Highest paved roads

Hi, everybody,

Came across this site this afternoon, and I thought it looked
interesting enough to post about:

http://www.torelli.com/kom/default.htm

If you click on the 'Climbs/Races' button, there are links
to paved road climbs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada,
Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and the United States.
Some neat information, like the fact that at 14,130 feet,
Mt. Evans, Colorado is the highest paved road climb in North
America.

Happy climbing!

~bob

bob sullivan wrote:
SNIP
Some neat information, like the fact that at 14,130 feet,
Mt. Evans, Colorado is the highest paved road climb in North
America.

Good thing to remember on Evans is that after you ride up it, you have
to ride back down. It's not just very high, it's also very narrow,
winding, and heavily traveled. I drove up that peak in '89, and a couple
of cyclists saw my bike rack and bummed a ride back down. They were
visibly relieved not to be facing that descent.


Bill


__o | Look to the past and remember no empire rises
_`\(,_ | that sooner or later won't fall.
(_)/ (_) | --Al Stewart

wrote:

Good thing to remember on Evans is that after you ride up it, you have
to ride back down. It's not just very high, it's also very narrow,
winding, and heavily traveled. I drove up that peak in '89, and a couple
of cyclists saw my bike rack and bummed a ride back down. They were
visibly relieved not to be facing that descent.

Is it really that bad? Going down is half the reason for going up!

I seriously doubt that I could ride up to 14000 feet, right now. But
10000 used to be impossible until I got used to it.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,

Raptor wrote:
wrote:

Good thing to remember on Evans is that after you ride up it, you
have to ride back down. It's not just very high, it's also very
narrow, winding, and heavily traveled. I drove up that peak in '89,
and a couple of cyclists saw my bike rack and bummed a ride back
down. They were visibly relieved not to be facing that descent.

Is it really that bad? Going down is half the reason for going up!

I seriously doubt that I could ride up to 14000 feet, right now. But
10000 used to be impossible until I got used to it.


It's not as narrow, steep or winding as minor roads in the Alps or
Pyrenees, but it is challenging. Also, the roadbed is not that good and
the road is prone to potholing.

I rode up it with a friend in August of 2004 and we got caught in a
snowstorm at the top. I was okay, but the low body fat that helped my
friend ride me into the ground going up got her into serious trouble on
the way down. By the time we got to the lodge at Echo Lake she was
pretty hypothermic. Her hands were so cold that I was afraid she
wouldn't be able to work the brake levers on the decent.

mark

mark wrote:
I rode up it with a friend in August of 2004 and we got caught in a
snowstorm at the top. I was okay, but the low body fat that helped my
friend ride me into the ground going up got her into serious trouble on
the way down. By the time we got to the lodge at Echo Lake she was
pretty hypothermic. Her hands were so cold that I was afraid she
wouldn't be able to work the brake levers on the decent.

mark

I recall a similar ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon one Autumn. No snow,
but the temperature difference made the first five minutes of the
descent almost unbearable. I sweat a lot, and it worked well to cool me
that day.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,

In article ,
says...
bob sullivan wrote:
SNIP
Some neat information, like the fact that at 14,130 feet,
Mt. Evans, Colorado is the highest paved road climb in North
America.

Good thing to remember on Evans is that after you ride up it, you have
to ride back down. It's not just very high, it's also very narrow,
winding, and heavily traveled. I drove up that peak in '89, and a couple
of cyclists saw my bike rack and bummed a ride back down. They were
visibly relieved not to be facing that descent.

The Mt. Washington Hill Climb (7.5 miles at avg 12% grade) doesn't allow
competitors to ride back down after they finish the race up; they must
have proof of a ride back down before they are allowed to start the
climb.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 07:59:10 -0400, David Kerber wrote:
In article ,
says...
bob sullivan wrote:
SNIP
Some neat information, like the fact that at 14,130 feet,
Mt. Evans, Colorado is the highest paved road climb in North
America.

Good thing to remember on Evans is that after you ride up it, you have
to ride back down. It's not just very high, it's also very narrow,
winding, and heavily traveled. I drove up that peak in '89, and a couple
of cyclists saw my bike rack and bummed a ride back down. They were
visibly relieved not to be facing that descent.

The Mt. Washington Hill Climb (7.5 miles at avg 12% grade) doesn't allow
competitors to ride back down after they finish the race up; they must
have proof of a ride back down before they are allowed to start the
climb.

Which makes a lot of sense if there isn't another way down. (I don't
know the Mt. Washington roads, but I know there are lots of mountains
with only one road to the top.) You don't want people coming fast the
wrong way during a major event. They do the same thing with the Race
to the Sun climb at Haleakela, Maui.

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

Alan Hoyle wrote:
On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 07:59:10 -0400, David Kerber wrote:
The Mt. Washington Hill Climb (7.5 miles at avg 12% grade) doesn't allow
competitors to ride back down after they finish the race up; they must
have proof of a ride back down before they are allowed to start the
climb.

Which makes a lot of sense if there isn't another way down. (I don't
know the Mt. Washington roads, but I know there are lots of mountains
with only one road to the top.) You don't want people coming fast the
wrong way during a major event. They do the same thing with the Race
to the Sun climb at Haleakela, Maui.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd rather a bunch of bikes share a
mountain road than bikes and cars/trucks.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,

Race to the Sun climb at Haleakela, Maui.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd rather a bunch of bikes share a
mountain road than bikes and cars/trucks.

Some of these guys can't descend. Would you want them to go down
the mountain in bad shape?

There is only one road into Mt. Washington. It isn't that high
as other hills, but it is steep and a very taxing climb. The wind
and temperature changes also contribute to make it very tough.


bill

--
---
William O'Hara
www.N1ey.com - Amateur Radio and Railfan Blog
www.yahoogroups.com/group/illinoiscentral - premier discussion list
ICRR

"bob sullivan" wrote in message
. ..
Hi, everybody,

Came across this site this afternoon, and I thought it looked
interesting enough to post about:

http://www.torelli.com/kom/default.htm

If you click on the 'Climbs/Races' button, there are links
to paved road climbs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada,


I've done Highwood Pass, the highest paved road in Canada -- that was on
last year's tour of the Canadian Rockies. You can see a picture the way up
he http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/Author.htm, and at the top and more
photos he http://www.davidlouislevine.com/Tour...ay4%201330.htm.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky