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Old 11-29-21, 07:58 AM
  #44  
Koyote
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Originally Posted by GhenghisKahn
Go to dannychew.com and check out The Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen. Long stated by Bicycling Magazine as the toughest sub 100 mile race in the world. 13 hills. 55 miles. The hills range from 21-38% gradient. Did it in 2009. Built a special Cdale SR300 1x8 38x12-30 w/dt shift. A guy named Montana Miller did it on fg. He was the first. Several others have done it since. 39×22 w/no freewheel decends. I rode with him and chatted a bit. Great guy and an animal on climbs. lol

Nothing you do can fully prepare you for that ride. Train hard. Especially your upper body and core. The hills are so true they're truth. They'll expose every pedal stroke you fudged. lol
I did that ride in 2018. The weather was sooo bad (temps in the 40s, raining most of the day) that after doing it for 30+ years on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, in subsequent years they have done it a month earlier. I cleared all of the hills, but it was pretty close on a couple of 'em.

Back on-topic: the gravel races around here often have 100+ feet of climbing per mile (e.g., 65 mile race with 7000+ feet of climbing), and there will always be a few people on SS bikes. One of my old riding buddies (much younger and stronger than me) sometimes races on a SS and clears climbs that force me to get off and walk alongside my 11sp bike.
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