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Ken Roberts - - Bicycling what's here
later in the year:
see also: more USA stories | public discussion | more on USA Hillier Than Hillier - NJ2008 June "Hillier Than Hillier" is a sequence of steep hill climbs designed to focus purely on hills and steepness -- minimize the non-steep riding in between the hills -- but without going twice up the same climb - [ see Map ] what's here:
see also:
compare Hillier Than ThouI got the idea for riding this set of steep climbs while I was exploring other climbs in western New Jersey and noticing some painted route markings for the Hillier Than Thou organized ride -- which as it's name implies, is very hilly. Hillier Than Thou: info for 2008 on CJBC home page | 2007 event info I got thinking that if some climbs that far apart in distance were all included in the Hillier Than Thou ride, then there must be a significant amount of gentler distance in the route in order to connect them. Also a route designed to achieve a certain "round number" distance usually includes some "junk miles" to make the total number come out right. So my claim is that this sequence of climbs here in "Hillier Than Hillier" is hillier than the "Hillier Than Thou" routes. Much hillier than HTT. Much hillier in the sense of (a) more vertical feet of climbing per mile of horizontal riding distance; and (b) more vertical feet of steep climbing (in hill-climb sections averaging 12% steepness grade) per mile of horizontal riding distance. This "Hillier Than Hillier" sequence includes 10 out of the 20 toughest steepest climbs on paved roads in the state of New Jersey -- and all 5 of the top 5. It's not that the designers of the Hiller Than Thou routes don't know about these steep climbs. But it they used more of these very steep climbs in their route, I don't think it would work as a good organized riding event for lots of people. It also wouldn't work if they used such short connections between them in the style I've used for my riding described here. The sequence on this page is intended only as a personal challenge, mainly for me -- perhaps it also might become a personal challenge for a few other people with a strange interest in very steep hills like me. my riding day in JuneI rode around and climbed them all on a nice day in June 2008 (and also the additional hills of the HTH More sequence). It was definitely interesting, had good variety in the hills, and the transitions between hills had some pretty + pleasant riding. I felt real strong in the beginning, but not as strong on the hills toward the end. I didn't notice any problem with riding the gentle parts, I think because I stayed well-fed and well-watered. But I did walk up one section of Fiddlers Elbow (which sometimes I can ride up all the way), and I did do some "tacking" (weaving) on the steep section of the Wester - Decker climb (I was a little surprised I could stay riding all the way thru Decker Rd, after all the steep climbing that preceded it). In some ways I like this sequence better than some pf the much longer climbs like I've done in the Alps in Europe. Some of the big climbs in the Alps have the road so well-designed that they get boring. While the mountain scenes might (or might not be) spectacular, they don't change very much or very fast - (at least at the speed that I climb them). And the farm scenery in that part of western New Jersey on some of the transitions between climbs is rather pretty -- different from European farms but not to my eyes inferior. Right now I'm feeling sort of like I would ride it again sometime (but I wouldn't predict how soon until my muscle stiffness fades). I definitely do not feel like it was an accomplishment I'm glad I performed once but never again. The total of my "Time Trial" times for the 15 hills was just over 2:40 - (which was much less than the total elapsed time of all my riding including the transitions between hills). The total climbing (including some climbing in likely possible transition routes between the designated climbs) was about 9900 vertical feet (or 3020 vertical meters). Distance: The total distance in riding the loop (using likely possible transition routes) was around 62 miles (or 100km), so that's about 160 feet of climbing per mile, with sections averaging 12% steepness grade at 65 vertical feet per mile. summary of climbs for Hillier Than Hillier
optional: Could add another climb "Butler Rd + Mountain View West (S side)", after "Mountain View West (N side)" -- and another climb "Asbury Broadway Rd - rt 643 (N side)" (not so steep) after "Asbury Broadway Rd - rt 643 (S side)". notes about the table: a = "total vert" includes vertical only from the section of a climb described in the detailed notes about each climb further below, not from other gentle sections which might be further below or above (which somebody else might want to include to make the climb longer). b = under "steeper section", the "%" number is the steepness grade of a substantial section of the climb which is steeper than the overall hill. The higher the % grade, the steeper the hill -- see explanation of "grade". c = "TT" means Time Trial -- includes vertical only from the Time Trial section of a climb described in the detailed notes about each climb further below. The TT section often starts higher or finishes lower than the overall climb's start and finish as described. d = "avg 12%" only includes vertical from sections of the climb which have an average steepness grade of 12%. So this amount of vertical will often include portions which are less than 12% grade, provided they are near enough to a portion with greater than 12% grade to bring the average steepness to 12%. (Advantages of this averaging measure are: (a) that it avoids the problem of trying to decide exacly which portions are slightly greater or less than 12%; (b) it offers some comparability between climbs of differing steepness.) e = "Total for sequence" includes only the vertical in the designated climbs, not vertical feet of climbing on the possible "transitions" between the climbs. Therefore the total vertical climbing when riding the sequence as a loop is significantly higher than this number. see also: Hillier Than Hillier 2009 maps + cue sheets mapsnorthern Hunterdon county and southern Warren county contain all the roads of the climbs and for most likely possible transitions between climbs. See this Map on the web, but it's not obvious how to use it for navigation while out on a ride. See links to maps which are more useful for navigation. Highly recommended while out riding to have printed maps (detailed enough to show every road) that cover those areas -- in case (likely) there are mistakes in the directions I'm presenting below, in case a road is closed for storm damage or construction, and for planning transitions between climbs. risks + dangersRiding these hills and the possible transitions between them is exposed all the usual risks and dangers of riding a bicycle out on the public roads - (see this discussion for some strategies for handling these risks, and a partial listing of the dangers.) hills much much steeperBy "very steep" in this report I usually mean that a hill has a substantial section steeper than 12% grade. By "extremely steep" I usually mean that a hill has a substantial section steeper than 15% grade. These degrees of steepness are much steeper than the hills most athletic bicyclists normally ride up or down. For many athletic bicyclists, a 12% grade for a substantial section of a hill is steeper than any hill they've ever ridden up or down. Riding down or up a 15% grade is nearly beyond imagination. uphillsSome special risks while climbing up a very steep hill include:
Straining muscles or tendons or joints is another risk. Some riders think that riding up a very steep hill is just like a moderate hill except you use lower gears. Maybe that's true for a pro bike racer, but it's not true for me, and on some of these climbs it's not true for almost any athletic bike rider. You might think that you'll simply stop when it feels too hard to keep pedaling. Some problems with just relying on that strategy are (a) you might not perceive how hard it's getting for your muscles + tendons, because your mind is distracted by other things, like staying in balance, or hearing a car approaching behind; or (b) you're afraid to stop because you'll fall while trying it; or (c) you were succeeding by "tacking" or weaving, but now you hear a car behind you, so now you feel like you have to aim straight up the hill until the car passes you -- but the car just keeps going slow and doesn't pass. I think it's smarter to first climb lots of less-big less-steep hills to train muscles and perceptions and balance -- try some of the hills (closer to home?) of lower steepness % grade on this list. downhillsAlthough this report about hills is mainly about climbing up the hills, often the fastest way to connect between two climbs is to go down a very steep or extremely steep hill (typically the next or previous hill in the sequence for climbing). There are special dangers of:
animals: People have died hitting a deer while going fast down a hill. On the day I first rode this sequence of hills, I saw three deer moving unexpectely on or alongside the roads. I watched one deer run in front of an SUV going down a hill, and as I rode thru I saw pieces broken off the front of the SUV scattered on the road. (On some other days riding around this area, I saw no deer at all, but even if it does not happen often, the downside is very serious.) Going down these very very steep hills, the techniques used by the rider are different, the rider's strategy often should be different, and the stress on equipment can be greater. The place to learn these techniques and strategies and to test equipment is not while going down one of these hills. Rather start learning and testing on a smaller hill with a long gentle run-out at its bottom, on a low-traffic road with good visibility ahead and good visibility off to both sides - (perhaps could be the bottom section of a bigger steeper hill). avoiding the steeper downhills?The "possible transitions" between each pair of routes described below usually include a suggestion for a possible way to ride to the start of the next climb which could avoid going down a "very steep" or "extremely steep" hill. I don't find most of these "very" or "extremely" steep hills much fun to go down, so generally I have nothing against avoiding them. The problem is that many of these alternate transitions for this hill sequence add lots of distance. Often this additional distance is on pleasant or pretty roads -- but it adds lots of time to the day's riding. So it gets pretty tempting to save that time by taking a more direct way by going down a very steep hill -- that's what I usually did when I rode the sequence (on a day with excellent weather and road conditions). Therefore before attempting this sequence, I think it's better to wait until you're sure your techniques and strategies and equipment are ready to handle very steep downhills, rather than count on using clever transitions to avoid most of the steeper downhills. walk? Another option for some hills might to walk down the steeper section - (but this might be difficult on some specialized bicycling shoes, especially if the road gets wet). see also: Map | 2009 maps + cue sheets | HTH More steep climbs | list of NJ steep climbs descriptions of hills + transitions between hills> Montana Rdclimb is North from rt 57 (West from Washington) TT start: white "speed limit 30" sign on Right a little
north from Rt 57 intersection. possible transition: Turn around and descend S on Montana Rd to its end
(into tricky intersection) > Mountain View West Rd on Pohatcong Mtclimb is on Mountain View West Rd, going SE from Good Springs Rd (SW fr Broadway). The last section of the climb is dirt, about 0.1 mile of bumpy dirt when was there -- that's why my Time Trial section stops before it. Even when the dirt is dry, I've only made it thru without getting off to walk one time out of two so far. TT start: Good Springs Rd intersection possible transition: R (South) down Butler Rd to its end, or . . . (to avoid short section of
bumpy dirt, but adds 1.5 miles distance) > "Bloomsbury" - (rt 579)Climb is on Rt 579 South from rt 173 thru Bloomsbury. Gets much steeper for a short section around a curve. climb start: bridge over Musconetcong river. TT start: traffic light for Staats Rd (just after going
over one-lane bridge) possible transitions: L (NE) down Turkey Hill
Rd to its end, or L on Tunnel Rd to its end > "Musconetcong Mountain West side" - (rt 173)climb is on Rt 173 (high-speed high-traffic-volume, but wide traffic lanes) -- going East from West Portal, roughly parallel on the N side of I-78. TT start: at rt 643 intersection: 50mph sign on R + "Do
Not Enter" sign on L. possible transitions: continue East on Rt 173 (high-speed
high-traffic-volume, but wide traffic lanes) about 1.4 miles down to or . . . (to check out next climb by
descending it first) > "Musconetcong Mountain East side" - (Fox Farm Rd)climb is on Fox Farm Rd, going W from Strotz Rd, which is N of I-78 and W from Spruce Run Reservoir. climb start: near Millbrook Lane TT start: Strotz Rd intersection possible transitions: Turn around and go East down (very steep) Fox Farm Rd, or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 2.5 miles distance) > Mountain View Rd on Musconetcong ridgeclimb is N from Norton Church Rd, which is N of I-78 and W from Spruce Run Reservoir. There's a gentle section in the middle of the climb. TT start: Norton Church Rd intersection possible transition: R (East) on Mine Rd about 0.2 mile, or . . . (to avoid extremely steep
downhill, but adds 3.5 miles distance) > Ludlow Station Rdclimb is S from 643 Asbury - West Portal Rd (S from Asbury) climb start: little bridge crossing little ditch south from rt 643 intersection. TT start: mailbox #554 on L just after enter woods
(before mailbox #551 on R). possible transition: Turn around and go North down (extremely steep) Ludlow
Station Rd or . . . (to avoid extremely steep
downhill, but adds 4 miles distance) > Iron Bridge Rdclimb is S from River Rd, S from Asbury TT start: River Rd intersection >>> HTH More: to ride an additional set of steep hill climbs, replace the next Asbury Broadway Rd climb with the HTH More sequence listed further below. possible transition: Turn around near Rounsaville Rd and go North back down
(extremely steep) Iron Bridge Rd (railroad crossing lower down) to its end, or . . . (to avoid extremely steep
downhill, but adds 5 miles distance) > Rt 643 Asbury Broadway Rd on Pohatcong Mtclimb is on rt 643 Asbury Broadway Rd, going NW up from 632 (NW from Asbury) TT start: mailbox #269 on R just after red barn on R
(near start of climb) possible transition: continue North on Rt 643 to its end > Halfway House Rdclimb is North from rt 57 (west fr Washington). The first section is very steep, but after that it's mostly moderate. TT start: second narrow bridge with diagonal
yellow-black markings, about 0.25 mile north from rt 57. possible transition: R (E) down (unsigned) Bickel Rd to its end. or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 2.7 miles distance) > Coleman Hill + Bickel Rdclimb is West from Little Philadelphia Rd rt 648 (West fr Washington) climb starts at Little Philadelphia Rd rt 648 intersection,
starts very steep, later gets flat. TT start: Little Philadelphia Rd intersection climb is on Halfway House Rd + Bickel Rd + Harmony Brass Castle Rd - rt 647 possible transition: continue to the top to end of Bickel Rd > Lommason Glen Rd + Buckhorn Rdclimb is SE from rt 519 (south fr
Belvidere). TT start: white "speed limit 30" sign on R after driveway
for food place near rt 519 intersection possible transition: turn around and go
NW back down (very steep) Buckhorn Rd into Stop sign intersection. > Fiddlers Elbowclimb is SE from rt 519 (south fr Belvidere). Most athletic cyclists do not ride up the steep section on Fiddlers Elbow. As soon as they see it, they recognize the wisdom of getting off their bike and walking it. climb starts at rt 519, then . . . SE on Roxburg Hill Rd up to intersection with Ridge Rd. sharp L (NE) on Ridge Rd about 0.2 mile. R (SE) up Fiddlers Elbow Rd about 1.5 miles to its end at Stop sign at intersection with Castner Rd + Harmony Brass Castle Rd, go Straight onto Harmony Brass Castle Rd rt 647 going SE to the top. TT start: rt 519 intersection with Roxburg Hill Rd Arguably a better Time Trial segment for Fiddlers Elbow would have its finish at the intersection with Harmony Brass Castle + Castner Rd (so the timing would not include negotiating the Stop sign and possible traffic at intersection). Or have its finish soon after the top of the steepest climbing section (to avoid including a long gentle and partly downhill section). Or perhaps the start of timing should be at the bottom of Fiddlers Elbow Rd instead of the bottom of Roxburg Hill Rd (to avoid including the gentle and partly downhill section connecting between Roxburg and Fiddlers). But I somehow wanted for my personal Time Trial to include climbing the "whole thing" from bottom to top. possible transition: Turn around and go NW down rt 647 Harmony Brass Castle
Rd, > Wester Rd + Decker Rdclimb is SE from rt 647 (NE from Phillipsburg) Climb starts on Wester Rd, then after a curve or two, turns Right onto Decker Rd (seemed pretty obvious, didn't seem like I really had much choice). TT start: white "speed limit 25" sign on R on Wester Rd
just a little SE after crossing bridge over creek. possible transition: W down Fox Farm Rd to its end at rt 519. > Fox Farm Rd of Montana -climb is on Fox Farm Rd going E from 519 (north from rt 57 east from Phillipsburg). Climb starts gentle, then gets steep, then a little downhill just after intersection with Decker Rd, then more climbing up to an open area. TT start: rt 519 intersection possible transition to start of route near bottom of Montana Rd. continue NE on Fox
Farm Rd for about 2.5 miles
see also: Map | 2009 maps + cue sheets | HTH More steep climbs | list of NJ steep climbs
A shorter sequence of climbs is . . . Montana RondaThis is a sequence of climbs on the "Montana" hill on southwest Warren county of New Jersey. I rode around and climbed them all on a nice day in June 2008 (and also the additional hills of the HTH More sequence). It was definitely interesting and challenging, had good variety in the hills, and the transitions between hills had some pretty riding. The total of my "Time Trial" times for the eight hills was 1:54:04 - (which was much less than the total elapsed time of all my riding including the transitions between hills). The total climbing (including some climbing in likely possible transition routes between the designated climbs) was around 6485 vertical feet (or 1975 vertical meters). Distance: The total distance in riding the loop (using likely possible transition routes) was around 41 miles (or 66km), so that's about 158 feet of climbing per mile, with sections averaging 12% steepness grade at 58 vertical feet per mile. Similar proportion of climbing and steepness as the main Hillier Than Hillier sequence. see also: 2009 report and maps Here's the sequence of climbs:
Perhaps could also add the Millbrook Rd climb (sort of in between Montana Rd and Halfway House Rd). Total climbing from Rt 57 to Bickel Rd is about 680 vertical feet, but it's not very steep, has around 300 vertical feet at 8%. see also: 2009 report and maps |
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HTH More - (longer sequence of NJ climbs)2008 June see also: HTH More 2009 maps + cue sheets A way to ride up more steep hills than in the Hillier Than Hillier sequence is to add another sequence of hill-climbs into the middle of the main Hillier Than Hillier sequence. This section gives one way to add 7 more hill climbs, for a total of 21 steep climbs. The table below gives a summary of all 21 climbs. Below the table is a longer description of each of the seven additional climbs, and some possible transitions for riding between climbs. This additional sequence of climbs gets inserted into the midst of the main Hillier Than Hiller sequence between the Iron Bridge Rd climb and the Halfway House Rd climb (and replaces the Asbury Broadway Rd climb). I rode around and climbed them all on a nice day in June 2008. Felt like a lot of steep hills to climb in one day. Somewhere in the middle I wasn't sure I was going to make it thru all of the hills. I was glad to find several food stops along the way. Lots of variety among the different hills, and different sections of a climb. And variety in the transitions, and lots of the transition miles were rather pretty and pleasant. I felt real strong in the beginning, but not as strong on the hills toward the end. I didn't notice any problem with riding the gentle parts, I think because I stayed well-fed and well-watered. But I did walk up one section of Fiddlers Elbow (which sometimes I can ride up all the way), and I did do some "tacking" (weaving) on the steep section of the Wester - Decker climb (I was a little surprised I could stay riding all the way thru Decker Rd, after all the steep climbing that preceded it). I deliberately planned where I started in the sequence, in order to put Fiddlers toward the end. I was afraid that if I did it in early in the day, I would succeed in riding up the steep section, but then be hurting from it for the rest of the day. The total of my "Time Trial" times for the 21 hills was 3:30:40 (just over 3.5 hours) -- which was much much less than the total elapsed time of all my riding including the transitions between hills. The climbs in the first part (most on the Musconetcong ridge) tend to much shorter than the ones in the final third (on the Montana hill), so the proportion of climbing to total riding was pretty low at first. The total climbing (including some climbing in likely possible transition routes between the designated climbs) was about 13400 vertical feet (or 4085 vertical meters). Distance: The total distance in riding the loop (using likely possible transition routes) was around 91 miles (or 147km), so that's about 147 feet of climbing per mile, with sections averaging 12% steepness grade at 57 vertical feet per mile. Not as high a percentage of climbing or steepness as the main Hillier Than Hillier sequence, but much more than any organized ride of similar distance in this region. summary of climbs
see also: HTH More 2009 maps + cue sheets optional: Could add another climb "Butler Rd + Mountain View West (S side)", after "Mountain View West (N side)" details of each climb + transitions between climbsStarting after the Iron Bridge Rd climb in the main Hillier Than Hillier sequence . . . possible transitions: starting from the top of the steep hill in Iron Bridge
Rd . . . or . . . > Dutch Hill Rdclimb goes SE from 645 Musconetcong River Rd (SE fr Washington), at first steep, then gentle/moderate. TT start: rt 645 Musconetcong River Rd intersection. (possible alternate TT finish point might be: sign on L for "Dutch Hollow", private drive".) possible transitions: Dutch Hill Rd to its end, or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 1 mile distance) > Forge Hill Rdclimb goes SE fr 645 Musconetcong River Rd (SE fr Washington). Climb starts very steep, then changes to merely steep before Mt Airy Rd, then a little higher changes to gentle. TT start: rt 645 Musconetcong River Rd intersection (next
to Changewater church) possible transitions: N down (very steep) Forge Hill Rd or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 3 miles distance) or . . . (to check out next climb by
descending it first, adds 1.7 miles) > Mountain Top Rdclimb goes S from rt 645 Musconetcong River Rd (SE fr Washington). Steepest parts are around two tight curves. TT start: rt 645 Musconetcong River Rd possible transitions: Turn around and go back down (very steep) Mountain Top Rd to its
end. or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 3.3 miles distance) > Point Mountain Rdclimb goes SE fr 645 Musconetcong River Rd + SE from rt 57 (East from Washington) climb has two significant gentle sections before reaching the top. TT start: rt 645 Musconetcong River Rd possible transition: continue on Point Mountain Rd SE about another 0.6 mile
after white "speed limit 35" sign near top. or . . . (to avoid very steep downhill,
but adds 3 miles distance) > Mt Lebanon Rdclimb goes S from Old Turnpike + rt 57 (NE fr Washington). climb has a gentler section in the middle. TT start: Old Turnpike Rd intersection possible transition: R (West) down Mount Pleasant Rd, later becomes Penwell Rd, to its end,
> Hoffman Rdclimb is NW from rt 629 Port Murray Rd (E from Washington) TT start: rt 629 intersection possible transition: continue NW down Hoffman Rd to its end, or . . . (for more food options, but
adds 1 mile distance) > rt 647 - Harmony Brass Castle Rdclimb is West from rt 623, NW from Washington. climb starts steep, then very gentle, then moderately steep. possible transition: sharp L (South) down Bickel Rd about 0.8 mile, or . . . (to avoid extremely steep
downhill, but adds 0.9 mile distance) Then rejoin the main Hillier Than Hillier sequence of hill climbs at the Halfway House Rd climb. see also: HTH More 2009 maps + cue sheets Hudson River to Delaware River across northwest NJsee this report from May 2008 on Bike Hudson Valley. more . . .see also
concept words: roberts United States America American USA visit trip vacation holiday visitor report reports bicycling: bicycle bicycling bike bikes bicycles bicyclist cycle cyclist cycling touring riding rider riders routes: route routes ride rides tour tours map maps places: place river valley state country region regions area areas city town village |
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