big john

It was added when I was playing around in Windows paint.
It's Valleygirl, me, vertical bob, Carrie, and Cassave. Carrie isn't on BF.

ls0725

exactly! one can google all you want about routes but first hand account is golden.

Vireo

Added a video to my blog today....

Unagidon

I'm definitely jealous. I live in Kansas - enough said. But wait...I probably can't make it up those climbs anyways... Cool list, and Vireo, I still tell people about you and your crazy fixie ride on the Furnace Creek.

ls0725

very nice, lots of useful info. takes a lot of dedication both on the road and in computer work.

RT

How Colorado was omitted from this top ten list astounds me.

ElJamoquio

I love the book and all, it's a good guide (especially if you're from CA), but honestly any 'most difficult' list is pretty worthless. I mean, come on, after a certain level of fitness and a gearing change, you can get up any paved road in the world.

umd

Agreed. Pretty much just should say "longest and steepest"

Daerkon

Regarding Colorado you would think Mt Evans would bear a mention, not because it is difficult but it is technically the highest paved road in North America and summits at 14,130'. There just aren't that many 14ers that you can ride up on a road bike.

border reiver

Mt. Evans is a classic because of altitude and weather extremes. But it's not that steep (only about 4-5% average) which is why it doesn't make the list. In fact a lot of Colorado passes are of a similar grade. I'm unaware of any climbs in Colorado that could match Mt. Washington for average gradient or could match Euro HC categorie climbs such as Mt. Ventoux for length + average gradient. I haven't ridden Mt. Washington, but I've ridden Mont Ventoux and Mt. Evans numerous times (including when it was snowing at the top) and as a pure climb, Mont Ventoux is considerably more difficult.

Check out and compare profiles here.

https://www.climbbybike.com/

obie

Has anyone done Haleakala?

The Climbybike postings make this sound longish but not steep. And average grade is...well, average.

Why is this ranked so high on lists?

Is there an annual "event" / race to the top?

Vaughter's record: was this during a race or....what??

umd

There are some threads on Haleakala.

It's not steep but it's the steepest climb of that length and I believe the most gain at 10,000 feet.

I believe that there is a race to the top... "Cycle to the Sun" or somesuch.

billh92109

Hmm - Im just going to have to add this to my 'favorite posts' list... Save up some vacay and take a few trips around here... hehe. I've been doing Mt laguna every weekend and I thought it was 'tough' so I have a ways to go. Good times!

obie

Nice.

acaurora

I climbed Haleakala earlier this year - as umd said, it isn't very steep, just really LONG, moreso a test of endurance I suppose. I wasn't able to complete it, but I do plan on going back someday to finish it. What really killed me was the psychological and mental aspect of the climb. There are two sets of switchbacks, and the 2nd set is rather long, and entirely visible as well as the summit. Being able to see cars pass me by as well as watch them go up the set of switchbacks was a bit depressing. That and they had markers painted on the road per every 1000ft, so it was even more depressing when you're climbing climbing climbing what you think was more than a thousand feet, and then you see the thousand foot marker. So towards the end of the 2nd set of switchbacks after dealing with the humidity, the rental bike, and the wind (headwind became tailwind as you changed directions on the switchbacks) I gave up at the Visitor's Center, which was at about 7500 ft. Ride report/post is below.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ala-I-failed-(

I think if I went back now I would be able to complete it, having done the Death Ride/Auburn Centuries. And if I brought my bike. Good luck if you do it!

gregf83 

Any climb is difficult if you ride fast enough. One climb being more difficult than another is more a function of gearing than anything else.

icyclist 

One climb I'd like to do would take me from Frazier Park (about 4650ft in elevation), which is a little community between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, off Interstate-5, to the end of the paved road on Mt. Pinos. With the right tires, I'd continue to the top of the peak, 8845ft in elevation. The roads that circumnavigate the mountain are challenging, too.

logdrum

I have done two of the toughest top 10 in that national list the one in Vermont Equinox Mt and Mt Lemmon in AZ. Add Palomar to that as well.


Mt Washington is insane. The only way to climb it I think is to join that race (it is only open 1 or 2 times a year) and it fills up pretty quickly. I've been a spectator in that race.

Speaking of Vermont. The six gap ride in my opinion is till a tough one to beat and I currently live in New Mexico and occasionally ride in Colorado.

border reiver

Don't know about the answer to this question, but Vaughters was a hell of a climber back in the day and even held the record for Mt. Ventoux for a few years--accomplished during the Dauphine.

You'd never know it now, but as a teenage phenom in the amateur Colo road race scene, Vaughters was about the skinniest racer you've ever seen and a natural climber. At around 6' I imagine he weighed about 125lbs soaking wet--and he could time trial too!

Ygduf

Toughest is subjective. I still feel like roads like Alba (12% for 3 miles) are tougher than mountain passes. Marin Ave at 20% for 1 mile was more difficult for me (just to, you know, finish without stopping) than any of the DR passes.

dolophonic

This is a great climb, there are some other pretty amazing roads round there too.
Check it out.

I think Colorado has some climbs that are HC. We rode from Vail up to Copper Mtn Via Leadville that was up there also Grand Mesa and Wolf Creek pass.
There are loads of climbs out there. As someone else mentioned its how you go up them as well that makes them really hard.
One climb i love and would put up there is Gibraltar in Santa Barbra.

umd

Yes, great climb and in the book's list of top 100. As the combination of Old San Marcos and Painted Cave, and Fig in the SYV in both directions (from Los Olivos or Happy Canyon).

KiddSisko

Watched, and enjoyed! The remoteness is spectacular "up" there.

obie

Barcroft Lab above the White Mountain/Patriarch Grove area is over 12,000'.

It's a hardpack sand/gravel ride of about 5 miles beyond the paved road end. I did it on my roadie with 700x23's and got about 2 miles up. It kicks up near the station so I would think you need a CX rig to pull this off.





Their summit lab is 14,000+ but I don't know what that trail looks like.

https://www.wmrs.edu/

icyclist 

It's an extremely rough jeep trail, including some very steep sections with loose dirt; definitely not designed for rides bikes.