Mt. Washington Hill Climb Strategy

[Pan]

So my silly friends convinced me to get back into shape and re-challenge the Mt. Washington hill Climb race. It's a bitch. My goal is to climb the mountain in under 1:20. : )
11.7km (7.3 miles)
1430m (4700ft) elevation gain
12% average gradient over the climb.

mi
0.14 21%
0.28 22%
0.9 First recovery section
1.08-1.42 19-22% x5
1.42 Recover and pick up speed for the kicker
1.51 30% Sprint up this one and don't suffer too long
1.63-1.72 22% x3
1.9 Recover - Enjoy this one
2.21-2.68 18-19% x7
2.7-2.9 Recover - Spin here, it's all high gradient
2.99-3.31 18-20% x3
3.4-3.6 Recover - Spin here, it's all high gradient
3.71-4.60 18-23% x9
4.9 Recover before hell
5.06-5.79 20%-25% x6 This section is hard. In and out of the saddle.
5.8-6.0 Recover - Spin here, it's all high gradient
6.03-6.13 22-23% x3
6.3-6.5 Recover
6.96 20% Sprint
7.1 Recover, gain speed for double kickers
7.24 23%
Gain speed on the flat to attack the final kicker 7.3
7.39 30% Final push before the finish

Here's a write up of my strategy to climb the mountain.
Goal: Break the mountain into 4 parts, know where your breaks are, and when to put the hammer down.

Section 1 Start-1.9 - Momentum for the kickers, low gear around the corners, don't get surprised, speed up on the straight sprint over the 30% wall.
Most people sprint the opening 1mi and the speed is generally pretty high. No need to go all out here.
The first two kickers are tease for the rest of the race. You think, "This won't be so bad, that's it?"
From 1.1 - 1.4mi into the race you get the first set of kickers. These kickers are on two curves so you don't see them, when you take the corner you see more of the gradient. Don't get demoralized. After the bends, the road opens up like Moses parting the Red Sea and you have a small straight away to gain speed up a 30% gradient.
Right after the 30% kicker, you get 3 switch backs in quick succession. The gradient is about 22% in the corners, approach them wisely.

Section 2 Mile 1.9-4.9 - Stay in a low gear and spin.
At the 1.9mi mark you get your first and probably your last actual recovery until the latter half of the race. Pick up speed and carry it as long as possible.
The next 3 miles are all very high gradient. It's a series of twenty 18-23% kickers.
There's a spot just before a single switchback at 2.9mi that 'flattens' to 8.4%. That's really your only recovery before it immediately picks up again.

Section 3 Mile 4.9-6.0 In and out of the saddle kickers. Process the lactate out after the switchbacks.
By mile 4.9 you get a small recovery, it's your first real break.
5.0-5.8 is just a series of in and out of the saddles.
Stay in a big gear here... the gradient is consistent but it doesn't ease off at all.
The 6.0 mile marker is significant because you see a big switchback and some tough 22-23% gradients ahead. Tackle them and enjoy the 0.2mi recovery.
The gradient eases off just a bit where you can pick up some speed. This is really your last actual recovery.

Section 4 6.0-Finish Three major kickers, attack them all and carry momentum through the high speed section to the finsih.
The rest is just trying to survive for the final pushes.
By mile 6.5 you can see the peak of the mountain. There's one kicker at mile 7 exactly -- it's not so bad but it feels worse than it is, sprint up this one don't spin it. Keep your speed into the flat and use the momentum to get you over the double kickers to the finish line.
The first kicker at 7.25 you'll hear the crowd cheering you on. Burn the last of your matches for the final 30% sprint to the finish and enjoy a beer at the top. The adrenaline really pushes you through to the finish line.

Bike Set Up
You need at least 1:1 Gearing. The average speed for much of the race is 5.0mph. I'll be using:
- Sram 1x11 X01 Groupset.
- 32T 175mm Crankset and 10-42T Cassette
- Powermeter will be Garmin Vector (so I can still use 175mm Cranks)
- I leave my DuraAce brake lever and front caliper on the left half of the bike. You want a brake incase you're in a group and you need control.
- The right side has a trigger shifter on the hoods, you spend most of the time here. No rear brake or lever. Not needed.
- Lightest Saddle you got. You stand a lot and it's a short race.
- Shotblocks and Two Gatorades for fueling. It's only 90 minutes long. Toss the bottles save weight.

Thoughts, extra information, why my strategy sucks, and suggestions for hill climb wheels are appreciated. I'm not sure about what wheelset I'm going to run yet and whether I should run Clincher, Tubular, or Tubeless.

[spud]

I've done it once. In keeping with time trial strategy - DON'T GO OUT TOO HARD. You aren't winning anything with your intended pace, so keep it under wraps. You'll be out there a long time, with no real breaks.

[kulivontot]

This race is ridiculous. $350 for 7.6 miles of climbing. I used to do 23 miles up mt Lemmon for free every other weekend

[Mep]

Wow this is amazing. You should film your experience and strategy, but then again that's extra weight.

[bremerradkurier]

This race is ridiculous. $350 for 7.6 miles of climbing. I used to do 23 miles up mt Lemmon for free every other weekend

And no ludicrous speed descent back down for $350?

[Lelandjt]

The first mile I let the winner go (Tyler Hamilton) but kept with everyone else. I'd say we were going at 90%. Then I turned it up to %100 for the rest. At the very end there's a short steep section that you just sprint as you go blind.

Also, yikes at the entry fee. 20 years ago it was about $100.

[Pan]

This race is ridiculous. $350 for 7.6 miles of climbing. I used to do 23 miles up mt Lemmon for free every other weekend

And no ludicrous speed descent back down for $350?

Yeah, the price is a huge turn off to many, but you ride it to say you did it. It's a private auto-road, not a public one. Then you spend an extra $70 on the Jersey haha. It's a pure hill climb race.

Newton's Revenge is available afterwards for $300 -- because f**k you gravity.

Mt Equinox and Mt Greylock are nearby Hardcore mountains you can train on for free. New England mountains are characterized by a lack of switchbacks and an excess of steepness in the gradients. It's between 8-15% almost all the way unlike longer climbs that may be about 6% gradient average. The shortness of the race also keeps the intensity extremely high. After you're done training, don't you want to race : )

[Pan]

I've done it once. In keeping with time trial strategy - DON'T GO OUT TOO HARD. You aren't winning anything with your intended pace, so keep it under wraps. You'll be out there a long time, with no real breaks.

The first mile is very important... there really is no need to go all out. I ride just below my hour power here until the kickers. Going by "feel" in a race is difficult so a powermeter is nearly essential for proper pacing. My hour power is about 315 so I'll try to hold 300 for most of the soft 8%.

The first mile I let the winner go (Tyler Hamilton) but kept with everyone else. I'd say we were going at 90%. Then I turned it up to %100 for the rest. At the very end there's a short steep section that you just sprint as you go blind.

Also, yikes at the entry fee. 20 years ago it was about $100.

That's the double whammy at the end. If you can walk after you reach the top you didn't give it your all. : ) The crowd cheers you on so hard you get adrenaline and energy you didn't know you had.

To be fair, 20 years ago, a gallon of gas was 1.09$ and minimum wage was 4.25$.

[Pan]

Wow this is amazing. You should film your experience and strategy, but then again that's extra weight.

It's an extra 160grams. GoPro Hero 5 Black with Housing. I use the K-Edge combo with a Garmin Mount. I think carrying a 1/4th of a pound isn't a bad sacrifice.
I don't know how people get the cool powerdata on the screens in their recordings.

[cyclespeed]

Wow this is amazing. You should film your experience and strategy, but then again that's extra weight.

It's an extra 160grams. GoPro Hero 5 Black with Housing. I use the K-Edge combo with a Garmin Mount. I think carrying a 1/4th of a pound isn't a bad sacrifice.
I don't know how people get the cool powerdata on the screens in their recordings.

Use a GARMIN VIRB Ultra 30 - it's child's play to get any custom data you want on your film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sr2EHDE8Oo

[Pan]

Wow this is amazing. You should film your experience and strategy, but then again that's extra weight.

It's an extra 160grams. GoPro Hero 5 Black with Housing. I use the K-Edge combo with a Garmin Mount. I think carrying a 1/4th of a pound isn't a bad sacrifice.
I don't know how people get the cool powerdata on the screens in their recordings.

Use a GARMIN VIRB Ultra 30 - it's child's play to get any custom data you want on your film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sr2EHDE8Oo

Selling GoPro Hero5 Black.

[kulivontot]

Wow this is amazing. You should film your experience and strategy, but then again that's extra weight.

I don't know how people get the cool powerdata on the screens in their recordings.

Dashware.
Or use the Garmin virb edit software on your gopro mp4's.