Hill-climb races are a rarity within the U.S. and don’t carry almost the identical status or mass following as they do within the U.Okay. However final weekend, former WorldTour climbers Pete Stetina and Ian Boswell introduced recent consideration to what many name the toughest ascent on U.S. soil: the Mount Washington Auto Street Bicycle Hillclimb.
Tried, and gained, through the years by Tour de France veterans, Olympians and nationwide champions akin to Tyler Hamilton, Tom Danielson, Ned Overend, and Jeannie Longo, the occasion covers simply 7.4 miles (11.9 km) however climbs 4,678 ft (1,425 m). The street averages a punishing 12.6% gradient, with ramps that pitch as much as 22%.
“I believe it’s the hardest mountain within the U.S. Possibly even one of many hardest on the planet,” Stetina advised Biking Weekly. “Meter for meter, it’s tougher than the Zoncolan or Angliru.” Girls’s document holder Illi Gardner echoed the sentiment, saying: “It’s tougher than nearly each climb I’ve performed.”
For Stetina, the hill-climb was a goal race for his 2025 season. Not as a result of he wanted a post-WorldTour retirement problem—he stays an energetic pressure in gravel racing—however due to household legacy. His father, Dale Stetina, held the Mount Washington document for 17 years by the Eighties and Nineties, and the youthful Stetina returned to the enduring climb decided to reclaim it.
In 2022, organisers of the race wiped the almost 50-year-old document books clear as a result of a treacherous gravel part had lastly been paved, and the shadow of biking’s doping period lingered over many previous outcomes. The fashionable-day document was held by Phil Gaimon, who set a time of fifty:38 in 2022. The all-time quickest ascent, nonetheless, remained Tom Danielson’s 2002 effort of 49:24. Stetina eyed each.
Becoming a member of him considerably last-minute was longtime buddy Ian Boswell. “We’re form of tackling this factor collectively, not as teammates, however it’s my fault he determined to indicate up, and I’ll come to remorse that,” Stetina mentioned forward of the race. And because it turned, he was proper.
Boswell’s 50:18 didn’t surpass Danielson’s 2002 benchmark, but it surely was sufficient to dethrone Gaimon and set up the brand new modern-day document. Stetina fought to the end, digging deep to say second in 51:38.
The hill-climb machines
To assist them deal with the brutal climb, riders turned to bikes constructed for one factor solely: going uphill as quick as doable. Free from UCI weight limits, Stetina and Boswell pared their setups to the naked minimal. Stetina, particularly, leaned closely into the basic hill-climb hacks, from chopped handlebars to drilled-out aluminum components.
Pete Stetina’s Canyon CFR
(Picture credit score: Dominic Gill)
Body mannequin: “Canyon CFR particular version climbing bike”
Specs: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain with a single chainring, Shimano Dura-Ace WH-R9270-C36-TL wheelset, Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedals, IRC System Professional Velocity Edge 28c tyres, PRO Turnix Carbon saddle, Rex 4:1 chain wax, Robert Axle thru-axles.
Weight: 5.96kg (13.14lbs)
Mods:
Stetina and his mechanic Wayne had numerous enjoyable with this construct. They tried to cut weight wherever they might, whereas nonetheless honouring sponsor obligations and maintaining the contact factors intact, that means: similar saddle somewhat than an ultralight, no-padded possibility; and the identical shifter buttons.
“I do not need to take into consideration shifting however somewhat hold it second nature,” he commented.
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From there, every part was truthful recreation. This included: chopping off the handlebars just under the shifters, swapping to lighter bolts and thru-axles, the elimination of seals from bearings for decreased friction, no bar tape, no rear brake, drum-holed aluminium bits the place current, a single tiny chainring, and zip-tying the Di2 battery to the chainstay to shave off the few grams from the interior mounting {hardware}.
As Stetina put it, “it’s form of a silly bike in that it actually solely does one factor.”
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Ian Boswell Specialised Aethos
(Picture credit score: Dominic Gill)
Body mannequin: Specialised S-Works Aethos
Specs: SRAM RED AXS drivetrain, Roval Alpinist CLX II wheelset, Specialised S-works Turbo tyres, S-Works Energy with Mirror saddle, Specialised S-Works Quick & Shallow, handlebars, Wahoo speedplay pedals
Weight: 5.52kg (12.17lbs)
Mods:
“I wasn’t signed up ’til the final week of registration so I did not have a complete lot of time to plan,” mentioned Boswell, who constructed his bike round a Specialised S-Works Aethos frameset with Roval Alpenist CLX wheels.
His modifications have been restricted to: no bar tape, the elimination of the rear brake and disc brake rotor. He additionally eliminated his entrance derailleur however nonetheless saved his 2x crankset on the bike. Even so, it got here in lighter than Stetina’s bike.
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