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08-28-03, 08:45 AM
I just got back from a vacation to the Lake Placid, NY area, I was staying near the beginning of the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway. This road is a 2 lane road that climbs 3800 ft over 8 miles, with a nearly constant grade of 8%. The first 3 miles can be used at anytime by a bike, but the last 5 miles are a toll road and bicycles are prohibited until the road is closed to cars (around 6PM each night).
Anyway, I’m looking up at this mountain, and was thinking – what is like to climb one of those big TdF monster hills, so up I went. It turned out to be the most incredible ride I have ever taken.
Once through the toll booth (the road was now closed), there was absolute silence – no cars, trucks, motors, no noise at all. There were no concerns about getting run over by a vehicle, hit by a thrown object, or yelled at. No need to worry about whether I should take the lane or ride the shoulder. Then there were the views – they were spectacular. As I climbed higher, the views got better, this was all the motivation I needed to get to the top. At the top, you can look over the edge and see how high you climbed. It was amazing. I climbed to the top 3 times during my vacation. By my third time, I wasn’t setting any speed records (a whopping 5.1 MPH avg. during the ascent) but I made it to the top without stopping.
So, what’s it like to climb a big monster hill? Really tough, but not impossible. Tough enough to be a challenge, but not so hard that it is not fun. What really surprised me, isn’t the difficulty of the ascent, it was the descent. The uppermost 2 miles, are a series of switchbacks with the edge of the road being a cliff. This was no problem going up, but it scared the crap out of me coming down. I couldn’t get myself to go any faster then 15 MPH on this section. The next 3 miles I took at 20-30 MPH, and the last 3 I went all out, no brakes, at 35-40 MPH.
There were more cyclists in the Lake Placid area then I have ever seen anywhere else, but I only encountered one other person making the climb during my 3 rides. This climb is too good to miss, if you are in the area give it a shot. Remember to bring basic tools, tire pump, etc. If you break down, you’ll be on your own. Sorry for the long post. I’ll try to post pictures later.
Anyway, I’m looking up at this mountain, and was thinking – what is like to climb one of those big TdF monster hills, so up I went. It turned out to be the most incredible ride I have ever taken.
Once through the toll booth (the road was now closed), there was absolute silence – no cars, trucks, motors, no noise at all. There were no concerns about getting run over by a vehicle, hit by a thrown object, or yelled at. No need to worry about whether I should take the lane or ride the shoulder. Then there were the views – they were spectacular. As I climbed higher, the views got better, this was all the motivation I needed to get to the top. At the top, you can look over the edge and see how high you climbed. It was amazing. I climbed to the top 3 times during my vacation. By my third time, I wasn’t setting any speed records (a whopping 5.1 MPH avg. during the ascent) but I made it to the top without stopping.
So, what’s it like to climb a big monster hill? Really tough, but not impossible. Tough enough to be a challenge, but not so hard that it is not fun. What really surprised me, isn’t the difficulty of the ascent, it was the descent. The uppermost 2 miles, are a series of switchbacks with the edge of the road being a cliff. This was no problem going up, but it scared the crap out of me coming down. I couldn’t get myself to go any faster then 15 MPH on this section. The next 3 miles I took at 20-30 MPH, and the last 3 I went all out, no brakes, at 35-40 MPH.
There were more cyclists in the Lake Placid area then I have ever seen anywhere else, but I only encountered one other person making the climb during my 3 rides. This climb is too good to miss, if you are in the area give it a shot. Remember to bring basic tools, tire pump, etc. If you break down, you’ll be on your own. Sorry for the long post. I’ll try to post pictures later.