If you revel in bicycling challenges and you have a bucket list, then the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is a perfectat candidate for it.
The 7.6-mile scramble to the summit of the New Hampshire peak has an average gradient of 12% with sections at 18%. The last 50 yards, where it really counts, maxes out at 22%.
Viewing the unnatural upward tilt of some bicycles in this video makes my thighs burn, but I can understand some cyclists' desire to return here year after year. The race first rolled out in 1973.
Many bicyclists who consider themselves serious climbers will give this race a shot. It's also popular for cyclists who are reaching an age milestone or have beaten death in a serious illness, according to the film's narrator.
At 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in New England and boasts some of the monumentally worst weather anywhere. For 76 years, the summit held the record for the highest wind speed ever measured on the Earth's surface, 231 mph.
Tom Danielson, currently a member of the Garmin Cervelo cycling team, holds the men's record on the mountain. At 49:24 set in 2002, it remains the only time anyone has beat 50 minutes on the climb.
Tyler Hamilton is another pro cyclist whose name is associated with the climb after four victories between 1998 and 2006. All those times were disregarded for records, however, after his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.
And speaking of age milestones, mountain biking legend Ned Overend won the race in 2011 at age 56.
The race is scheduled for Aug. 18, 2012, with an Aug. 19 makeup day in case of postponement due to weather. The $350 entry fee benefits the Tin Mountain Conservation Center.
Registration opens Feb. 1, and in spite of its difficulty, the ride sells out quickly.
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