Wow, that's quite the project!

This is from the Climb By Bike book, right?

 

yep, that was the inspiration

 

Congrats, Great Accomplishment !!!!

 

Congrats. That is really inspiring. I am just trying to hit as many Jersey ones as I can.

 

It sounds like a wonderful "project". I may have to try some of the West Coast rides sometime.

I'm surprised that HWY 242 (McKenzie Pass) in Oregon didn't make the list, although perhaps there is a tradeoff between scenic and intensity.

 

Inspiring! That is a great challenge and accomplishment, good for you! I am about to embark on a cycling road trip from San Francisco down south through Palm Springs and then east through AZ, NM and then north to CO and back west through Utah and NV. Now that I've seen the climbs you've done I may have to alter my rides or at least stop and do some of these passes.
Cheers

 

Thanks for the kind words. Looking back the only thing I'd do different is enlist someone to ride with. Those were some lonely miles, particularly in Death Valley

 

Pikes peak in CO probably wasn't open to the public when the book was published - certainly would've made the list.

Its only been open to cyclists for 3 years.

To the OP - great accomplishment.

 

You're probably right. Goal was to do the original list but I might start looking at any that have been changed / added since then

 

The only one I've done is Brasstown Bald, and that was a doozy. Major kudos to you!

 

That's really cool. Even without the cycling it looks like some great travel to beautiful areas.

 

Very cool and impressive.

 

One of them (Alba Road, near Santa Cruz) is right where I live. I am scared to go down it, even in a car. (18% grade and terrible pavement).

Congrats on this and the other 99! I think I have done about 3 others.

 

I used to ride Santa Cruz Mountains back in the day when I was in college (1975 to 80). Some of the cyclists called themselves the Davenport Whalers in those days. I know where Alba road is but I do not think I ever rode it. I used to go up Empire Grade at the University and over to the coast a lot but I cannot recall going further into the mountains to Alba Rd. Maybe if the Mountain Charlie Century back then went that way but I cannot recall. Anyway it's a beautiful place to ride.

 

Great job! In fact, quite amazing in my opinion. Gibraltar in Santa Barbara is the only one I'm familiar with and I'm glad to see it made the list.

 

Yeah, Gibraltar road was one of my favorites. Wish I could afford to live there,

 

Very cool. Congratulations, and thanks for the nice interactive map.

I grew up in Reno, and I was glad to see Mt. Rose on the list. That one and Haleakala are the only ones on the list that I've ridden.

 

Amazing. That is an awesome accomplishment. Congratulations. Just out of curiosity, what was the climb in NY?

 

Thanks. There's only one in NY - Whiteface (aka iceface)

 

I still can't get over what an experience and great journey this would be. You should write about it.

 

Excellent. Now I want to do a project like this.

I don't see how Glacier Lodge and Rock Creek in the Eastern Sierras made the hardest 100 list. Certainly nothing compared to a full-blown Owens Valley-to-the-top-of-White Mt., 4K to 14K if you go the whole way (The last few miles is hike-a-bike). A group of mtb riders and I do that most summers going up Silver Canyon from Laws.

I'd add Big Creek, which follows Tollhouse on the Climb to Kaiser, to the list. I think it's 2K ft in 2 miles.

White Mt:

 

I concur, white mountain is a beast. Nice work & cool pics. If u like adventures like that Mauna Kea should be on your list. On the right day (weather & snow permitting) it could be ridden from sea level to its 14k summit in a single epic push. You'd need a cross bike or swap to mtb at 9.5k' were it switches from pavement to dirt

Lower & upper rock creek rd linked are 5600' of climbing over 20 miles & that's what made the top 100. Not just rock creek from 395 turn off. Glacier lodge is one of the easier ones in the Eastern Sierra but still makes the list. The top 100 is derived from grade & length into a "hors" rating. Some of the east coast ones are 2.5 to 3 mi long but wicked steep.

 

My brother used to live in Kailua-Kona. We drove to where the dirt started, but the car couldn't make it much past there. I'd like to try the dirt on a mtb, not sure about the rest of the ride. Congrats for doing it.

 

That's some impressive climbing. Just for extra geekiness, have you summed the total climb, time in the saddle for these 100 rides? I like your map feature where you can see where they are then click on them for the RWGPS details

 

It's 448,500' of up for all 100.
I didn't track the saddle hours.
Other than the hill climb races I took my time since I'd likely only ride most of them once

 

Is that the name of the book? Because I cannot find it anywhere. Who is the author?

 

here you go. This is the second edition. My list came from 1st edition so not sure how it differs (if any)

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Climbing-Bike-Edition/dp/0979275148

 

Great, thank you.

 

Great job! That is quite an accomplishment.

The book seems to have been written by someone who is California-centric, because there are more than seven climbs in CO that would rank in the top 100, unless the person writing the book was simply looking at profiles and not actually riding the climbs. The altitude and road surface make a huge difference. Mount Evans and Pike's Peak don't look that hard on paper, but once you are over 10,000 feet, everything changes. Also, I assume these are all paved climbs? If you include dirt, there are definitely more climbs in CO and several in Utah that would make the cut. Some of the toughest climbs in CO are actually somewhat obscure, and might not be included, like Golden Gate Canyon to Panorama Point via Mountain Base Road, Grand Mesa from the north, Squaw/Juniper Pass westbound, and Magnolia Road from Boulder to the Eldora Ski Resort. In Utah, Geyser Pass from Moab is 6500 feet of almost continuous vertical in 24 miles. The last few miles are on a dirt road, but it looks better than the White Mountain "road" in CA.

 

Great job! That is quite an accomplishment.

The book seems to have been written by someone who is California-centric, because there are more than seven climbs in CO that would rank in the top 100, unless the person writing the book was simply looking at profiles and not actually riding the climbs.The altitude and road surface make a huge difference.

Thanks. His book is based on numbers. He explains the formulas in the intro. He has two top 100 lists, one with & one without altitude compensation so that does account for thin air. Almost all of them are 100% paved but a select few have short dirt sections (Washington, Figuroa, Wildrose etc). Both North & South Grand Mesa are in his original list. I remember doing them both...a tough day! Personally I don't think its California-centric. The Sierra is massive & holds lots of steep roads. The San Bernardino Mountains are no slouch either, & don't forget the CA coastal ranges, Death Valley, Mt. Shasta etc. I agree CO paved climbs are big, however most of them are well engineered roads & have shallow grades (except East Portal & the top of Evans). No doubt there's lots of climbs with longer dirt sections that are wicked tough, but I guess he had to draw the line at some point since the publication is aimed at road cycling. If not Mauna Kea would likely be #1 with 14,000' of continuous up from sea to summit, with 9,500' on the road & 4,500' on dirt. Cheers