How steep is ohio?

[CAMPYBOB]

Some of Ohio is pan flat for miles. Some of it is gently rolling. Some of it is full of short, steep hills.

Some of it is lethally step.

There's a Jeep in this picture. It went over a 500' cliff in the dark and landed on a benched out spot about the Ohio River Valley that's still a long way down (see cars on the State route that follows the Ohio River in the background).

Three people died in the Jeep.

The total climb up the road At Hannibal, Ohio is around 600' or so and it's straight up. I couldn't tell you the grade's average percentage, but I raced it years ago during a USCF road race and it was painful. It caused rider after rider to jump off their bikes and run them up the steep sections.

We don't have any climbs that cover 10 miles and gain 7000' feet, but we'll find a way to make you suffer!

 

[Bicycleman]

Some of Ohio is pan flat for miles. Some of it is gently rolling. Some of it is full of short, steep hills.

Some of it is lethally step.

There's a Jeep in this picture. It went over a 500' cliff in the dark and landed on a benched out spot about the Ohio River Valley that's still a long way down (see cars on the State route that follows the Ohio River in the background).

Three people died in the Jeep.

The total climb up the road At Hannibal, Ohio is around 600' or so and it's straight up. I couldn't tell you the grade's average percentage, but I raced it years ago during a USCF road race and it was painful. It caused rider after rider to jump off their bikes and run them up the steep sections.

We don't have any climbs that cover 10 miles and gain 7000' feet, but we'll find a way to make you suffer!

Guranteed you won't jump off your bike and run up NC's Mt. Mitchell. Mr. Beanz can say that Mitchell is too easy, but he hasn't done it yet. It wouldn't be billed as one of the 10 toughest climbs in the US for nothing. I've seen a few from Ohio do that ride, even UK riders have done it and all have complained about it.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

One of my old team mates did the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. On a steel Miyata touring bike. He said it was tough because it came at the end of hard, fast race. He had the right gearing for the steep parts and said he thought the top would never come.

He stayed at the Bicycle Inn a few times and liked the area so much that he moved there last year...sweet retirement.

He's the tall guy standing with his back to you. I'm the handsome gentleman seen under his left arm after 105 miles of fighting a 20-25 MPH headwind all day.

 

[Bicycleman]

One of my old team mates did the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. On a steel Miyata touring bike. He said it was tough because it came at the end of hard, fast race. He had the right gearing for the steep parts and said he thought the top would never come.

He stayed at the Bicycle Inn a few times and liked the area so much that he moved there last year...sweet retirement.

He's the tall guy standing with his back to you. I'm the handsome gentleman seen under his left arm after 105 miles of fighting a 20-25 MPH headwind all day.

25 miles of pure hill. So you did it too?

I used to ride with this guy, who rode a touring bike. We were in the Va mountains training for Mt. Mitchell. He constantly griped at me because I kept leaving him in the hills. I was in my 39 and running a 13-28 combination in the back. He had this heavy bike with all these wide ratio gears, but he was ****** because I was charging the rolling hills and standing up powering over them while he sat and spun his way up. He had a racing bike but preferred the old touring bike. What an excuse, "I got dropped because I was riding a touring bike."

 

[CAMPYBOB]

No...never did Mt. Mitch. I've ridden the Blue Ridge, the Asheville area and around JH's turf near Pidgeon Forge/Sevierville.

I think my buddy, who is a very strong and powerful rider with climbing skills that are above average, took the touring bike for the triple. I can't remember if he used it our not, but if had the gearing and needed it for those steep ramps there would be no shame in spinning up for a little bit.

My plan is to Winter down South, stock up on Confederate battle flags, ride wherever the warm weather takes me and see how many states I can do before I die.

 

[jhuskey]

Pigeon Forge. My home town. At least it was the closest town. Hill-R-US.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I recently read one of the of repeated...when it comes to cycling equipment..."Death Of The Compact Chainring" articles.

Being somewhat...er...old...no...let's just say I'm an "elder statesman" of cycling (as are more than a few on this forum!) I can say I've read about the 'death' of the triple, the compact, been through the semi-compact" twice now and I call ******** on any and all of it!

There is only one rider with your terrain, your physiology, your conditioning, your body type and your goals. That's 'you'.

So ride the triple if you are in the mountains, the semi compact or compact if you are in the hills and the racer's big rings if you can handle them or just want to pose. No one really cares...just go have some fun.

OK...shifting gears now (pun intended)...

JH lives among some beautiful climbs! I absolutely love the area! And NC offers spectacular roads and scenery. West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland...right on down to Kentucky, the Carolinas and Georgia. I am going to enjoy all of the back roads I can get lost on down there.

Climbing can be one of the most rewarding aspects of cycling. When I was young I was a capable climber. I've tried to maintain that as I aged. Never having had a good sprint, all I could do was sit in and wait until we started going up. Suffer, grin like Onoda-Kun and enjoy that ride!

We can grind up, spin up, stand up, hammer up and stomp up...as long as we smile through the sweat we'll get over the top of this one.

 

[mooray]

Never been to Ohio. I'm from the UK but I hope to get there sometime just to test your theory.