Most Difficult Cycling Hill Climbs In The U.S.
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
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
- Mt Washington, NH
- Haleakala, HI
- Onion Valley, CA
- Horseshoe Meadows, CA
- Mt. Equinox, VT
- White MTN, CA
- Mt. Baldy, CA
- Mt Graham, AZ
- Mt. Lemmon, AZ
- Palomar Mountain, CA
What is your favorite climb? Map it on www.roadbikerides.com and then comment on this post.
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Tags: chris charmichael, cycling hill climbs, Lance Armstrong, Road Bike Rides
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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.
June 26th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Of course they left the climb out it is only 2269 feet of gain. What’s the big deal about that?
June 26th, 2010 at 10:18 am
2269 ft of climbing in about 12 miles. It is a great climb and the scenery is awesome. Have you done it?
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
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.
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.
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..
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am
This really looks like an interesting book, I have a hard time climbing hills though unfortunately.
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?
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!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:49 am
given list truly one one of difficult hills to climb, combination of danger and beauty….
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.
June 17th, 2010 at 5:03 am
Yes, lets ban bikes from the CNM. Since, you know, Cycling is just about the only thing that has made our little town internationally famous (Coors Classic was the 4th largest cycling race in the world at one point and the CNM was the queen stage: “Tour of the Moon”).
August 6th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Where is Mauna Kea on the list? 12,000 ft.: it’s like riding 9,000 ft up, then doing Mt Washington. (excluding the significant weather). got the 17% km long section too. Much harder than Haleakala ( I know from my own experience).
August 6th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
my fault: it’s 13,700 ft. and yes, it has sections that require fatter(CX) tires. the efforts at such altitude and super steep grades above the 8,000 ft mark) make it the most difficult. and it has the 30mph sustained wind.
October 1st, 2010 at 12:34 am
Top ten listed here are different from the top 10 in the book. Not sure why? That being said I’ve done 7 of the 10 listed here & found them all to be great rides. Not sure if I’ll ever do the two East coast climbs as they are only open on race days & are very expensive to enter.
October 1st, 2010 at 5:15 am
I think the book has missed a few and have a little difference of opinion. Although I have not done all of them. Thanks for your comment.
November 3rd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Here in Texas, if we want to do the climbs, we go to Vanderpool. There are 3 great climbs in Vanderpool, one to Leakey, one to Lost Maples, and one to Utopia. Each climb is different in length and grade is a great place to do hill repeats.
March 19th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Jeff,
Have done Hugel a number of times….the elevation gain is overstated. rode with a friend with a Garmin and its More like 8000-9000 ft of gain over the 108 miles. That being said, very tough with lots of 15-22% grades (Jester, etc).
Greg L
March 25th, 2011 at 8:51 am
The hardest hill climb in the Southeast is on the brand new Reynolds Rd inside Reynolds Blue Ridge in Blowing Rock, NC. 9.25 miles, 3,200 feet ascending and 700 feet of descending, 5.9% average grade and 17.5% max. Come test it at The Ascent on May 15
http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/the_ascent_sponsored_by_reynolds_blue_ridge/6226
May 2nd, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Two words… Brasstown Bald (GA)
June 13th, 2011 at 2:37 am
well as far as i m concern among the list you have provided Mt Washington, NH..is the best one out of all…
overall i really enjoyed your blog….:)