Organizers of Newton's Revenge and the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb

ﾷ Hamilton's and Jeanson's times dropped from Auto Road records

ﾷ Drug use admissions prompt bike race organizers' decision

ﾷ Auto Road recognizes Longo, Engleman, Bruckner, Reed

June 7, 2011, Pinkham Notch, N.H.

Organizers of the two highly popular bicycle races up the Mt. Washington Auto Road announced this week that the times ridden by Tyler Hamilton of the United States and Genevieve Jeanson of Canada in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb will no longer be considered official records for the all-uphill course. This decision follows the recent confirmation by Hamilton that during his professional racing career he regularly used performance-enhancing drugs, as well as Jeanson's admission in 2007 that she did the same for virtually her entire career.

"These races are held independent of any other governing body, and we have never conducted drug testing for them," said Mary Power, director of the Hillclimb and of Newton's Revenge, the other bike race held each summer on the 7.6-mile Auto Road. "However, following the revelation by Tyler, as well as Genevieve's earlier confirmation that she used banned drugs from the age of 16 until her retirement ten years later, we are respecting the rulings of national and international cycling federations, and we are no longer recognizing any of their times here as records."

The bicycle ascent of the Mt. Washington Auto Road is regarded by cyclists as being at least as difficult as the hors categorie ("beyond category") climbs in the Tour de France. Since 1973, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb has annually drawn licensed amateur and professional riders, as well as other well-trained cyclists and extreme sports enthusiasts, to test themselves against the Auto Road's 12 percent average grade and Mt. Washington's famously unpredictable weather.

In 2005, to accommodate increasing demand for entry into this event, the Auto Road company created Newton's Revenge as a second race on the same course. Official open and age-group records for the bicycle ascent of the Mt. Washington Auto Road can be set in either race.

As a result of this week's announcement, the biggest change in the Auto Road's record books is that former French cycling star Jeanie Longo retroactively regains the women's open record here. In 2000, her only appearance at the Auto Road, Longo made the climb in 58 minutes 14 seconds, nearly four minutes faster than the then-record time of 1:01:57 that Jeanson had ridden in her Mt. Washington debut in 1999. Jeanson returned in 2002 and beat Longo's time with a 54:02, then won again in 2003, her last appearance here (59:58).

Hamilton won this race four times, surpassing the existing course record in his first appearance, in 1997, with a time of 51:56, then returning in 1999 and lowering the mark to 50:21. He also won in 2005 (51:11) and 2006 (52:21).

In 2002, 24-year-old Tom Danielson of Connecticut became the first and, so far, only person to ride up Mt. Washington in under 50 minutes, clocking a time of 49:24 to better Hamilton's performance. While Danielson's 2002 time is the men's open record, Hamilton's 2006 time had remained the record for men aged 35-39, until this week's announcement from Power. Now the men's record-holder for that age group is Mike Engleman, who, at 39, finished second to Hamilton in 1997 in a time of 53:53.

Reinstated as the women's open course record, Longo's 58:14 continues to be the record for women aged 35-39. The Auto Road now recognizes Kimberly Bruckner, who finished second in 1999 with a time of 1:03:50, as the record-holder for women aged 20-34.

Jeanson's 1999 time of 1:01:57 had been the record for junior female riders (19 and under). That record now goes to Anneke Reed of Vermont, who completed the race in 2009 in 1:48:32 at the age of 16.

Held each year in August, the Hillclimb is the primary fund-raising event for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H. Held in July, Newton's Revenge similarly generally attracts a smaller field, but top riders (including Danielson) have competed in both events.

Newton's Revenge will be held this year on Satuday, July 9, with a possible postponement date of July 10 if the weather on the 9th creates hazardous conditions on the mountain. The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb will take place on Saturday, August 20, with a similar weather-alternative date of Sunday the 21st. Each race starts at 8:40 a.m. with the Top Notch (elite) group, followed by three successive waves sorted by age group at 8:45, 8:50 and 8:55 a.m.

Veteran Nico Toutenhoofd overtakes younger field to claim first Mt. Washington win.
Marti Shea repeats earlier successes, clocks her best time.

August 21, 2022 - Pinkham Notch, N.H.

Forty-two-year-old Nico Toutenhoofd of Boulder, Colorado drew on experience and careful pacing to win the 38th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in the White Mountains of New Hampshire today. In this 7.6-mile all-uphill grind to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast, Toutenhoofd rode the first two miles hidden behind more than two dozen other cyclists, then moved steadily to the front, dropping a struggling group of younger riders who were less familiar with the ultra-steep course. After occasional glances back to make sure his lead was secure, he pumped his fist as he broke the tape at the 6288-foot summit in 57 minutes 26 seconds.

His closest rival was another veteran, former U.S. National Mountain Bike Champion Tinker Juarez, of Whittier, Calif. Juarez, 49, who was encountering the Auto Road for the first time, showed that he still has the strength that took him to the Olympics in 1996. Trying to keep Toutenhoofd in sight, he pedaled side by side with Timothy Ahearn, 35, of Woodstock, Conn., then pulled away after the five-mile point to take second in 58:08 - a new record for men aged 45-49 in this race -- with Ahearn a delighted third in 58:22.ﾠ

"I really wanted to win," said Toutenhoofd, who placed second here on his first attempt, in 2008 and then was fourth last year. "Of course how well you place depends on who else shows up, but this year I was better rested.ﾠ Also, this time I rode with a power-meter."
The new Mt. Washington champion explained that the meter on his bike makes it easier for him to keep his physical effort steady. "My goal was to get from the bottom to the top as fast as possible and ignore everyone else."

The strongest woman in the field was another veteran rider with ample experience, Marti Shea, 47, of Marblehead, Mass. A four-time winner of Newton's Revenge race, the other bike race held on the same course six weeks earlier, Shea benefited today from perfect weather to ride her best time ever on the Auto Road, one hour five minutes 42 seconds, also a new 45-49-year age-group record.

"My training peaked at just the right time this year," said Shea, who has ridden several other uphill races this summer. "I was hurting at the finish, but I felt strong the whole way."ﾠ Having her parents come to watch the race for the first time ever gave her additional emotional energy. "They're my support system," said Shea between repeated enthusiastic parental hugs.

Shea and Toutenhoofd each won $1500, the winner's prize awarded by the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, for which the race is the major fundraising event of the year.

Second woman was Kristen Gohr, 39, of Reading, Mass. "I wanted to stay with Marti a little longer," said Gohr, "but she's a machine. So I focused on my own pedaling." Gohr finished in 1:08:23, breaking her own record for the women's 35-39-year age group. Following at a respectful distance for third was Selene Yeager, 41, of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in 1:17:36.

Two of the younger riders who struggled with the steep grade were Peter Salon and Walker Savidge, both 22 years old and both training in Boulder, Colo., as members of the Garmin-Transitions-Holowesko team that includes Mt. Washington course record-holder Tom Danielson. Salon and Savidge were among the first riders off the starting line, but by the time they reached the extended 18 percent grade in the second mile, Savidge said he knew it would be a difficult day. "Anything over 13 percent, I felt like I was going backward!"

Salon finished tenth in 1:01:16, while Savidge was 13th in 1:02:11.

"Those kids were riding it like Mt. Evans," said Jake Hollenbach of Winooski, Vermont, referring to a longer but less steep hillclimb in Colorado. "For a while I was following their surges, but then I settled back and got it together."

Hollenbach, 29, eventually finished fourth (59:31), followed by Timothy Tapply, 35, of Sherborn, Mass. (59:57), and John Bayley, 41, of Watertown, Mass. (one hour 7 seconds). Bayley, a veteran of many Mt. Washington rides, shares with Kristen Gohr the record for the fastest tandem racing pair here - a 1:06:32 they rode in July.

Today's tandem winners were Jim and Sandy Dannis of Dalton, New Hampshire, in 1:29:35. Peter Maly and Sue Williams of Charlton, Mass., were second tandem in 1:33:31; third were Elaine Skawski and Scott Soutra of Southampton, Mass. (1:36:56).

The fastest local finisher was Peter Ostroski, 21, of nearby Intervale, N.H., who placed 11th in 1:01:31. Equally impressive was 15-year-old Sean Doherty, of Center Conway, N.H., who won the junior division (19 years and younger) in 1:07:48, good for 31st place overall.

The youngest rider in the race was Jonah Thompson, an ebullient 11-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M. Thompson, who made his Mt. Washington debut at the age of 9 and also competed here last year, placed 238th in the field of nearly 600, in a time of 1:28:56. "I loved it!" said Thompson, flashing a smile that revealed red and blue bands on his braces. "The weather was a lot nicer this year. Last year the humidity killed me!"

The oldest finisher was Ray Gengenbach, 75, of Amherst, Mass., in 2:22:59.

In the midst of all the two-wheeled racers was one unicycle, ridden by Eric Scheer, 46, of Peace Dale, Rhode Island, to a 1:40:41 finish, 346th overall. "Riding a unicycle up the Mt. Washington Auto Road is a lot like riding a bike, said Scheer afterward. "Except when you get tired it's harder to balance." Describing his training, he added, "In Rhode Island we don't have any big hills. We have a lot of little ones. So I go up and down, up and down."

As further evidence of how the day was ideal for racing, several other age-group records fell. Margaret Thompson, 56, of Clinton, N.Y., lowered the 55-59-year-olds' record she set earlier this year by riding a 1:23:28. Mark Luzio, 55, of Brooklyn, Conn., set the standard for men in the same bracket, 1:06:44, nearly six minutes better than the old record.

Both winners in the 60-64-year age group broke records: Judy Caron, 62, of Concord N.H., lowered her own record by three minutes to 1:39:01, while Mike McCusker, 61, of Buckland, Mass., beat his friend and rival Mark McCarthy by finishing in a 1:11:32. McCarthy, who had set a record of 1:15:08 at Newton's Revenge earlier this year, settled for second today despite improving his time to 1:13:55.ﾠﾠﾠ

Don Metz, 69, of Lyme, N.H., rode to the summit in 1:28:15 to erase the old 65-69-year record of 1:29:47 set last year by Arthur Lablanc.

Top Finishers
Men
1.ﾠ Nico Toutenhoofd, 42, Boulder CO, 57:26
2.ﾠTinker Juarez, 49, Whittier CA, 58:08
3.ﾠTimothy Ahearn, 35, Woodstock CT, 58:22
4.ﾠJake Hollenbach, 29, Winooski VT, 59:31
5.ﾠTimothy Tapply, 35, Sherborn MA, 59:57
6.ﾠJohn Bayley, 41, Watertown MA, 1:00:07 [one hour and seven seconds]
7.ﾠPaul Runyon, 20, Philadelphia PA, 1:00:41
8.ﾠRandall Jacobs, 27, Waltham MA, 1:00:50
9.ﾠChris Yura, 31, Philadelphia PA, 1:01:15
10.ﾠPeter Salon, 22, Boulder CO, 1:01:16

Women
1.ﾠMarti Shea, 47, Marblehead MA, 1:05:42
2.ﾠKristen Gohr, 39, Reading MA, 1:08:23
3.ﾠSelene Yeager, 41, Emmaus PA, 1:17:36
4.ﾠCarol Meader, 44, Raymond ME, 1:18:32
5.ﾠDominique Coderre, 51, Montreal QC, 1:18:49
6.ﾠNicole Marcoe, 35, White River Junction VT, 1:20:04
7.ﾠMartha Robertson, 52, Peru VT, 1:20:36
8.ﾠKelley Wulfkuhle, 33, Essex Junction VT, 1:21:00
9.ﾠElizabeth West, 44, Westport CT, 1:22:32
10.ﾠMargaret Thompson, 56, Clinton NY, 1:23:27

Newton's Revenge registration now open.

February 12, 2023 Pinkham Notch, N.H.

The Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H., happily announced this week its annual combination of good news and bad news and more good news to cyclists who want to pedal up the ultra-steep Mt. Washington Auto Road this summer.

The good news: The field for the 38th installment of the grueling Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb was filled to its 600-rider capacity on February 2, less than 34 hours after the Tin Mountain web site opened for registrations. The race's appeal, even in an economic recession, brings unwavering support for Tin Mountain's summer camps and its school and community programs that promote appreciation for the natural world and sustainable lifestyles. All riders' entry fees help deliver this message.

The bad news? Only that the Hillclimb, which will take place on August 21, cannot accommodate more riders (unless someone drops out in which case there's a waiting list).

The further good news: For the fifth year in a row, the Mt. Washington Auto Road will be open for an additional race up the same 7.6-mile course to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. Registration is now open for Newton's Revenge, which was created in 2006 to accommodate the swelling demand for a chance to bike to the summit of Mt. Washington. Newton's Revenge will take place this year on July 10, following the same format as the August Hillclimb. Cyclists can register on line at www.newtonsrevenge.com.

Frequently described as a climb more difficult than any in the Tour de France, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is a major attraction for professional and serious amateur cyclists. A strong ride at Mt. Washington helps an aspiring pro to establish credentials as one of the world's best climbers and to attract the attention of top-tier racing teams. Course record-holder Tom Danielson (49:24) and 2004 winner Justin England both went on from Mt. Washington to higher-profile careers racing in Europe.

For amateurs, the race is a challenge like no other "an extreme sport before there were extreme sports," as the race program often describes the event.

First held in 1973, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb operated under various directorships until the 1990s, when the Tin Mountain Conservation Center became the organizing body for the race, and the race became the primary fundraising event for the conservation center. The event's popularity grew along with the growing popularity of cycling in the United States and the rising visibility of American cyclists on the European circuit.

In 2006, in response to the ever-rising demand for places in the Hillclimb field, the Mt. Washington Auto Road company inaugurated Newton's Revenge, which follows the same course up the windswept mountain. Registration for Newton's Revenge opens as soon as the field for the Hillclimb has reached capacity. As of today, approximately 100 riders have already registered for Newton's Revenge  a much larger number at this point than in previous years. Of that number, 23 cyclists have signed up for both the Hillclimb and Newton's Revenge.

A complete list of riders registered for the Hillclimb is available at www.bikereg.com or at the race web site, www.mwarbh.org.

Both the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb and Newton's Revenge are part of the Bicycle Up the Mountain Point Series (BUMPS), in which riders accumulate points based on their finishes in nine uphill bike races in the Northeast between June and October. The men's and women's champions for the series are crowned following the final race in the series, at Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts. For further information see www.hillclimbseries.com.

The entry fee for the Hillclimb is $350. The entry fee for Newton's Revenge is $300, except that a discounted entry fee of $150 is offered to anyone entering Newton's Revenge who is already registered for the Hillclimb.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road is open to cyclists only four days each year: the two race days, plus a practice ride for each race. This summer the practice rides are on June 6, for Newton's Revenge, and July 18 for the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb.

In its 7.6 miles the Auto Road climbs 4650 feet at an average grade of 12 percent and a wall-like 22 percent in the final 50 yards. And then there's the always unpredictable

July 31, 2023 Pinkham Notch, N.H.

Phil Gaimon, of Tucker, Georgia, will return to the White Mountains of New Hampshire on August 15 to try to win the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb for the second time in as many attempts. Given his experience in the past year as a new professional cyclist after outstanding performances as an amateur, and given his familiarity the ultra-steep Mt. Washington Auto Road, Gaimon is the likely favorite to repeat as Hillclimb winner this year. However, he will have to withstand challenges from Nico Toutenhoofd, the runnerup here last year, and by Colorado hillclimbing veteran Kevin Nicol.

Currently training in Gainesville, Florida, Gaimon, 23, is enjoying a racing year that has included the Tour of California, a rugged stage race at Himalayan altitudes in China, and other professional competition in the United States as a member of the Jelly Belly professional racing team. He got his first look at the Auto Road in July 2008, when he was runnerup in Newton's Revenge, the other summer bike race on the same course, beaten only by seasoned pro Anthony Colby. Immediately appreciating the technical and physical challenge of riding 7.6 miles up an average 12 percent grade, Gaimon came back five weeks later to win the 2008 Hillclimb in 54:57, more than a minute faster than he had ridden the Auto Road in similar conditions the previous month. (He reported having learned a great deal about the special gearing that Mt. Washington demands.)

Toutenhoofd, 41, was a promising rider in his teens and twenties, including seasons on the 7-Eleven development team and the U.S. Junior National Team. After college he resumed amateur racing and won time trials in several states. After taking five more years off with a new family and a new business, Toutenhoofd returned to racing again last year, winning the Colorado masters time trial and finishing second to Gaimon in the Mt. Washington Hillclimb, in 56:40.

This year, however, Toutenhoofd says he thinks his friend Kevin Nicol, 42, will win here. Nicol, who will see the Mt. Washington Auto Road for the first time over his handlebars this August, won the 2008 Mt. Evans Hillclimb in the Rockies, a race that gains 6575 feet in altitude over a distance of 27.4 miles. (The Mt. Washington race, shorter and steeper, gains 4650 feet in 7.6 miles.) Perhaps not coincidentally, the course record at Mt. Evans is held by Tom Danielson, who also holds the men's course record for the Mt. Washington course 49:24, which he rode in 2002. For the past three years, Nicol has been the Colorado Best All-Around Rider in the pro category.

The women's race features the return of diminutive Brazilian cyclist Flavia Lepene, defending the title she won last year in her first Mt. Washington appearance. Lepene, 32 years old, five feet tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, lives and trains in Blacksburg, Virginia. She led all the women at the Hillclimb last year in one hour 8 minutes 52 seconds.

That time is well off Genevieve Jeansson's surreal course record of 54:02 -- but very close to the time in which Marti Shea, of Marblehead, Mass., won Newton's Revenge this year (1:08:42). The 45-year-old Shea, who also won Newton's Revenge in 2006 and 2008, is attempting to win the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb for the first time.

What makes the women's race more difficult to predict is the addition of former Canadian road and cyclocross champion Lyne Bessette, of Middleton, Massachusetts. Bessette, 34, returned to competitive cycling last winter after a brief retirement. Originally from Knowlton, Quebec, she was the Canadian Cyclist of the Year and also North American Cyclist of the year in 2001, as well as Woman of the Year in the demanding sport of cyclocross.

Bessette won a 2002 Commonwealth Games bronze medal, the 2004 Canadian national road championship, and the Canadian (2005, 2006) and U.S. championships (2006) in cyclocross. In 2002, she was a distant second to Jeansson at Mt. Washington, but her time then, 1:04:30, gives Lepene and Shea plenty to think about.

Another top female rider to watch is 47-year-old Karen Smyers of Lincoln, Massachusetts. Originally an outstanding collegiate swimmer at Princeton, Smyers is an American legend in triathlon competitions, having won the U.S. national title in that sport every year from 1990 through 1995, and then, also in 1995, winning the World Ironman Championship. Last month she came to Mt. Washington for the first time to race in Newton's Revenge. She finished second behind Shea, and, after all those 112-mile bike races in Ironman competition, was impressed by how difficult it is to ride up the Auto Road.

Other elite male riders with previous Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb experience include Mark Schwab, 35, of Boulder, Colorado, who finished fourth last year in 59:44; Ian Gordon, 21, of Wakefield, R.I., seventh last year in 1:02:34; Charlie Casey, 47, of Alplaus, N.Y., ninth last year in 1:04:50; and Doug Jansen, 46, of Pelham, N.H., tenth last year in 1:05:33. Joining them will be Joe Carpisassi, 32, of Greeneville, N.C., who won the inaugural Newton's Revenge in the time of exactly one hour; and Paul Runyon, who, at just 16, was runnerup to Carpisassi in 1:05:16 in that race and presumably is faster at 19.

The course - The Mt. Washington Auto Road rises at an average grade of 12 percent, with a 22-percent grade in the final yards before the 6288-foot summit. The challenge is increased by Mt. Washington's famous high winds and frequently bad weather. In some years the winds have blown riders off their bikes on the upper slopes above the tree line; in others, rain, fog and general chill have made the experience all the more unforgettable. Twice in the 1990s, when the race was held in September, and again in 2007, the Hillclimb was cancelled because severe weather on Mt. Washington made the course unsafe. (Newton's Revenge was also cancelled in 2007.) Entrants are advised in advance that the possibility of a weather-cancelled race exists, but the Saturday race date also includes the option of a weather postponement to Sunday. BUMPS -

Along with Newton's Revenge, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is a prime event in the recently established Bike Up the Mountain Point Series, familiarly known as BUMPS. The series also includes Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Whiteface Mountain in New York State, and four other uphill contests. Riders win points based on their finishes in five of these races, and at the end of the season the overall points winners are crowned King and Queen of the Mountains. Marti Shea currently leads the women's standings in the series; the men's leader is Douglas Jansen. The Mt. Washington races are the only races in this series on hills rated "hors categorie." For further information see www.hillclimbseries.com.

Tin Mountain and sponsors - Sponsored by Polartec, with additional support from international corporations as well as local businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary annual fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Conway, N.H. For the opportunity to pedal up the unrelenting grade, elite and amateur cyclists this year have paid an entry fee of $350, from which all proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

That fee is up fifty dollars from the $300 it was for the previous seven years, and the increase is understandable and inevitable: Costs of presenting the event and conducting environmental education programs at Tin Mountain have risen substantially, while the current economy has cut into the endowments of non-profit organizations such as Tin Mountain. The increased fee will allow the conservation center to continue its support of school programs that reach nearly 4000 students, nature camps for over 300 children, a large series of community nature programs, and other educational and environmentally helpful events.

The appeal of the Hillclimb - The fee has not kept riders away. Cyclists recognize the ride up Mount Washington as more arduous than the most difficult climbs in the Tour de France, and they enjoy the bragging rights that come with simply finishing. This year's Hillclimb field reached its limit of 600 riders in less than two days after online registration opened.

The Hillclimb's popularity is due also to its being an open event, which means that amateur riders can compete along with professionals. Top professional riders in the Hillclimb in previous years have included world mountain bicycling champion Ned Overend, Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton, French cycling star Jeannie Longo, current women's course record-holder Jeansson, and men's course record-holder Tom Danielson. Winning the Hillclimb last year helped Phil Gaimon secure a spot on a professional team for 2009. The size of the field is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

Registration for the 37th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb will open in less than two weeks - on, February 1, at precisely 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Veterans of this 7.6-mile all-uphill bike ride know how important that registration hour is: Last year the field for this grueling race filled to capacity - 600 riders - within eleven minutes of when the race's web site opened for registrations. This year many of those same riders, plus numerous other hopefuls, will be poised at their computers early on February 1 in order to complete the on-line application as rapidly as possible.

For more information and to register, visit www.mtwashingtonbicyclehillclimb.org. Riders can also enter at the Bikereg web site, www.bikereg.org. The Mt. Washington Bicycle Hillclimb site includes useful information about the Bikereg site as well.

Sponsored by Polartec, with additional support from international corporations as well as local businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary annual fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Conway, N.H. For the opportunity to pedal up the unrelenting grade while battling Mt. Washington's famously high winds, elite and amateur cyclists this year will pay an entry fee of $350, from which all proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

That fee is up fifty dollars from the $300 it was for the previous seven years, and the increase is understandable and inevitable: Costs of presenting the event and conducting environmental education programs at Tin Mountain have risen substantially, while the current economy has sharply cut into the endowments and investments of non-profit organizations such as Tin Mountain. The increased fee will allow the conservation center to continue its support of school programs that reach nearly 4000 students, nature camps for over 300 children, a large series of community nature programs, and other educational and environmentally helpful events.

And it will probably not keep riders away from this amazingly popular race. Cyclists recognize the ride up Mount Washington as more arduous than the most difficult climbs in the Tour de France, and they enjoy the bragging rights that come with simply finishing.

The Auto Road rises at an average grade of 12 percent, with a 22-percent grade in the final yards before the 6288-foot summit. Then there's the added challenge of Mt. Washington's famously bad weather. In some years the winds have blown riders off their bikes on the upper slopes above the tree line; in others, rain, fog and general chill have made the experience all the more unforgettable.

The Hillclimb's popularity is due also to its being an open event, which means that amateur riders can compete along with professionals. Top professional riders in the Hillclimb in previous years have included world mountain bicycling champion Ned Overend, Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton, legendary French cycling star Jeannie Longo, Canadian champion and current women's course record-holder Genevieve Jeanson (54 minutes 2 seconds in 2002), and the men's course record-holder Tom Danielson (49:24, also in 2002).

The size of the field is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

All riders who successfully register for the Hillclimb may also apply for the annual Practice Ride, which will take place on July 19 between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. There is no additional fee for the practice ride, but the number of riders is limited to 300, and the ride is not open to riders not also registered for the Hillclimb. Registered participants will receive Practice Ride registration instructions via email.

Cyclists who want to tackle the legendary Mt. Washington Auto Road but fail to get registered for the Hillclimb in August - or who think one race up Mt. Washington isn't enough for one summer -- have another option. Once the Hillclimb field is full, registration opens for Newton's Revenge, held July 11 on the same course. More information will be available at www.newtonsrevenge.com. Newton's Revenge also includes a practice ride, June 7.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb and Newton's Revenge are two of nine events in the recently established Bike Up the Mountain Point Series, familiarly known as BUMPS. The series includes Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, Whiteface Mountain in New York State, and other uphill races. For further information see www.hillclimbseries.com.

[not for publication:] For press credentials and further information about the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, phone or email Ryan Triffit, Mt. Washington Auto Road, at (603) 466-3988 or [email protected], or email John Stifler at [email protected]. For information about the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, visit www.tinmtn.org.

36th Annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb August 16, 2022 (weather date August 17)

August 12, 2023 - Pinkham Notch, N.H.

After years of getting up before dawn to prepare themselves for the 7.6-mile grind up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, the cyclists competing in the 36th installment of the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb will get an extra hour of sleep - or an extra hour of warmup time, depending on their preference  before the start of this year's race.

The 2008 Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb will start this Saturday at 8:40 a.m., when the first wave of cyclists begins the 4650-foot ascent of the highest peak in the Northeast. Following this elite group -the race's official name for them is Top Notch - three successive waves of other riders, including tandem bicycles and older and younger competitors, will follow at five-minute intervals.

Pedaling uphill without a break on the Auto Road's 12 percent grade, they will all try to reach the 6288-foot summit, the culmination of a climb generally considered more difficult than the Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France. Besides the sheer effort required to propel a bicycle up so steep a grade, the race is usually made more challenging by Mt. Washington's famous winds, which have gusted up to 70 mph. in some years of this race, and which typically blow in the 30- to 40-mph. range, frequently accompanied by various forms of precipitation, especially fog.

The entire field consists of 600 cyclists, the maximum allowable in what participants consider to have been an extreme sport before the term "extreme sports" came into use. The size of the field is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

Despite the $300 entry fee, the Hillclimb is in such demand that this year the field reached capacity in the first 11 minutes of on-line registration, on February 1st. The popularity of the Hillclimb is due partly to the pure challenge of such an athletic effort, partly to the race's being an event in which both ranked and unranked amateur riders can compete along with professionals.

This year's Top Notch group will contain 70 riders. Official finishing times for riders starting in subsequent waves are calculated, logically enough, by subtracting five, 10 or 15 minutes from the time shown on the clock when the rider finishes. Thus, a rider in the second wave could win the race by finishing less than five minutes behind the first Top Notch finisher. (It hasn't happened, but in last month's Newton's Revenge, the other Mt. Washington bike race on this same course, a rider in the second wave did in fact finish third overall.)

This year's Hillclimb will include many riders who are especially motivated by the pursuit of delayed gratification. These are the cyclists who were entered in the 2007 Hillclimb, which had to be canceled because weather conditions on Mt. Washington were prohibitively dangerous. The only compensation to riders last year was a guarantee of a place in the field for the 2008 race. If Saturday's weather is sufficiently severe to make conditions unsafe, the race will be postponed to Sunday at the same hour.

The first man and first woman to finish will each collect a first prize of $1500. The race also offers $5000 to any man or woman who sets a new course record. The men's record belongs to Tom Danielson, who clocked 49 minutes 24 seconds at Mt. Washington in 2002 and went on to race with a top professional team in Europe. The women's record, held by Canadian cycling champion Genevieve Jeanson, is 54:02, far faster than any other woman (or almost any man) has ridden here. Jeanson has not raced here since 2003.

Sponsored by Polartec, with additional support from international corporations as well as local businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Conway, N.H. After the expenses of putting on the race are covered, all proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

For more information about the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, visit the race Web site at www.mtwashingtonbicyclehillclimb.org

The race site includes access to a complete list of entrants for the race.

For information about the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, visit www.tinmtn.org.

For press credentials, to secure a seat in the media van at the race, and for further information about the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, phone or email Ryan Triffit, Mt. Washington Auto Road, at (603) 466-3988 or [email protected].

36th Annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb August 16, 2022 (weather date August 17)

July 27, 2023  Pinkham Notch, N.H.

As the Tour de France concludes, cyclists in North America are gearing down  'way down  for next month's Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb. The race, a 7.6-mile ascent to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States, is steeper, and widely regarded as more grueling, than the famous climb up the Alpe d'Huez in the mountains of eastern France. On August 16, 600 riders will battle the Auto Road's 12 percent grade and the unpredictable Mt. Washington weather, as they grind their way to the 6288-foot summit.

For 385 of those riders, the satisfaction of reaching the top of Mt. Washington will be a year overdue. These riders all were entered in the Hillclimb that was to be held a year ago, but the 2007 race was canceled by extremely inclement weather, including severe winds, precipitation and ice on the course - prohibitively unsafe conditions. These cyclists' one consolation was the knowledge that they would get priority in applying to enter the Hillclimb in 2008.

The Hillclimb's popularity speaks for itself. Registration each year opens on line at 6 a.m. on February 1, and within minutes the field is filled to its 600-rider capacity. The size of the field is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

Demand for a place at the starting line, at the foot of the famed Auto Road, is due in part to the appeal of the extreme-sport element of the race, and also due to its being an open event, which means that amateur riders can compete along with professionals. Top professional riders in the Hillclimb in previous years have included world mountain bicycling champion Ned Overend, Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton, French cycling star Jeannie Longo, Canadian champion and current women's course record-holder Genevieve Jeanson (54 minutes 2 seconds in 2002), and the men's course record-holder Tom Danielson (49:24, also in 2002).

The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary annual fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Conway, N.H. For the privilege of pedaling up the unrelenting grade, sometimes with winds of 40 mph. or more, elite and amateur cyclists pay an entry fee of $300, from which all proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

Those who didn't get an entry spot for the Hillclimb this year had another option. Two years ago, in response to the overwhelming demand for entry to the Hillclimb, the management of the Mt. Washington Auto Road created an additional bike race, called Newton's Revenge and held on the same course. In a stunning bit of bad luck, what would have been the second annual Newton's Revenge in 2007 had to be canceled just like the 2007 Hillclimb, on account of impossibly bad weather, but this year that race bounced back with excellent conditions earlier this month. The Mt. Washington Auto Road is open to bicycles only four days of the year: the Hillclimb (August 16), the Hillclimb Practice Ride on July 20, Newton's Revenge on July 12, and the Newton's Revenge Practice Ride on June 8.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb starts in four waves, beginning at 8:40 a.m. with the Topnotch group and continuing with slower groups at five-minute intervals. Spectators may hike up the Auto Road prior to the start of the race. If severe weather makes it impossible to hold the race on the 16th, the race will be postponed to the following day.

For more information about the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, visit the race Web site at www.mtwashingtonbicyclehillclimb.org

The race site includes access to a complete list of entrants for the race, arranged by name, hometown or state.

For information about the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, visit www.tinmtn.org.

Information about Newton's Revenge is available at www.newtonsrevenge.com.

For press credentials and further information about the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb or Newton's Revenge, phone or email Ryan Triffit, Public Relations for the Mt. Washington Auto Road, at (603) 466-3988 or [email protected].