turns. Algae is slippery.

Not so local:

11 and 30 out of Manchester Vt. Not that steep but longer than anything around here.

100 over the hill into Ludlow Vt. I really like that one. The ride down into Ludlow is just too much fun.

On the list: go to my sister's place in North Haverhill, go over the hill and ride the Kanc and Crawford Notch area. Next spring.

[nm87710]

Beartooth Pass MT

[obtuse]

i like ones like this. very short, but steep.

obtuse

[justinf]

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/Calendar_NC_files/Calendar_NC_image3.jpg
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/images/LinnCoveViaduct440.jpg

Blue Ridge Parkway. . . I believe both the shots are the stretch between Linville and Blowing Rock, with a nice 6 miler in the middle among other steeper, shorter climbs.

Of course, Grandfather Mtn is cool too.

[CPP]

Maroon Bells and Independence Pass just outside of Aspen and Mt Ventoux
CPP

[labratmatt]

Climbing into bed can't be beat.

[bcm119]

I think we drove that one last year. Didn't it go by Michael Jackson's house? Didn't it turn into dirt in places
Dan
Yup, thats the one. The variety of road surfaces and grades keep it interesting.

[manet]

3) Potato Hill - part of the infamous "Hell of the North ride" out out Utica NY. hill itself is just south of Boonville NY. About 1.5 miles long with extended sections over 20%. Lots of dirt and gravel on the shoulder and dogs that give chase. A canopy of trees hangs over the road and the humidity is oppressive in the summer. The most difficult "short climb" I've ever done. Silly hard. Don't go down it ever.....the dogs wai by the side of the road and walk out in fron of you while you go by at 55mph.

So many more........Devils Kitchen ...
Dave

yes to both of those, + this little thang in central NY:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/usgspreview/o42075e3.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/usgspreview/o42075e3_gif.htm&h=3455&w=2500&sz=942&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=b04U5se9Cp21iM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsouth%2Bnew%2Bberlin%2Bny%26svnum%3D1 0%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

scroll down near the bottom, under the road to church corners lies south new berlin hill rd. it's wonderful, especially when the doberman three-quarters of the way up comes a hunting.

[dauwhe]

Not so local:

11 and 30 out of Manchester Vt. Not that steep but longer than anything around here.

100 over the hill into Ludlow Vt. I really like that one. The ride down into Ludlow is just too much fun.

I didn't enjoy the 11/30 climb much due to traffic... bet it's nice at the right time of day.

Route 100 to Ludlow is known as Mt. Terrible, and is a fixture of Boston-Montreal-Boston and Quad Centuries. On the descent, I hit 51mph on a 650B bike with 37mm tires! Coming back was more like 3 or 4 mph on the steep bits!

Dave

[manet]

and then just south of cooperstown, towards the towns maryland and portlandville lies konchar rd. to crumhorn lake rd.

ride up konchar. it ain't too long, but it gains and switches back.
for you hops-huggers, the ommegang brewery is along the route.

[Chief]

What a memorable experience. :rolleyes:

It's time to ride -- it's going to be about 60 degrees here today. :banana:

TW, I perfer my weather to yours on Loveland Pass, but yours does remind me when I came down from Independence Pass into Aspen in a driving rain storm--a real white knuckle event for me. Too cold in SA to ride today.

[Tom]

You're like when I'm at a party going on and on about how I like to drive my Civic Si real fast and the guy next to me turns out to be Neal Armstrong. Real quietly he says "Yeah... that kind of reminds me of the time me and Buzz are driving the lunar rover around in the Bay of Tranquility..."

Those are roads I don't think I could ride at all. It's one thing to be steep, it's another thing to be steep when the bike is jumping all over the place.

Sort of like up at Whiteface where if you take the wrong left turn you find yourself on a 60 degree pitch about 20 feet wide, totally frozen Volkswagens. Walk or die. Humiliation or continued existence... your choice.

Looks like fun, though.

[A.L.Breguet]

My favorite right now is just about any climb, bump, hill,... whatever, near Bienne, Le Chaux De Fonds, Neuchatel, or Bern in Switzerland.
I really do H8NJ.

[stevep]

col de lauteret, maybe?
the road to the right goes up to the galibier.
from the left goes to briancon.
straight through goes to alpe de huez.

[swoop]

good olde local Latigo Canyon
11 miles of happiness

[Bud]

My favorites:

-Lefthand canyon (all the way to Brainard Lakes)
-Grand Mesa
-Monarch pass
-Cumbres Pass (not huge, but beautiful)

My 2007 goal: Mt Evans (July 21- be there or be^2). I've ridden up to Echo lake, but this year I'm going to go all the way. I've never ridden about 12,000, but I love suckin' wind up high.

[Tailwinds]

Get ready -- it's all relatively easy until you get past Echo Lake. I learned there's a HUGE difference between 12,000' and 14,000'. But -- you just gotta do Mt. Evans!

[cycl42]

This is a great climb and even better descent!

[manet]

stevep _ i tried to make your pic larger, but i guess i'm
not as powerful as i thought...

[Tailwinds]

Not my pic, but this was taken on Trail Ridge Rd. here in CO.

[konstantkarma]

between Lake City and Gunnison...About half way up when I stop to rest (steep and nasty, I always stop and rest) I turn around and look down on Lake San Christobal and the paradise that is the San Juan range in the Rockies...Awesome combination of great cycling, light traffic and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world...and only 5 hours away from my front door...Both Ride the Rockies and Bicycle Tour of Colorado have been over Slum in the past decade...The killer is that on a recent BTC the Slum climb was after lunch, after a leg burning sixty miles from Gunnison to Lake City...Rumor has it that it was responsible for the largest number of non-weather related sagged riders in the history of BTC...Try it out...

I rode this in the opposite direction last summer. From Lake City to Creede. You forgot to mention the other historical highlight. Slumgullion Pass is near where Alferd Packer consumed a few "Dimmycrats" in the late 1800s. I can't say for sure, but I think my Power bar tasted better!

[Fat Robert]

none

[stevep]

fat man. you are a baby.
still crying about some 4 minute hill from 6 weeks ago?
jeeeez.
the jerk would say that you need a longer stem.

[Ti Designs]

I have only climbed this once but the road from India to the Capital of Nepal (Kathmandu) is extremely long and difficult with a fully loaded touring bike but worth the trip. The view at the pass looking down over Kathmandu is spectacular!!!!!.

Must be hard to do that climb loaded, but I bet it's no better sober...

[Bud]

Slumgullion and Alfred Packer. . .

The cafeteria in the UMC at CU in Boulder is called the "Alfred Packer Grill." Their motto is "have a friend for lunch."

So who's up for Mt Evans with me this year? It might be nice to have a training partner come May.

[Ray]

Slumgullion and Alfred Packer. . .

The cafeteria in the UMC at CU in Boulder is called the "Alfred Packer Grill." Their motto is "have a friend for lunch."

So who's up for Mt Evans with me this year? It might be nice to have a training partner come May.
Reed College, in Portland, has a similarly named eating establishment on campus, but I'm not sure if they share the motto too.

-Ray

[fierte_poser]

When I lived in Boulder, I liked Flagstaff Rd/Mtn for a quick and dirty climb.

Now that I live in Fort Collins, my top climb is Rist Canyon. I worry that a mountain lion might pounce on me, though! ;)

[Johnnyg]

The Mt vonteaux, Tourmolie(sp), Mt Washington, NH, Croux de Fiure, Gallibrie, Kangamangus, NH, and Redish Knob, Va, Mt Mitchell, and Old Granfather Mt, NC. The forcast call for pain! Climb on! JohnnyG

[Bud]

When I lived in Boulder, I liked Flagstaff Rd/Mtn for a quick and dirty climb.

Now that I live in Fort Collins, my top climb is Rist Canyon. I worry that a mountain lion might pounce on me, though! ;)

FLagstaff is a great lunchtime ride. Rist is on my to do list. . .

[Bud_E]

good olde local Latigo Canyon
11 miles of happiness

+1

Angeles Crest is worthy of mention.

[m_moses]

I like Mt. George near the town of Napa. Nothing out of the ordinary but a nice climb and descent. The route from the east on Wooden Valley Rd. is gorgeous.

[sspielman]

Relatively close to home, I really enjoy the climb up through Horseshoe Curve near Altoona PA. The climb starts gradually, but up above the railroad underpass, there is a 1/4 mile stretch that includes a pitch >20%....on a curve..... If you do a longer ride in the area, you can alos include the climb up Blue Knob...this road is a roller coaster of uneven gradients with lots of 12-15% on undulating pavement...Further afield, I love the climb up to the Alto Aitana near Benidorm in Spain. Normally, you can't get all the way to the summit, because it is a military installation.....but sometimes you can (like if you do it a couple of days before the Vuelta comes through)...In the same area, the Alto Collado Bermejo is spectacular...it is in the Sierra de Espuna natural park (which means scrub forest)...When you break over the summit, you can see the Mediterranean about 50 km away. The Tour of Murcia and Vuelta often use this climb...It is always encouraging to see names like Valverde and Pereiro painted on the road as you are climbing...

[spiderman]

in the black hills of south dakota...
start at sylvan lake, ride down the needles hiway
to the wilderness loop in custer state park
then back to blue bell lodge, custer and return to sylvan lake
or do the reverse
to climb all the switchbacks...
...very scenic
and as long as it isn't sturgis/rally week,
the traffic is low
and road quality high!

[chrisroph]

Colorado Hwy 92 from sapinero to hermit's rest above the black canyon of the gunnison was magical in late june 2005 during bts, one of my most memorable days ever on a bike. It goes from about 7500' to about 9100' with lots of false flats, my kind of climb. The views were incredible. What a day.

Closer to home, I love the wisterberg, which I've done 100's of times, many with my good buddy terry keele. It is about a 600' climb that takes 10 minutes or so and takes you up a road without a centerline through an oak forest inhabited by wild turkeys. Its quite the suburban experience, a jewel of a local climb.

[Julia Hampsten]

My favorite part of the Mt. Rainier ride. Partly for sentimental reasons - the first time I did it I had been riding for one month. I went as a driver and no one knew I was going to try it, they were all up ahead. I had just ridden up Cayuse Pass from Whistlin' Jack's, descended to the entrance to the Sunrise climb and decided to give it a shot - made it up with many stops and bawled at the top. That's what makes it so much fun every time I've done it since. . .I remember all the places I stopped. . .

It's a perfectly graded climb, and you notice that on the descent too - theoretically, if you hit it just right, you only really need to brake where the signs let you know you should. . .nirvana.

Julia

[tv_vt]

Close to home, Appalachian Gap from the east, Middlebury Gap from the west. To kill myself, Mount Ascutney once a year. Best hill ride - the Killington-Pico CC LAMB ride: 4 Vermont gaps (Lincoln, Appalachian, Middlebury and Brandon) over 115 miles.

In NH, a great ride is the Grand Tour in May, including the Kancumangus Pass, Bear Notch, Crawford Notch, and Franconia Notch.

I remember an incredible climb from Sedona, AZ up to Flagstaff, AZ: Oak Creek Canyon. That is probably one of the most beautiful climbs I've ridden.

[Waldo]

Continuous climb from sea level to 10,032 feet. 38 miles of continuous uphill. Stupendous views. The steepest section was ~8% in the fist 7 miles. Otherwise, the grade never exceeded 5%. If you start early enough, you'll gain enough altitude before it gets really hot and you'll never be uncomfortably hot because it's drier and cooler at altitude, even in Hawaii. I did the climb in March and at the top the wind was around 40mph. With the temperature in the low 50s I was glad that I brought a windbreker and knee warmers for the descent.

[Tom]

Best hill ride - the Killington-Pico CC LAMB ride: 4 Vermont gaps (Lincoln, Appalachian, Middlebury and Brandon) over 115 miles.

In NH, a great ride is the Grand Tour in May, including the Kancumangus Pass, Bear Notch, Crawford Notch, and Franconia Notch.



Are these organized rides? Where can I find info or should I Google and see what appears?

[konstantkarma]

Colorado Hwy 92 from sapinero to hermit's rest above the black canyon of the gunnison was magical in late june 2005 during bts, one of my most memorable days ever on a bike. It goes from about 7500' to about 9100' with lots of false flats, my kind of climb. The views were incredible. What a day.

Good taste in climbs! Another part of the ride I did last summer in Colorado. This and Slum-G pass were definite highlights.

[Homsie]

I like both the Northgate and Southgate roads of Mt. Diablo. Nice 6.2 mile or so climb to the junction (great short lunch ride option) and the option to go another 4+ miles to the top for about 11 miles and 3000+ feet of rise.

[Greg Wright]

I have to agree with Tailwinds about Trail Ridge Road in Colorado. It actually includes 3 passes (Iceberg, Fall River & Milner), but there are at least 10 miles of riding at altitude over 10k ft (above timberline). The vistas are spectacular looking in any direction. There are many other high mountain roads in Colo that are just as spectacular, but this is one of the longest stretches. Narrow road without any shoulder, so best to do it during the week. You can do this only during June-Aug, maybe Sep as they don't keep the road open once it is slammed with snow after Labor day.

The climb up Mt Evans is just as nice. It's been a while since I've done that one so I don't know how the road surface is these days.

I don't know any of the grades along the way, but for us husky-boys, any climb is a challenge. But gravity works both directions. Watch out for us on the descents!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAA! Makes all the torture worthwhile. :beer:

[tv_vt]

The LAMB ride is organized by the Killington Pico Cycling Club - should be able to google them. Ride is usually late June to mid July.

The Grand Tour not so sure about. I heard about it from a friend who belongs to the Littleton Bicycle Club. Club name may be New Hampshire Velo or Littleton Land Sharks. Could also look under the Littleton Bike Shop. I think the Grand Tour, which is usually in mid May, may be run out of The Greasy Wheel bike shop in Plymouth, NH, but not sure.

T

[davids]

The Great Blue Hill, Milton, Massachusetts.

http://www.mountainsummits.com/pictures/massachusetts/bluehillsreservation/images/bluehill10.jpg

http://www.mountainsummits.com/topographics/greatbluehillmap.gif

http://www.northeastcycling.com/ne_small_climbs_LR.jpg

Yeah, that's 0.7 miles and 635 feet of agony, atmo. Highest coastal peak between Maine and Georgia.

...OK, it's all we've got. It's not long, but it is steep, and a lot of fun as a part of a morning loop. The view from the observatory is kinda nice, actually.