Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Now THAT'S Steep!

I saw a post on bikeforums.net about an insane climb out in Italy. Makes Cougar Mountain look like a warmup!! (the good stuff is about 2 mins in)




Stats on the "Malga Palazzo - Besenello - Via Scanuppia" climb:

17.6% average grade for 4.7 miles. 26% grade for almost an entire kilometer... [source]

Maybe one day I'll get to give this a shot, or something like it. Anyone know of any comparable Northwest climbs? I'm open for suggestions, ready to get to the next level of climbing!

6 comments:

Ted Diamond said...

You may want to check out http://www.bicycleclimbs.com. I don't see anything on that site that equals the climb you're describing.

There's a climb sometimes used in the Vuelta -- The Angrilu -- that is said to have a max 27% gradient, but I don't know for what distance.

Eric Thrasher Troili.. said...

My favorite climb - Almost local - Near Chelan, WA.. McNeil Canyon: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=436900

Best local climb that I know of.. But, I'm new..

matt m said...

Thanks for the tips! That chelan climb looks like fun, if I ever ride in that area I'll have to hit it up.

I also remembered Hurricane Ridge out on the Oly peninsula, it's supposedly 20% for a few miles I think (although that sounds insane).

Guess the closest thing is gonna be good ol' Snoqualmie Pass, I plan on giving that a shot this summer, for better or worse.

Eric Thrasher Troili.. said...

The McNeil Canyon climb is the last leg of the Chelan Century Challenge - One of the best century rides around here.. Not the one of the doughnut and muffin rides that are typical of this area.. Excellent total elevation.. And the canyon climb is the perfect ending..! Last year I did it in 6:08 rolling / 6:18 total (Furnace Creek 508 Training Ride)http://www.centuryride.com/

Another great climbing ride is the S.O.B. (Summits of Bothell) Try a triple S.O.B. for 114 miles and nearly 12,000 feet of elevation (another 508 training ride last year)..

Random Menace said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Random Menace said...

There's a nice little climb outside of Ellensburg, at place called Reeser Creek. Here's a link to a Bikely map of the route:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/
bike-path/Reeser-Creek-Road-climb

Max grade of probably 15% (less than 1/4 mile), averages around 8%.

That Italian climb looks insane!