On Sunday, 8/29/10, I participated in the "Assault on the Peak," the first bicycling event on Pikes Peak in over a decade (actually nobody could really tell me the last time they allowed road bikes on Pikes Peak...) For those who are not familiar with Pikes Peak, it is only one of two 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado (and North America!) that actually has a road that goes to the top (Mt. Evans, of course, is the other)! Pikes Peak is usually closed to bicycle traffic, largely because a majority of the road above timberline was unpaved and really not suitable for bike traffic...at least until the last few years. Major erosion problems have forced a massive paving project on the Pikes Peak Highway. At present time, there is only a single 2.5 mile section section below timberline that remains unpaved, and this will likely be completed next year. (This section is very STEEP BTW, gaining 467 feet/mile, making it impossible to ride out-of-the saddle without spinning out!)
Now for the bicycling logistics...Pikes Peak is one HELLUVA bicycle climb...arguably one of the most difficult climbs in the world!!! Based on scales to objectively evaluate climbs, Pikes is harder than many of the best known road bike climbs in the world, including Mt. Evans, Alp d'Huez, and even Mt. Ventoux!!! It is almost has difficult as Mt. Washington, and given the fact that it is MUCH higher than Mt. Washington, it could be easily argued that Pikes Peak is significantly harder than Mt. Washington. The climb gains 7800 vertical feet in 24.5 miles from Memorial Park in Manitou Springs, averaging 318 feet/mile of vertical gain. With an average grade of 6.7% (and sustained pitches as steep as 10.5%), Pikes never gets uber-steep, but the very high altitude definitely makes those 10.5% grade pitches feel like 15-18%! And if the wind is ferocious (as it was this past weekend, with gusts on the summit clocked as high as 75 mph, according to the summit ranger), this climb can be demoralizing!!! In fact, I was shocked by the large number of riders who were haplessly walking their bikes up the mountain in several sections!!! Apparently, I wasn't the only person who found this climb difficult!!!
I rode the Pikes Peak Highway in 2:44 (8th overall), well off the winning time of 2:17 by local hillclimb extraordinaire and Cat. 1 cyclist, Leroy Popowski, of Colorado Springs. Riding with a compact crankset, I found myself in my 34 x 25 combo for nearly 2/3 of the ride!!! It was the first time all season that I found myself wanting to quit a climb before reaching the top!!!
Overall, the Assault on Pikes Peak was an unforgettable experience for myself and other contestants, who were equipped with an eclectic mix of bicycles, including 3 motorized bikes, tandems, a handcyclist, one cyclist who had a prosthetic leg, and even a unicyclist! (That guy was actually rode much stronger than many riders who had two wheels, although I'm sure his downhill experience wasn't much fun!) Given the steep grades and blustery winds, it is safe to say that all of the contestants who participated in this weekend's event (myself included) probably felt as if they had been "assaulted by the peak!" Nevertheless, I am truly grateful for the experience to ride America's greatest hillclimb! I hope the event flourishes in the years to come!!!
Happy to be at the top...fully geared and ready to begin the blustery (but bomber) descent!
The Pikes Peak Highway snakes its way up the northwest side of the mountain, with over 300 cyclists creeping their way toward the blustery summit.
A view that never gets old...looking down from the Pikes Peak summit upon Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs nearly 8000 feet below!
