climb % and difficulty

[Guess Who]

A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This was before Lance's comeback
ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved seeing Lance's name on the road and reading about it in
Lance's book.

It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I looked it up today on the net and
supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in 3 miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the
tour, just curious how the climbing angle compares.

Thanks

[Nick Burns]

"guess who" <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:eYhTa.49974$k85.1871104@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This was before Lance's comeback
> ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
seeing
> Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
>
> It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I looked it up today on the net and
> supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in 3 miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the
> tour, just curious how
the
> climbing angle compares.
>
> Thanks

If your climb goes 483' per mile (5280 feet), that means 483/5280 = 9.15% average grade. Most climbs
in the Tour are longer but average around 7%. There are plenty that are steeper though.

[Antti Salonen]

guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

> A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This was before Lance's comeback
> ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved seeing Lance's name on the road and reading about it
> in Lance's book.

> It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I looked it up today on the net and
> supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in 3 miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the
> tour, just curious how the climbing angle compares.

That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly lower
average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous climbs have
sections which are steeper than that 9%.

-as

[Guess Who]

"Antti Salonen" <aksalone@blah.blah.cc.helsinki.fi.invalid> wrote in message
news:bfkauc$e5p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
> guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This was before Lance's comeback
> > ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
seeing
> > Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
>
> > It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I looked
it
> > up today on the net and supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in 3 miles. I know it's
> > shorter than the climbs in the tour, just curious how
the
> > climbing angle compares.
>
> That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly lower
> average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous climbs have
> sections which are steeper than that 9%.
>
> -as

there were steeper sections of my climb too, but no way I could have gone too much further.

[Guess Who]

Thanks Nick and Antti! "Antti Salonen" <aksalone@blah.blah.cc.helsinki.fi.invalid> wrote in message
news:bfkauc$e5p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
> guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This was before Lance's comeback
> > ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
seeing
> > Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
>
> > It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I looked
it
> > up today on the net and supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in 3 miles. I know it's
> > shorter than the climbs in the tour, just curious how
the
> > climbing angle compares.
>
> That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly lower
> average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous climbs have
> sections which are steeper than that 9%.
>
> -as

[Steve Blankensh]

FYI - just ran a quick profile of Beech with TopoUSA; it averages 10% over about 3 miles, but has
some sections in the high teens to around 20%, especially in some of the upper switchbacks. Short
but steep, and of course in DuPont it always was the finishing climb of a long day in the mountains.
Roan Mountain's another good climb up in that area that they did in DuPont as well; about three
times as long as Beech, it was ranked as a UCI Category 1 climb early in the stage to Beech Mtn.
Rode the RR that finishes on top of Roan back in June (got spanked) and a teammate who'd been in the
Alps last year said it was about like the climb to La Plagne.

"guess who" <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:bxiTa.50087$k85.1876029@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> Thanks Nick and Antti! "Antti Salonen" <aksalone@blah.blah.cc.helsinki.fi.invalid> wrote in
message
> news:bfkauc$e5p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
> > guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> >
> > > A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This
was
> > > before Lance's comeback ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
> seeing
> > > Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
> >
> > > It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I
looked
> it
> > > up today on the net and supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet in
3
> > > miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the tour, just curious
how
> the
> > > climbing angle compares.
> >
> > That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly lower
> > average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous climbs have
> > sections which are steeper than that 9%.
> >
> > -as
>

[Guess Who]

Steve-- I thought there were some seriously steep parts (especially those switchbacks). Congrats on
your ride. alan

"Steve Blankenship" <steveNOSPAMblankenship@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:lEadnVOSefUOQYCiXTWJhQ@comcast.com...
> FYI - just ran a quick profile of Beech with TopoUSA; it averages 10% over about 3 miles, but has
> some sections in the high teens to around 20%, especially in some of the upper switchbacks. Short
> but steep, and of
course
> in DuPont it always was the finishing climb of a long day in the
mountains.
> Roan Mountain's another good climb up in that area that they did in DuPont as well; about three
> times as long as Beech, it was ranked as a UCI
Category
> 1 climb early in the stage to Beech Mtn. Rode the RR that finishes on top of Roan back in June
> (got spanked) and a teammate who'd been in the Alps last year said it was about like the climb to
> La Plagne.
>
> "guess who" <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:bxiTa.50087$k85.1876029@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> > Thanks Nick and Antti! "Antti Salonen" <aksalone@blah.blah.cc.helsinki.fi.invalid> wrote in
> message
> > news:bfkauc$e5p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
> > > guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This
> was
> > > > before Lance's comeback ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
> > seeing
> > > > Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
> > >
> > > > It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I
> looked
> > it
> > > > up today on the net and supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet
in
> 3
> > > > miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the tour, just curious
> how
> > the
> > > > climbing angle compares.
> > >
> > > That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly
> > > lower average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous
> > > climbs have sections which
are
> > > steeper than that 9%.
> > >
> > > -as
> > >
> >
> >

[Guess Who]

that Topo USA is a very cool program. "Steve Blankenship" <steveNOSPAMblankenship@comcast.net> wrote
in message news:lEadnVOSefUOQYCiXTWJhQ@comcast.com...
> FYI - just ran a quick profile of Beech with TopoUSA; it averages 10% over about 3 miles, but has
> some sections in the high teens to around 20%, especially in some of the upper switchbacks. Short
> but steep, and of
course
> in DuPont it always was the finishing climb of a long day in the
mountains.
> Roan Mountain's another good climb up in that area that they did in DuPont as well; about three
> times as long as Beech, it was ranked as a UCI
Category
> 1 climb early in the stage to Beech Mtn. Rode the RR that finishes on top of Roan back in June
> (got spanked) and a teammate who'd been in the Alps last year said it was about like the climb to
> La Plagne.
>
> "guess who" <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:bxiTa.50087$k85.1876029@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> > Thanks Nick and Antti! "Antti Salonen" <aksalone@blah.blah.cc.helsinki.fi.invalid> wrote in
> message
> > news:bfkauc$e5p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
> > > guess who <pissant@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > A few years ago I was staying on Beech mtn. and down and up it. This
> was
> > > > before Lance's comeback ride on it, but after the Tour DuPont. Loved
> > seeing
> > > > Lance's name on the road and reading about it in Lance's book.
> > >
> > > > It certainly was tough for me, took me 30 minutes for 3 miles. I
> looked
> > it
> > > > up today on the net and supposedly the elevation goes up 1450 feet
in
> 3
> > > > miles. I know it's shorter than the climbs in the tour, just curious
> how
> > the
> > > > climbing angle compares.
> > >
> > > That's an average gradient of about 9%. Most big climbs in the grand tours have a slightly
> > > lower average gradient, but as you say, they are often a lot longer. Of course many famous
> > > climbs have sections which
are
> > > steeper than that 9%.
> > >
> > > -as
> > >
> >
> >