Back in ~1994/95, I did a race in Lake Placid the climbed (what I thought) was a back service road up Whiteface. The race was about 75 miles, started and finished in Lake Placid, and was named after somebody (deceased cyclist maybe?). This may or may not be the same ride. We did not have to stop at the top or turn around, we continued down the other side on a long straightaway, hitting 50+mph.
As I recall, the climb was not all that brutal. It was a little steep at the top, but not too bad. Sand on the side of the road made life a little difficult if you got into it. The killer (for me) was a bunch of short little climbs afterwards that just took away all my energy.