Hillclimb Rides

Gravity is a fact of life.  Luckily, gravity is more fun on a bicycle.  Working with gravity is thrilling.  Working against it is challenging, but still faster than walking. at least some of the time.  That’s why there are hillclimb rides.

Anyone who wants to enjoy bike riding more should spend time riding both with and against gravity.

I like climbing hills; I assume there are others who feel the same.  And there are others who see it as a necessary evil in their two-wheeled life. I know that with Zwift, Wahoo, and other forms of indoor, electronic resistance torture, you can, in principle, get some climbing in.  But real gravity is better for you and more rewarding.

I also enjoy descending.  But the fast and flowy descents of the Alps, Pyrenees, and Rockies are hard to come by within a short ride of NYC, and I don’t know if I should be recommending places to ride a bicycle at over 50mph–even though there are places very near NYC where it’s possible.

Living in New York City presents a challenge to those who think the only hills that matter are at least 10km in length.  Sure, going up tall mountains seem like what makes Grand Tour winners, but in reality, any time you ride against gravity, you’re teaching yourself how to do it better.  There are plenty of times when muscling your bike over a steep grade is slow and wrenching and your body can’t tell that you’re doing it in Manhattan or Mont Ventoux.

So, with that in mind I’ve got a bunch of rides that are in or near NYC and take in lots of climbing in a relatively short distance.  These rides are mostly be pretty short, from 16 to 50 miles, but they’re set up to get in as much climbing as possible.  Occasionally, the rides U-turn at the top of a hill and come back down, but I try to avoid those.  Because of the area, most of the hills are not very long.  In and around New York City, a mile is pretty much the longest a hill gets.  However, thanks to the last ice age, the short hills in the area can be pretty steep–10% grades are not uncommon.

Climb, have fun.