Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb - August 16th

If you really want to prove bents can climb - here's a chance to show your stuff. The bicycle record
up this 7.6 mile auto road is 49 minutes & 24 seconds. The footrace record is 58 minutes. Grade
Avg.12%, extended 18%, final 100 yds. 22%

I wonder if George Reynolds or Rich Pinto ever entered this climb? It's in their backyard - the New
Hampshire White Mountains.

Check it out at: http://www.tinmtn.org/hillclimb/index.cfm

 

"skip" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> If you really want to prove bents can climb - here's a chance to show your stuff. The bicycle
> record up this 7.6 mile auto road is 49 minutes & 24 seconds. The footrace record is 58 minutes.
> Grade Avg.12%, extended 18%, final 100 yds. 22%
>
> I wonder if George Reynolds or Rich Pinto ever entered this climb? It's in their backyard - the
> New Hampshire White Mountains.
>
> Check it out at: http://www.tinmtn.org/hillclimb/index.cfm

George Reynolds has done this climb on a Wishbone classic with an extra small granny gear though he
said he didn't use his lowest gear on the rear.

CBBaron

 

>If you really want to prove bents can climb - here's a chance to show your stuff. The bicycle
>record up this 7.6 mile auto road is 49 minutes & 24 seconds. The footrace record is 58 minutes.
>Grade Avg.12%, extended 18%, final 100 yds. 22%
>
>I wonder if George Reynolds or Rich Pinto ever entered this climb? It's in their backyard - the New
>Hampshire White Mountains.
>
>Check it out at: http://www.tinmtn.org/hillclimb/index.cfm
>
>

Hi Skip

Many beleive the Mt Washington Hill climb to be the hardest paved road climb in existence.

My bud George Reynolds did it in '99 (?) and asked me beforehand what I though he should use
for gearing...I told him I did not think 15 inches would be too low.

IIRC, he went with ~20 gear inches, and after said that he was in that lowest gear over 90% of
the race, and said he could have used lower!

George started last after letting everyone go, and picked off about 200 riders out of 400+ on
the way to a 1:42 finish. A tough, tough climb!

The problem is that you send in your money (as much as 300 dollars last I checked) - and since
Mt Washington has the reputation as the "worlds worst weather"- with hurricane force winds over
110 days per year, killer snow/ice storms, 124 deaths for climbers/skiers over the last two
centuries, and the worlds record 231MPH wind measurement...the chances the event will get
canceled- and you will lose your entry fee- are high.

At least it goes to a good cause, the Tin Mountain group.

Rich


Rich Pinto
Bacchetta Bicycles

 

I know it's tough. One July some years ago I was backpacking in the White Mts.and got a touch of
hypothermia near the summit of Mt. Washington. No harm resulted, but it did cause me to have a
couple of brief, but interesting hallucinations.

On a wall in the Pinkham Notch AMC Hut there is a board where those 124 deaths are listed by date,
name, and cause. This board has spaces to list additional names. It is a sobering thing to see. It
forces you to recognize the harsh artic like conditions you might, by chance, even in summer, find
yourself in.

I saw some old pictures in Yankee Magazine of some guys riding bikes down the auto road. They were
dragging planks of lumber chained to their bikes to help slow them down. Yesteryears version of
extreme sports I suppose.

Skip

"RCPINTO" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Many beleive the Mt Washington Hill climb to be the hardest paved
road
> climb in existence.
>
> My bud George Reynolds did it in '99 (?) and asked me beforehand what
I
> though he should use for gearing...I told him I did not think 15 inches
would
> be too low.
>
> IIRC, he went with ~20 gear inches, and after said that he was in that lowest gear over 90% of
> the race, and said he could have used lower!
>
> George started last after letting everyone go, and picked off about
200
> riders out of 400+ on the way to a 1:42 finish. A tough, tough climb!
>
> The problem is that you send in your money (as much as 300 dollars
last I
> checked) - and since Mt Washington has the reputation as the "worlds worst weather"- with
> hurricane force winds over 110 days per year, killer
snow/ice
> storms, 124 deaths for climbers/skiers over the last two centuries, and
the
> worlds record 231MPH wind measurement...the chances the event will get canceled- and you will lose
> your entry fee- are high.
>
> At least it goes to a good cause, the Tin Mountain group.
>
>
> Rich
>
>
>
>
> Rich Pinto
> Bacchetta Bicycles

 

It's worth noting that Tyler Hamilton has won the hill climb on three occasions. Last weekend he
also won the "King of the Mountains" jersey in the Paris-Niece stage race.

I imagine the times for the climb would vary from year to year depending on how much head winds are
encountered (perhaps an advantage for bents).

Personally, I would love to see Rich Pinto do the climb. I'd be willing to put up $30.00 of his
entry fee if 9 others would do the same. The post event newsgroup report would be worth the $30
bucks. How 'bout it Rich?

Bruce "I'm enjoying flatter rides" Shannahoff '01 Aerocycle

 

> Many beleive the Mt Washington Hill climb to be the hardest paved road climb in existence.

Wow! I cannot even imagine climbing that mountain on a bike. We had a chance to climb it about 18
months ago in a car and that was challenging enough.

 

Yeah. I'd pledge $30.00 too.

Skip

"Bruce Shannahoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> It's worth noting that Tyler Hamilton has won the hill climb on three occasions. Last weekend he
> also won the "King of the Mountains" jersey in the Paris-Niece stage race.
>
> I imagine the times for the climb would vary from year to year depending on how much head winds
> are encountered (perhaps an advantage for bents).
>
> Personally, I would love to see Rich Pinto do the climb. I'd be willing to put up $30.00 of his
> entry fee if 9 others would do the same. The post event newsgroup report would be worth the $30
> bucks. How 'bout it Rich?
>
> Bruce "I'm enjoying flatter rides" Shannahoff '01 Aerocycle

 

Bruce Shannahoff wrote:
> It's worth noting that Tyler Hamilton has won the hill climb on three occasions. Last weekend he
> also won the "King of the Mountains" jersey in the Paris-Niece stage race.
>
> I imagine the times for the climb would vary from year to year depending on how much head winds
> are encountered (perhaps an advantage for bents).
>
> Personally, I would love to see Rich Pinto do the climb. I'd be willing to put up $30.00 of his
> entry fee if 9 others would do the same. The post event newsgroup report would be worth the $30
> bucks. How 'bout it Rich?
>
> Bruce "I'm enjoying flatter rides" Shannahoff '01 Aerocycle

I just checked their website. Registration is $200, but there are only 32 openings left as of this
writing. Registration went down from $300 to $200 this weekend, some sort of reverse late fee?

Dave Lehnen

 

RCPINTO wrote:
>
> ... Many beleive the Mt Washington Hill climb to be the hardest paved > road climb in
> existence....

What is it about the pavement on the Mt. Washington road that makes the surface so hard?

Tom Sherman - Recumbent Pedant Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

Tom Sherman wrote:
>
> RCPINTO wrote:
> >
> > ... Many beleive the Mt Washington Hill climb to be the hardest paved > road climb in
> > existence....
>
> What is it about the pavement on the Mt. Washington road that makes the surface so hard?
>
> Tom Sherman - Recumbent Pedant Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

It's been some years since I've been but I recall much of the road as unpaved.

Have they actually paved it all the way to the top now? Seems like a maintenance nightmare!

--

Brian Rost
Stargen, Inc.

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