Condorita

Does it count if I *don't* deliberately avoid the above-grade railroad crossings, the way I will ride miles out of my way to avoid over-freeway bridges?

TrojanHorse

90% of adult americans own a cell phone. It's a handy emergency tool & useful to have if you get lost.

Not much of an assumption.

gsa103

I keep seeing that road from 680, I'd love to get up it sometime. Definitely private though.

spdntrxi

I've seen the gates open before... but not lately.... Longview is pretty brutal but short. Looking at it from foothill.. going straight up is pretty scary looking. I've had deer walking pass me

mtalinm

I biked up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire when I was 20# lighter (closing in on 300 now).

Might be the slowest time ever recorded, 3:30 something.

the gearing on my bike was a 24-tooth in front and a 36-tooth in back. top speed = 3.5 mph.

truth be told i walked the last mile (of 7). not that I couldn't ride anymore, but it had been so long that they were sending cars down the mountain so I could no longer switchback across the two lanes. fear of heights/falling got the best of me.

Gnosis

If only 90% of Americans own cell phones and there are at least 350 million Americans, then there are at least 35 million Americans who do not own cell phones ergo, any presumption that any given American owns a cell phone is purely an assumption lacking any degree of certainty.

Weatherby

58% of Americans have Smartphones or a camera, the other 33% are Democrats with Obamaphones.

It takes 250 watts to go 3.2 mph if the grade is 15% and your 220 pounds is strapped to a 25 pound rig.

Mere mortals putting out 150 watts will peak out at 1.96 mph on such a climb.

Pros who weight 160# on 15# bikes putting out 350 watts would be doing 9 mph and by the time mere (fat) mortals crest a 1-2 mile hill, the pro would be into the next county.

120 miles or so into the ride, my lard was melting up the road at a cool 3.1 MPH. It was not fun and my right knee did not like it.

I train on a 10-11% climb and even when fresh, it is my preferred limit. Famous climbs in the Alps very rarely exceed 11% or for very long. Even the climbs on the La Marmotte are easy compared to the death march up the hill on Saturday's 300k. Only the bottom of L'Alp d'Huez on la Marmotte is kinda hard at maybe 12% but it is only like two switchbacks and then the climbing is 8-9%.

TrojanHorse

Well, you're certainly going out of your way to be contentious. I never said it was anything OTHER than an assumption and your math is flawed anyway.

313 million Americans, 240 million of which are adults and 90% of which own a cell phone.

Why does that bother you?

eja_ bottecchia

Oy vey!

KJL

Anyway... I am a Clyde that actually loves hill climbs as long as there are no Cat 1/2 skin n bones breaking away. There is nothing worse than just losing it in a group ride on a long hill. For some reason I can really get my legs to work as long as I have some point of pace. I started doing hill repeats a few years ago and was amazed at what that did for my overall perforamnce. I think the steepest grade I have ever encountered on road bike was 18% maybe 20?

Pamestique 

So Saturday friends and I did the Santiago Loop (the ultimate roadie route in OC). 31 miles and 3100' of climbing... half of the ride is either flat or downhill so only half the ride is grindy. I don't mind long tough climbs if there is a payout or nice descent. For instance one of the mountain bike trails I do is 13 miles of 5 - 10% - no flats are climbing. Some pitches (although short) are close to 20) but that means I have a 13 miles descent... all fun and good.

indyfabz

You mean Bushphones. The law that extended subsidized phone service to cell phones was signed into law by Bush II in 2008, near the end of his second term. The program which the extension was based on originated under...wait for it...Reagan. Please tell me you knew that and were just pretending to be ignorant.

snopes.com: Free 'ObamaPhones' for Welfare Recipients

Adam Putnam: Obama campaign gives free cell phones to supporters | PolitiFact

The Truth About The Obama Phone | ThinkProgress

Moyene Corniche

Steepest or more correctly consistent climb would for me have to be the " Col De La Madone ".. It's a 2.5hr ride, of which 2 hours are climbing 10-15% to a top elevation of 800 meters. It's however an exhilarating 20 minute descent....
It's located in southern France, access road starts in Menton and heads up towards Peille and onward to the Col... It's a loop I've enjoyed many times over the years as it descends back down into Monaco.

Stateside I would classify Smuggler's Notch Gap in Stowe Vt which is in sections 20% and it is all switchbacks...
Planning on riding the Vermont Gran Fondo in June 14 which covers 4 gaps and 103 miles.... A nice 5-6 hour ride...

jsigone

I'd have to vote this one into the top slots of worst climbs I ride, Nate Harrison Grade, 98% dirt/gravel/rutted/wash board so on a skinny tire bike there is no standing allowed in the steep switch backs as traction is limited. I thought it was bad on my singlespeed MTB with 2.2" tires and 32x22 gearing until I tackled the beast with my CX bike 35c tires and 36x28 as my low. I never changed out of that gear the entire way up. Garmin reads 10-25% most of the way up. Starts to level off some once around 4800ft.

Strava Segment | Nate Harrison Grade - Full


The upside, there are very few trucks and dirt motos on the road, so its quiet. Cars will get the WTF look as its steep and rutted. I'm sure its not a comfy ride at any point for them. I have taken my FJ up there a few times to enjoys the views without all the work of pedaling up the mt. And to picnic w/ the fam

Downside, there isn't any where to get water til the very tip top before the downhill at above 5000 ft. Its hot, open and exposured until you get to the tree line at about 3500ft up. If something goes wrong like a really bad flat tire change, your F'd!!! I had one of those on my last trip up where the head of my new C02 pump wedged to the top of the valve stem. I had to use my pocket knife to cut the new tube out and shave the rubber bundle on the bottom of the valve stem to free the stem out the other way it was designed for entering a rim. Bring tools that you wouldn't use. I wish I had a leatherman but my pocket knife was enough to get me going some 40 mins laters. Gotta love them back wood adventure rides

do not go down this road unless on a full suspension MTB. The wash boards from the tractors and ruts will kill the feeling from your hands, arms, shoulders, legs, teeth filling at the brake grabbing 30+ mph decent. You don't feel that crap when climbing at 4-6mph

CommuteCommando

Oo, Oo. That ones is on the bucket list. I drove down it years ago and there were a lot of MTB's bombing down it. I was made aware of it when I heard an old name for it that contained a racist epithet. Nate Harrison had been a freed slave who traveled west in the 1880's and became a successful rancher on the mountain. He blazed the trail (Actually called N Nate's Trail on some old county maps) to trade with the Indians in the valley below. (Wonder what Nate would think of the Casino down there now)

jsigone

casinos + crab & prime rib buffet = perfect recovery mealS


blackjack is optional though

Axiom

There are a few bridges on the Pinellas trail that are probably 10-15%, but they are pretty short. Still not used to it as 90% of the terrain is flat during rides.

Weatherby

Uhlerstown Hill Rd in Bucks County PA pushes 20% as does Fiddler's Elbow across the River and North into NJ.

They are long and steep enough that most riders dismount. I made Uhlerstown the other day. Fiddlers is probably worse or at least that pitch towards the top.

The only place where I recall steeper hills than Eastern PA and NJ was in England and Wales where I saw a few signs of 25% gradients and commonly saw 20% hills advertised.

Weatherby

There is a website that lists and rands climbs by state and country.

I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know of it?

Mountainking7

I think about 42%. I've done hill repeats with portions in excess of 20%.

The last 500metres at the end of a gruelling 10.5 km CAT1 hill....Just check the gradients

There are many hard gradients where I live which can make you fall backwards if you press the medals too much

Pamestique 

Many years ago, I joined a hill training club. Every Tues/Thurs night we would ride the worst hills OC had to offer. One brutal climb is Ridgepark to Bommer Ridge. It's about 2 1/2 miles and very steep (8 - 10%), just tough. As I was climbing this gentleman came by, flying. I am still climbing and he comes by again and then again. I realize he is doing repeats of this one hill I am strugglling to climb one time. As he is approaching me the fourth time I say "you pass me one more time, I will hunt you down!" (all in jest mind you). He stayed behind me until I finished my climb (right on my butt so that'll teach me) and as I turned off he waved, and rode by and said "thanks for the slow mo hill climb practice!" I had to admit he was awesome but boy am I slow!

Mountainking7

Segment
VeloViewer - Segment Details for Reunion - Ligne Berthaud Climb

One of the many climbs
VeloViewer - Segment Details for Hardest Segment - Bassin Blanc PART

Mountainking7

VeloViewer - Segment Details for Mt Signaux Climb

jsigone

another awesome feature of VV!!! thanks for sharing.

Here's my dirt hill
VeloViewer - Segment Details for Pala Orange Grove Nate Harrison Grade To Summit

Mountainking7

God jsigone. You are a beast....13.9km/h on that hill. wow
I ride a mountainbike on road btw but no way I can put that much power to climb so fast! I only ride 40ish km/week!