Conference noted::bicycle

Green Street from Northboro to the Boylston Golf course with a 35 
pound kid on the back.

JC    

    	The Mont Vernon hill in Mont Vernon, NH. My car barely goes
    	up that hill, let alone me on the bike.
    
    	I know, Reg thinks the Mont Vernon hill is no hill at all.
    
    	A friend works with a fella who used to ride up that hill
    	5 times every day at lunch time.
    
    	Scott

    o  Base of mountain road to the top of Mt. Wachusett.
   
    o  Short, but sweet, Upper North Row Road off Rt 140 (near Mt Wachusett)
    towards Sterling.  This hill is a real surprise after just climbing
    the mountain. 
    
    Steve
    
    

    Joppa Hill Rd in New Boston.  I think the 3rd lump is the worst of
    them.  (Coming from Chestnut Hill/New Boston Rd, not Amherst)
    
    Uncanoonuck in Goffstown.
    
    The last 700 ft of Pack Monadnock in Temple.
    
    ed

Nobody who lives around Manchester NH should go without trying the 
Harrison St. Hill..... it's real short but there's a moderately steep 
section at the start which serves to burn off any speed you might have, 
then the REAL climbing starts. I couldn't ride up it even with my mtn. 
gears on (45-24). Coming down it is a whole 'nother experience, too...
                                              ken

    Thorn Hill Road in Jackson, N.H.
    
    Not too long, but some nice steep inclines,
    just enough slope to make you think you can
    attempt it, and then it thrashes you good
    making youwish you hadn't. 8-}
    
    I'm trying it this 4th of July weekend.
    
    -Arthur
                                     

>>    Where is the worst hill around?
    
      I second the vote for Mt Wachusett(sp) climb (Mile hill road then up the
auto road to the top.) The Mile hill road section is the harder than the auto
road.

Also, Dead Horse Hill<- good name, (aka Stafford St.) in Worcester. This is a
long hill that dosen't have any let up sections on it. It got its nick-name
from the Milk mans and the Junk mans horses dying trying to climb it on hot
days. They have a antique auto race up it in the summer.

Tom
    

    
    Well as long as New Hampshire "hills" are being mentioned I'll cast
    my vote for the toll road up Mt. Washington. But what a view!
    
    Jonathan
    

< Note 1230.8 by CSCMA::J_BUSH >

How 'bout the road up Mt Kearsarge in Warner, NH (near New London).  Ed, you 
remember that one, right?

I'd have to agree that Pack Monadnock is the worst hill 'around here'.  The 
last pitch is claimed to be steeper than anything on Mt Washington.  Short, 
but 'wicked' steep!.

And then there's the short route up Mt Greylock.  Ed remembers descending that 
one, too!

Kevin

    My vote would have to be the hill on Freemanville rd where it starts
    at Mountain rd. It's long steep and no let up. I hit this hill with
    in the first tem min. of my ride so I'm not really warmed up. But,
    going home it's great to go down. At the beginning of the season
    I had to climb this in my 52-50 fixed gear.

     I'll drop the third vote for thee MILE Rd. prior to getting on
    the actual mountain entrance at Mt. Wachusett. Unrelenting up
    and up and up. Once you actually hit the mountain it's like a
    walk in the park.
    
     Ever been in Barre heading toward Hubbradston. There are a couple
    of short climbs, but climbs they are! Probably in the vicinity of
    45-50 degrees. You can't climb 'em in the saddle unless your feet
    weigh in at 100lbs. a piece.
    
     Hill interval work would have to go to Rte. 202 south through N.
    Salem - Shutesbury - Belchertown. You have some 2 milers there that
    test your metal. The Berkshires are wonderful aren't they?
    
     Chip

    RE:.11 & Barre.  They can be climbed in the saddle.
    
    ed

    Pack Monadnock's the hardest.  The grade at the finish is about
    the same as the grade at the finish of the Mt. Washington Hillclimb,
    only it's longer (and it's washboard pavement).  Come to think of
    it, Pack Monadnock's kind of a mini-Mt. Washington.

    Right off of Rt 62 in Hudson,MA there's a very short (under 1/4
    mi) road that goes up to a water tower. I'd say the grade is similar
    to the final section of Mt. Washington. It's great for hard hill
    intervals - though you have to be careful on the way down since
    there's a chain across the end of the road to keep the cars out!
    
    Mark

    Re; 12 > I was running a 13x23 gear last Sunday. We had already
    chunked about 70 miles out through the Berkshires and we were
    running at a 19-20 mph average when we hit these babies and were
    really hashed. I suppose if we were fresh (the other guys were
    running 13x24's) and they could be had with 26's easily, but who'd
    want to do a climb like that and feel refreshed anyway. I'd rather
    look for the A1 sauce and dump on it the hamburger that used to be
    my legs!
    
    Chip                                 

    How about the road to the top of Cathedral Ledge in North Conway. 
    Short but steep.

    Well, since the white mountain region keeps getting mentioned:
    My number one vote goes for Hurricane Mountain Road.  There is
    none better or worse.  I did it 3 days before my first assault
    on Mt W.
    
    ed

    Has anyone ever tried to ride a mountain bike up a ski hill?
    I rode up Jericho Ski Hill in Marlboro, MA ... on the third
    try. I figgured that I could climb up the side of the World
    Trade Towers with my 28x32 low gear ... but it was quite
    difficult making it up this short steep ski hill!
    
    Mark

    I second the vote for the hill going into Barre, Mass. Especially
    after riding through all the hills around there first.

>     I'll drop the third vote for thee MILE Rd. prior to getting on
>    the actual mountain entrance at Mt. Wachusett. Unrelenting up
>    and up and up. Once you actually hit the mountain it's like a
>    walk in the park.
 
    
    Well, I'll cast the 4th vote for Mile Hill Road.  I rode up the
    mountain last Friday, wishing to God that my pride hadn't gotten
    in the way, and wishing that I had put the old 13-28 freewheel on.

    But, I don't know where you get this "walk in the park" idea after
    the Visitor's Center.

    	-Nancy-who-deos-not-like-any-road-with-the-word-HILL-in-it

    Rte 25B out of Center Harbor, NH. 14%.
    
    -ed-who-rode-it-with-a-flat-because-it-was-easier-than-getting-off-

      
    
    
        Let me see,   Some of the toughest climbs huh
    
    
      o  The Killington acces road
       
      o  Rt 73 starting at the Elizabethtown border and heading up into
         Lake Placid N.Y.
    
      o  Rt 122 in worc. Going up past the airport main entrance into
         Paxton
    
             
    
                                   JOhn C.
    

    	Years ago I built a pendulum type incline measurer and measured
    most of the hills in Harvard for a 'Hills of Harvard' ride.  Woodchuck
    hill came out about 12 or 13% as I remember, one of the steeper
    group of hills.  The steepest (neglecting a 5' section of Lovers
    Lane that measured 20%) was Warren Avenue at 17%.  Pinnicle Road
    up from Littleton Road is about 10% and is on my route to work.
    	Spent the weekend at the LAW National Rally in Salisbury, MD
    where they do not know the meaning of the word 'hill'. It's even
    flatter than around Buffalo!  Great place to do loooong rides. I
    got in about 230 miles over the weekend. - Chris
	ps.  Nancy: no bad hills on the Arcadia ride.

Geees....

I had the silly idea when I replied to this note that the base 
note was talking about every day local hills. I suppose if the 
note is "What's the worst hill I ever rode?" then I need to 
update:  :-)

The worst- the hill from Jeffersonville VT to the top of 
Smuggler's Notch  road then down the switchbacks into Stowe VT on 
the season's first century......  Not sure which was worse up or 
down.

Second worst- Appalacian Gap from Waitsfield Vermont past the 
bottom, then the top, of Mad River Glenn ski area. Also a century 
the very next weekend after the Stowe abuse...

JC

    
    For me, the worst routine local-to-you hill is the Mont Vernon one ...
    because I manage to encounter it frequently, and know what's coming.  
    It's open enough that a headwind can increase your "effort" noticeably.
    
    The worst hill I've failed to ride up is part of the CTC Land's End to
    John O'Groats route (which includes some 20% and 25% grades which I did
    mainly manage), namely a coastal road to Bude, Cornwall, posted at 30%.
    
    -john

    	RE: 1230.25
    
    	John Lee,
    
    	I thought you lived in Charlotte. How come you encounter the
    	Mont Vernon hill frequently? Don't tell me your training rides
    	bring you all the way to Mont Vernon. 8-)>
    
    	Scott

    RE: .-1
    
    Scott,
    
    With the Mont Vernon hill, even 3-4 times a year seems "frequent"!
    What I meant was, it's frequently on my routes for the days I'm up in NH.
    
    cheers,
    -john lee

It was a few years ago, on the Velo Vermont ride.

It was either Brandon Gap or Middlebury Gap, can't remember which
(Steve, can you help here)?   Anyway, the hill was hell.  And then I
had to peddle just as hard to get back down because of the headwind.

That was the toughest hill *EVER* done.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Cute antidote from the same ride.  That year Velo Vermont did a 
route similar to TOSRV-EAST, but more hills and 135 miles per day.

Coming back south on Route 100, day 2, I stopped at the foot of the 
wall of Terrible Mountain.  I had never seen anything that steep 
before.

At that moment Fran, the wonderful trip organizer, came by in a car
and noticed my fixated gaze.  She stopped and asked if I wanted
something.  "An apple, sandwich, or drink perhaps."  I said no
thanks, noticing the car full of goodies.  Fran asked again, "are
you sure?"  I again declined.  She then asked "Is there anything I
can get you?" 

I replied, looking back at the wall, "How about a pep talk!"

	~Mike

    re: .28  Mike, the climb you were talking about was Brandon.  We
    did Middlebury two years later (1986) but that didn't seem too bad.
    I believe the reason Brandon was to tough was the heat.
    
    Maybe someday we'll reorganize this annual event again.  
    
    steve

I usually go into convulsions if I get too near a HILL, but thar's a
    big one I can't avoid when I ride home from work and I believe it's
    Brook Street in Marlboro close to Hudson.  This may be cheatin but
    I ain't never seen HILLS like I done saw in the Black Forest of
    Germany...they are hard to WALK up!
    

    
    California has a few good hills...
    
    Mt Bache Road (Santa Cruz Co, 4100 ft asl
    Waterman Gap (Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Co, 2700 ft asl)
    Mt Hamilton Road (Santa Clara Co, 4400 ft asl)
    Mt Tamalpais (Marin Co, 2700 ft asl)
    
    Tioga Pass is open, also. Starts at 5500 ft asl above
    Yosemite Valley, then reaches out 60 miles over the backs
    of the Sierras, crests at 11000 ft asl, then drops like a 
    stone into Bridgeport, Calif. 

        Also don't forget Colorado.  There's the Mt. Evans ride
        that starts in Idaho Springs (about 7000 feet) and goes
        to the top of the mountain (14,264 feet high) in about 29
        miles.  This is the site of the annual Bob Cook memorial
        hill climb.  Also Trail Ridge Road and Independence Pass
        (both 12,000 foot passes.)  Plus numerous other good
        climbs throughout the state.  

        The steepest hill that I have ever seen was in the lake
        district in northern England.  There was a sign posted
        claiming that it was a 33% grade!  Anyway, it was
        impossible to ride up it, even with a touring bike and
        fairly low gears.  

    33%!!  That's what they claim for Fargo St in Los Angeles.  That
    sucker's steep.  I'm told that if you S the hill you hit your pedal on
    the pavement.  The LA Wheelmen have an annual "race" on it in April.
    
    ed

< Note 1230.32 by SSDEVO::ATKINSON "NC2693V" >

>        The steepest hill that I have ever seen was in the lake
>        district in northern England.  There was a sign posted
>        claiming that it was a 33% grade!  Anyway, it was
>        impossible to ride up it, even with a touring bike and
>        fairly low gears.  

	>  impossible to ride up it. 

IMPOSSIBLE to ride up it, huh.  Never say impossible to an ice cream 
and hill eater.

Guess I'll have to book a flight to England and give it a try!

	~Mike

	Ummm, lessee now;

	Around Mass, yes  "the mile and the mountain"  at Wachusetts 
is a bit tough, according to how you are geared - 12/18 straight block 
with 53-43 NOT recommended.  Probably worse for grade is the entrance 
to Barre;  though coming into Princeton on 62 is tough all the way from 
140 on - specially on 48x19 fixed - and it really gets nasty for the 
last 1/4 mile or so.

	Mt Washington is just a long low speed grind.

	Burke Moutain, Vt.  is the worst in my opinion, there really 
ARE places where  wheelie_vs_rear_wheel_spin  becomes a delicate 
balance, and its a smooth black top surface with good traction all the 
way.

	Reg

	{Oh, back to Mass., there's a few minor slopes in 'arvard.}

    RE: Idaho Springs climb (Mt. Evans)
    
    I did this in September, 1984, which is not "in season" for the Mt.
    Evans road, it turns out ... at least judging from the fresh tar
    they had sprayed on the final 5-mile stretch (complete with a "road
    closed" sign).  Didn't daunt me at the time... figured the tar would
    give better adhesion against the winds on the switchbacks.  Had to
    take tar remover to the bike and shoes later on, but it was worth it!
    
    Whilst we are awaiting Nancy's report on the 33% from the Lake
    District, I was thinking today about the Grossglockner, which is mile
    after mile of unrelenting 14% grade.  This is a road that auto
    manufacturers from far and wide send their brake-test drivers on.
    I had a hard time with this one - sometimes it's not just the grade,
    it's the duration.
    
    -john

I second (or third) the motion for Hurricane Mtn. Road, and add its cousin,
Evans Notch Road, on the Maine--NH border.  I recommend riding down the 
notch only midweek, when you can use both sides of the road.  Riding up the 
notch isn't too bad (with grannies), and there's a long downhill north to
Gilead, ME.  Evans Notch, Hurricane Mtn. Road and Pinkham Notch can be 
combined for a really good day trip, about 70-80 miles in all.

"Toe Jam Hill Road" on SW Bainbridge Island, just west of Seattle, Washington, 
follows a steep hill from the Sound for about a half mile - mile.  I travelled 
it last summer on a loaded touring bike, and couldn't keep the front wheel 
on the ground.  It'd be easier on an unloaded bike, but is a nice challenge 
either way, and can be part of a good day trip from Seattle (via ferry to 
Winslow).

For real obscurity, the road from Chilhowie, VA, to Konnarock, VA offers a nice
challenge over the Appalachian Ridge (southwest Virginia, just off I-81).  The 
road (there's only one) rises from one valley in switchbacks to a forested
summit, and then descends to the next valley, also in switchbacks.  It was
laid by a prison gang earlier this century, and appears to have been draped 
over the mountain, similar to Hurricane Mtn Rd.  Traffic is very light, and 
the road connects with the Mt. Rogers N.R.A. and Blue Ridge Parkway on the
south side.  The road is about 12 miles from Chilhowie to Konnarock.

    RE: .-1
    
>For real obscurity, the road from Chilhowie, VA, to Konnarock, VA offers a nice
>challenge over the Appalachian Ridge (southwest Virginia, just off I-81).  
    
    Aha, I've ridden that one!  You're right, it's quite picturesque, 
    especially in the autumn when the leaves come out.  The scenic quality
    distracts from the sizable exertion required.  The switchbacks are very
    "tight" - they don't make 'em like that anymore.
    
    -john

    30% is nothing.  I carry rock-climbing gear on my training rides. :~) 
    
    MATT

    
        good one Matt.
    
    
              JOhn C.
    

      Speaking of paving mountains.  The hill going into the center
    of Barre on rte. 62 has just been paved.  Now we can ride down it
    as well as up.
    
    					Norm

    o  Mnt. Kearsage
    
    o  Whiteface Mnt. road in Lake Placid (hit the 60 mph going down, passing
          cars blows my mind!!)
   
    o  Good climb from Keene, NY into Lake Placid....10 kilometres of
           good outta-da-saddle fun!!

    Just did a good climb this last week on my MTB... 3000' vertical, from
    9000' to 12000' on a jeep road, very steep. I had to portage a couple
    of snow fields but it was well worth the descent. :)
    
    

    
    Yow! You guys must have great lungs up there! I can
    hardly walk, let alone hillclimb, at 9-12Kft...

    Hills in the south of England are pimples compared with what you can find
    on the Continent or in the US, however, I was up a very enjoyable short
    climb in Surrey last week.
    
    It was Box Hill near Leatherhead, which consists of 1.4 miles at about
    10% or a little less, done in three long straights with two hairpins.
    The nice thing is that you can really spin up it, so you get some good
    exercise without actually feeling like throwing up. For the literary
    minded, this hill features in Jane Austen's "Emma".
    
    Around that part of Surrey there are a lot of very steep climbs, 15 to
    20% steepness. I tackled a few, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it when you
    need maximum effort just to get the pedals round...
    
    
    Rod

re. 1230.2                      
>    	The Mont Vernon hill in Mont Vernon, NH. My car barely goes
>    	up that hill, let alone me on the bike.
 
	If you want a real thrill, try climbing it heading from
Amherst on Amherst Road.  If you climb the normal route via
N.H. 13 from Milford to Mont Vernon, you get some relief by
climbing the lower portion (by the saw mill pond) with a one
mile flat stretch before the big hill which starts at Purgatory
road.  If you are heading from Amherst village you climb Amherst
Road (Turns into Purgatory Falls Road at the Intersection of 13)
for about a mile and then take an immediate right turn onto the
big hill in Mont Vernon.  

>    	I know, Reg thinks the Mont Vernon hill is no hill at all.

	Reg must be an Animal.  I use this hill as my *fitness*
benchmark.  On my training rides I climb up Amherst Road and decide
at the intersection if I'm fit enough to try to tackle the big hill.
I've wimped out on many occasion. 

>    	A friend works with a fella who used to ride up that hill
>    	5 times every day at lunch time.

	Quick....had me the bag...I think I'm going to throw up !    
 

    I raced over Stowe VT once, that sure felt like the worse hill I ever
    climbed. I only had one freewheel...42X21...[ack!!] I made it over the
    top in about 8th in the CAT III race. It sure was lots of fun watching 
    riders behind me fall over because they couldn't turn their pedals!!
    
    Robb

    	I think I've found the answer to the toughest hill question.
    Last night on our GSW Club ride, we were about to ascend a short
    but very steep hill in Wilton, N.H., when I saw something peculiar
    spread across the road a short way up the base.  At first, it looked
    like a truck had dumped sand across the road.  Upon approaching the
    debris, a foul smell started to burn my nostrils, and since I was
    in the process of climbing the hill standing on the pedals in my
    largest cog at that point I could do nothing but *gasp* for air.
    
    	Upon arriving at the sand patch, I pushed right thru the middle
    thinking this was just another obsticle in the road.  Well my front
    wheel went thru with no problem but as soon as my rear wheel entered
    the patch a peculiar thing happend.  The whell just sat and spun round
    and round.  Their I was standing on the cranks in the middle of this
    huge hill, going nowhere.  It was like being on a windtrainer in
    a cow barn since the patch was obviously left by some farm vehicle
    trying to climb the hill while overloaded with Cowhampshire's
    finest :-0)  Thinking I had better keep my rev's up since I would
    simply fall over if I stopped peddaling I remembered this note.
    
    	It'll be a long time before anyone finds a hill *tougher* to
    climb than this :-)
    
    						Jerry

    Jerry (.48),
    
    I recognized the stuff from 100 meters, but then I was a farmer once
    when I had to work for a living.  Then, I decided that I would throw
    away the wheel if I got a flat.
    
    (I did however fix 5 flats this past weekend instead of pitching the
    wheel, it would have been a long walk back from Montreal if I hadn't
    but heck that's fodder for another note....)
    
    ed

    re. -1
    Ed,
    	Were there any hills worth mentioning on the BMB route.  After
    that distance I'd have a hard time climbing my drive way :-)
    
    					Jerry

    Were there any hills worth mentioning?
    
    119 from Groton (more or less) to NH 63 to NH 9 to VT5.
    
    Andover Ridge before and after Terrible Mt (did 'em both ways).
    
    Killington on VT 100, Middlebury Gap on VT125  (both ways on each
    and one after the other).
    
    Oh, and after all that the bridge on rt 2 crossing from VT to NY :-)
    :^)
    
    And we returned through Barre and Princeton.
    
    Now was this note about fantastic up hills or downhills?  Doesn't
    matter, the above have both.  And they're more even exciting in the
    rain.
    
    ed

    Hey, there are hills outside the U.S., too.  :-)
    
    The worst I ever encountered was the Col de Vence which starts at the
    town of Vence (just outside Nice, France) and goes almost straight up
    into the mountains for about 10 km.  What really bothered me was that
    I was in a low gear and about to drop into a granny gear when I was
    passed like I was standing still; a string of racers when by like they
    were riding on flat ground.  I was even in decent shape at the time.
    Made me feel real old...
    
    Bob

    re .37 Toe Jam Hill Road
    
    It has hazards in addition to being a steep hill. As one descends it
    drops off in increasingly steep sections and as you enter the last,
    steepest one with Puget Sound coming into view, you pass a sign that
    says "right hand turn ahead, 5, five, mph". Brake pads, good ones, are
    essential to stay off barnacle covered rocks lurking beyond the sharp
    right hand turn at the base.  It turns onto a narrow road, if it can be
    called that, that runs above the high tide line.