Mt. Washington

Another friend of mine who rides in the hilly area of LI did Mt. Washington recently. This is his big event of the year for him and he has done better and better each year. I find it funny that a guy from a faily flat area loves the hills but he does. He is a great guy and I give him alot of cred for doing a ride that has no flat sections and ends with the final 100 yards being 22% grade.

http://homepage.mac.com/awjohnso/Galleries/MtWashington2008/Saturday/index.html

Here is a link to his blog.

-js

 

Wow. Great ride! I want to try that ride someday.

 

I noticed He was riding with a power tap....It would be interesting to see what he had for numbers.

Finishing that race is quite an accomplishment...He should be proud of himself.

 

Smart setup with the small front ring...

Thanks for the link! Looks fun..

 

I would like to do this climb sometime. Fortunately I have a good training area for this type of climbing.

 

The race is so popular that is sells out in virtually hours after they open it and the riders from the previous year get preference. So you basically have to wait till someone gives up a spot.

Also while it is held in the Summer, it is quite cold up there and the road is closed during the colder months. The race was cancelled last year due to rain. And just to let you know how steep the road is, only cars with a certain transmission are allowed up the road or you will burn it out and no riders are allowed to take the road back down as someone must be at the top waiting for you to drive you back down.

This is one of those type of races where it is all about the "pain" and the mental toughness to just keep going. He told me the first year he stopped and could not get back on the bike as it was too steep until two people held the bike up for him while he got it going.

-js

 

Good question, I will ask him. I wish I could take credit for him starting with the PT but he was already in the process of buying it when we started to chat more. I have know him for years because he is into anime and went to a local college.

He was prepared well this year on all ends...

-js

 

Completing that ride is when the phrase, "You Are the Man!!!" is really justified in use (even if it happens to be a girl ).

Those last couple of pictures are insane looking.

 

Is that a road or a lava flow?

 

Some of cycling best have had a crack at Mt Washington. Tom Danielson hold the record (49.42)...Tyler Hamiliton won a couple years ago (drove away in a new Audi back when Audi sponsored the race)... Tim Johnson (cyclocross speedster).... The hill climb is a BIG New England favorite.

No lava....just road

 

My teammate finished seventh. I'm told that he averaged 380 watts for the duration. I'm not sure how much he weighs but he is tall so I'm suspecting 185 pounds (~84 kg) or more, which would make his output ~4.5 W/kg for an hour, better than the average joe.

The guy who finished 10th is about 165 pounds (~75 kg). He did not ride with a power meter this time but based upon his typical numbers, I'd say that he was doing ~330 watts for the hour.

Caveat: I haven't checked the feasibility of these numbers on any online calculators.