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Most Difficult Cycling Hill Climbs In The U.S.


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So if you are a cyclist seeking to climb some of the craziest passes in the United States you need to get Best Cycling Climbs In The US. Consider this the BIBLE, because it has all the major road bike climbs in the US. All the details are there: total elevation, average gradient, length and category. There are also a few scenic shots of the climbs.

I enjoyed your book and will use it during my USA travels – Chris Carmichael, personal coach of 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong

Author John Summerson has written a must read book for climbing aficionados, race directors and those that aspire to test themselves on the biggest climbs in the U.S. – DailyPeleton.com

Below is a list of some of the top cycling climb bike rides that are listed in the book Best Cycling Climbs In The US. The book lists the 100 toughest USA road bike climbs from 1 to 100.

  1. Mt Washington, NH
  2. Haleakala, HI
  3. Onion Valley, CA
  4. Horseshoe Meadows, CA
  5. Mt. Equinox, VT
  6. White MTN, CA
  7. Mt. Baldy, CA
  8. Mt Graham, AZ
  9. Mt. Lemmon, AZ
  10. Palomar Mountain, CA

What is your favorite climb? Map it on www.roadbikerides.com and then comment on this post.

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Posted on: February 15th, 2009 By: Ride-Strong Admin In: Books

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19 comments »

Comment by Tyler Ford
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September 24th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

My favorite climb is Snow Bowl in Flagstaff, AZ.

http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/snow_bowl_hill_climb/844

They left this climb out of the book. Should have made the cut because it is an awesome climb.

 
Comment by Weiland
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October 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Everyone thinks Texas is flat, but here in Austin which is nestled in the Central Texas Hill Country we don’t have mountain peaks, but we have short but steep hills. Most hills have a distance of .5 to 1 mile in length, but the grade will range from 12% to 22% in that compact mileage.

This route encompasses 5000 feet of climbing (according to my Garmin) some of the steepest hills in Austin.
http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/5000_feet_of_austin_hills/4026

 
Comment by Cyclingineer
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October 4th, 2008 at 12:35 am

I would hope this road makes it.
http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/sierra_rd_loop/1423

If its good enough to wipe out pro tour guys, then its probably good for the rest of us mortals.

Hard road, but not impossible, probably not even the hardest around, but the ToC graffitti is still on the road so its cooler then most when you climb it and you keep riding over “Go George” <– (Hincapie) about every 40 or so ft.

Comment by Tyler Ford
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October 5th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

I don’t think this climb is in the book but I could be wrong. Looks like a tough one.

 
 
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November 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 am

I have heard of some persick hill somewhere in Arizona and heard quite a lot about it. Pls share your experiences folks if any1 has ever been there..

 
Comment by Phil A
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June 5th, 2009 at 9:12 pm

Great book, but a lot of climbs left out, and some of the ratings leave something to be desired. I’d rather climb Mt. Washington than Onion Valley Road, for example, due to length, and altitude.

Snow Bowl is majestic, but Graham and Lemon are harder.

Mauna Kea has also had more of the road paved since the publishing, and some people have actually ridden to the top of this insane climb.

 
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June 15th, 2009 at 3:49 am

I read some of the name in ride racing article some of the very tough hill to climb. totally dangerous and adventure riding on such hills.

 
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June 15th, 2009 at 9:34 pm

Climbing is a power-to-weight activity. World class climbers generally have less than 2 pounds of body weight per inch of height. (For example, if you’re 70 inches tall (5-foot- 10), you would weigh less than 140 pounds.) Since achieving this weight is difficult for most of us, If hills intimidate you, or are your weak link, take it easy. Go 5-10% easier than you think you can asss you get into the climb.

 
Comment by used tires
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June 16th, 2009 at 2:00 am

Haha that’s quite funny, yes I do believe that this is like a bikers bible. Yes I have seen bikers in action at Mount Washington and its quite the trek up there, although the other ones in the top ten aren’t exactly shabby either. You would have top be in some serious shape to get up there.

Till then,

Jean

 
Comment by puyallup cyclopath
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June 28th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

After reading the book last fall I decided to set a goal of doing all 100 climbs. I have done 11 so far but am curious if any others have taken on this goal and would be interested in sharing experiences. The toughest I have done so far is #10 Mt. Evans. It was mighty tough. Since I live is Washington State all of the rides most will involve signnificant travel.

Comment by pink piggy bank
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September 10th, 2009 at 3:34 pm

Curious to hear which 11 you did. I did 16 so far, including onion valley, horseshoe meadows, whit mtn, sherman pass and whitney portal. Hardest in my opinion (not the book’s) is Horseshoe because its so long (19mi) and has a 10 mile stretch of 8%. Hard to do some of these rides in the summer without SAG since you run out of water. Also did some French Alps climbs and except for Ventoux, the Sierra climbs a very comparable. For me, the book has opened a door to adventure.

 
 
Comment by odchudzanie
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July 15th, 2009 at 4:24 am

Nice post about mountains. I like posts where one can find some usefull informations that could be used some day in future. Thank You.

Anna

 
Comment by Lumineers
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August 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 pm

I just started biking a few weeks ago, and everytime I look at a hill I get a bit queasy. The leg burning gets to you during the ride, however, it sure feels nice afterwards.

 
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August 5th, 2009 at 4:17 am

Cycling hill climbs is something that I have not been trying since years. I remember climbing as one of the most devastating part of any cycling trip. I know that I’m just not a kind of a biker that likes to go straight up, I like more flat areas where you can use your muscles to provide as table tempo.

 
Comment by Robert Brown
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September 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am

This really looks like an interesting book, I have a hard time climbing hills though unfortunately.

 
Comment by Adam
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September 20th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Some great places to ride for sure. I wonder since I used to live in Pittsburgh, do you know any good places to ride there?

 
Comment by paul thomas
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September 30th, 2009 at 7:42 pm

If you live in the SW/California, there is no need to pack your bike and fly to Europe to seek out great climbs. Between the climbs off hwy 395 (in calif) and what we have in Arizona, you should be busy for a while.

We raced the Mt graham event this past weekend and am still amazed with this climb. When you have Lemmon, Graham, and Kitt Peak in your backyard, combined with Palomar, Wilson, Baldy etc in your former backyard, there is no need to get too excited about Vonteaux or Alp de Huez.

Pack your bike and fly into Ontaroi, Ca and hit the Sierras then drive over to AZ!

 
Comment by Caterer @ FL
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October 12th, 2009 at 1:49 am

given list truly one one of difficult hills to climb, combination of danger and beauty….

 
Comment by jeff
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November 15th, 2009 at 10:09 am

Here in Austin Texas, for a one day event The Tour Das hugel takes some beating a total of 15000 ft of climbing & 114 miles of hurt and pain.

 

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