The climb up Whiteface Mountain.
Taken with 10 year old digital camera by setting the timer and then riding in front hoping to be in the frame.Since the beginning of our day was very busy we got a late start for heading down to the mountain. We decided that we would just drive to the start instead of riding down and that way we could scout out things to make sure we could actually get in after the gates were closed (I read that you should go after 5pm when its closed).
While driving up the first 3 miles of road from where you turn off the hwy up to the gate (where the real climb starts) we noticed how crappy, cracked and possibly dangerous it could be on the return descent. Not a good start.
Pull up to the main gate and there is nobody around and notice how easy it is to go under the gate which is basically there to stop cars. The road from this point looks much better so we make a decision to start here and skip the first 3 miles of crappy road conditions.
The weather was near perfect at 6pm, around 25C, low humidity but still some stiff winds blowing which will be quite chilly once above tree line. Wished my buddy luck, see you at the top and then started to get into my grove.
The start of the climb from the gates.The grade to start was felt steep but I could settle into a 6-7mph pace. I would switch between sitting and standing to keep my legs stretched but kept my pace so that I was never getting close to going into the red zone.
My view for most of the ride.The grade was quite consistent for the entire climb except for a couple of spots where it actually got steeper for a short distance and then one spot after a switchback where it actually was less steep and felt flat as I nearly tripled my speed for a short period of time.
The wind was only a factor for a short distance near the top when you had to ride into it and chilly it was, otherwise it was a nice relief and helped at trying to keep me cool. Considering how hot it wasn’t my shirt was still fully soaked despite riding with it fully unzipped and I drank 1 bottle of water. Doing this during the day with the high sun would be murder.
Looking back at the road just before the top.Once at the top I checked my time….
46:39 (min:sec)
I find a spot out of the wind against the warm rock wall to try and stay warm while I wait for my buddy to summit. Take the mandatory picture and then start descending.
Proof or it isn't real.At first I thought I broke my bike as I had a small wobble but then realized it was me getting cold and I was shivering. I went slow on the descent with lots of braking as it was quite easy to go from 10mph to 40mph in seconds. If you don’t count the couple of stops for pictures on the way down it took approx 10 minutes to get back.
Looking back, I pretty sure I could crack the 45 minute mark. Now that I have a better understanding of the grade and how it felt I should be able to turn up the pace in a few sections. I also took two water bottles with me since I didn’t know how hot or thirsty I would be but next time I would bring only one for less weight as I wouldn’t need it.
Really happy I rode it. Maybe I’ll go back next year to try and beat my time.
I also did lots of cycling and managed to get in around 275 miles (443 km) with 18,400 feet (5608m) of climbing over the 3.5 days.
