2014 North East Hill Climbs

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2014 North East Hill Climbs

Climbing Mount Washington, New Hampshire Recently, registered members of Gran Fondo Guide have kindly asked us to add a few hill climb events. So we went the extra mile and started to compile a comprehensive list of Hill Climbs in the north east of the United States, from New Jersey up to Maine.

There are some incredible climbs and super challenges available.

Bike Up Mountains Hill Climb Series

BUMPS (Bike Up Mountain Points Series) is the only series of its kind in America.

A series that recognizes the talents of riders who do the hardest thing in cycling, climb steep hills!

The series comprises 10 races on 9 mountains in the north east of the States, on courses of varying lengths and pitches. Any rider who enters a BUMPS event will automatically be entered into the overall series points standings. There is no need to enter a separate BUMPS category. Riders will be scored according to their accumulated points in up to five races, and the totals of riders who enter more than five races will be determined by their best five scores.

As the season progresses, a leader’s jersey will be awarded to the overall series leader after each event. At season’s end, age group series winners, both men and women, will receive awards or prizes acknowledging their achievements as well.

The new series will not change the way in which each event has been run in the past. Each event will continue to be run by an independent organizer, and event formats and prizes will continue to be determined independently. BUMPS simply wants to bring added acknowledgment to riders who enjoy the challenge of climbing, especially those who do it well.

Their 2014 series of events includes 10 hill climb challenges on 9 mountains. We have included all the details, difficulty and record holders.

The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb being the toughest on the east coast, with Tom "TommyD" Danielson holding the record with a time of 49:24 - breaking the previous record held by Tyler Hamilton, in 2002.

Jeanie Longo holds the womens record with a time of 58:14.

Proceeds from each individual event in the series, typically benefits chosen non-profits too.

The BUMP series is sponsored by Destination Cycling.

The History

Mary Power, is the BUMPS series coordinator. She has a lot of experience and is very well known in the cycling community. She was the event organiser for the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill climb from 1995 - 2011.

There has been a hillclimb on the Mount Washington Auto Road since the Mid 1970's.

Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is recognised as the toughest hill climb in the north east, it's the tallest peak, has the steepest average gradient and the most varying grade of gradient too.

Back in 2006, such was the demand to participate in the Washington Hillclimb Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, that full capacity of 635 riders was reached and a waiting list of over 250 riders built up.

Space at the summit is limited and on reaching the summit and all riders have to wait until the last rider finishes.

Racers can not ride their bikes back down. All racers are required to have a car ride down. The Mt. Washington Auto Road reopens for down bound traffic when it is deemed safe.

Due to this, a sister event, Newton's Revenge was created.

Date	Event	Location	Routes	Diff	Type	My Rides
May 10	Wachusett Mountain Hillclimb	Princeton, Massachusetts, USA	3.7 miles, 5.5%,1,162 feet	B	HILLCLIMB
May 31	Mount Ascutney Hill Climb	Windsor, Vermont, USA	3.7 miles, 11.7%, 2,300 feet	F	HILLCLIMB
Jun 21	Whiteface Mountain Hillclimb	Wilmington, New York, USA	11 miles, 8%, 3,650 feet	E	HILLCLIMB
Jun 28	Okemo Bike Climb	Ludlow, Vermont, USA	5.8 miles, 6.8%, 2,200 feet	E	HILLCLIMB
Jul 12	Newton’s Revenge	Gorham, New Hampshire, USA	7.6 miles, 12%, 4,618 feet	F	HILLCLIMB
Aug 02	Mount Equinox Uphill Bike Climb	Manchester, Vermont, USA	5.4 miles, 12%, 3,248 ft	F	HILLCLIMB
Aug 16	Mt. Washington Auto Road Hillclimb	Gorham, New Hampshire, USA	7.6 miles, 12%, 4,618 feet	F	HILLCLIMB
Sep 13	Mount Greylock NCC Hill Climb Time Trial	North Adama, Massachusetts, USA	9.1 miles, 5.7%, 2,752 feet	E	HILLCLIMB
Sep 27	Mt. Kearsarge Hill Climb	Warner, New Hampshire, USA	8.0 miles, 8.7%, 1,738 feet	E	HILLCLIMB
Oct 05	Allen Clark Memorial Hill Climb	Waitsfield, Vermont, USA	6.2 miles, 5%, 1,600 feet	C	HILLCLIMB

Other Great Climbs

There are some other great climbs in the North East, so check out these too. In all cases these climbs are timed so you can test yourself and gain great braggings rights!

Date	Event	Location	Routes	Diff	Type	My Rides
Apr 26	High Point Hill Climb TT	Montague, New Jersey, USA	5.5 miles, 4.3%, 1,511 feet	C	HILLCLIMB
May 15	Bolton Hill Climb	Bolton, Vermont, USA	6.7 miles, 7.8%, 1,706 feet	E	HILLCLIMB
May 17	Kancamagus Bicycle Hillclimb Time Trial	Conway, New Hampshire, USA	21 miles, 7%, 2,650 feet	C	HILLCLIMB
Aug 24	North Face Race To The Top Of Vermont	Stowe, Vermont, USA	4.3 miles, 11%, 2,564 feet	F	HILLCLIMB
Sep 07	Burke Mountain Bike Race	East Burke, Vermont, USA	3.3 miles, 12%, 2,085 feet	F	HILLCLIMB

Taking Part

However you don't need a Pro to take part in a hill climb, so look out for our training article on getting fit and preparing for a Hill Climb, coming soon.

Now that spring is on it's way it's time to get out and start training.

Gran Fondo

Timed hill climbs are very popular and and testament to this, there is the first Hill Climb Gran Fondo, the Mount Lemmon Gran Fondo, north of Tucson, Arizona - set for April 26th 2014.

The event is superbly organised and includes the closing of all the roads and this event features a mass start, so that riders can race up the climb and use race tactics in true Gran Fondo style.

Mount Lemmon is the longest sustained climb on the US mainland that you can do, at 26 miles and over 6,000 feet of climbing.

So far several hundred riders have entered and several hundreds more are expected to sign up before April 26th.

Rumours are abound that one or two Pro riders may turn up - to put their time down for the record.