Steeper Than Mount Washington: Vermont's Mount Ascutney at 12.4% Average

Let me start with a number that will make a lot of people pause.

In the northeastern United States, there’s a hill-climb series called BUMPS (Bicycle Uphill Mountain Points Series) that strings together some of New England’s toughest mountain roads into an annual points competition. The most famous among them is, of course, Mount Washington—that legendary 7.6-mile road with 4,678 feet of climbing and a 12% average gradient, a perennial entry on every hill-climb enthusiast’s bucket list.

But if you rank the entire series by average gradient, the steepest isn’t Mount Washington.

It’s Vermont’s Mount Ascutney: 3.5 miles, 2,279 feet of climbing, 12.4% average gradient.

It’s less than half the length of Washington, and the mountain is far shorter (the summit is only 958 meters—not even qualifying as a mid-level mountain in Taiwan). But by the metric of “how much elevation gain per meter of road,” this is the steepest road in the entire series.

And it sits on a solitary peak beside the Connecticut River Valley, at the foot of a town with a population of just over 3,000.

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1. First, let’s answer a question: Why not Mount Equinox?

If you search for “Vermont’s steepest paved road,” many results will point to Mount Equinox’s Skyline Drive—a private toll road opened in 1947, 5.2 miles long, climbing roughly 3,248 feet (from about 600 feet to the 3,848-foot summit). By the numbers, it is indeed very steep.

But one thing needs to be made clear upfront: the operator of Skyline Drive currently explicitly prohibits hiking and cycling on the toll road.

The road is operated by a Catholic Carthusian monastery—the road’s builder later donated the mountainside property to this order, known for its strict eremitic life. They built a monastery halfway up the mountain and sustain their operations with toll revenue. The road’s operating season runs roughly from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October, with restrictions on vehicle length and passenger numbers.

Mount Equinox does have an automobile hill-climb tradition dating back to 1950, but that’s a vintage racing event, not cycling.

So, if your goal is “legally riding up Vermont’s steepest paved road,” the answer isn’t Equinox—it’s Ascutney. That’s why this article chooses Ascutney—it’s not only steeper (in terms of average gradient), but it’s actually rideable, and it has a hill-climb racing history spanning more than two decades.

(Note: Rules on private roads can change at any time. Please confirm the latest regulations directly with the operator before your trip—don’t rely on secondhand information.)

2. Route Basic Information

Item	Details
Country / Mountain Region	Windsor County, Vermont, USA; Taconic–Connecticut River Valley region
Peak	Mount Ascutney, elevation approximately 958 meters (3,144 feet), highest point in Windsor County
Start → Finish	Mount Ascutney State Park entrance outside Windsor → parking lot at the end of the park road (summit requires further hiking)
Length	Approximately 5.6–6.1 km (about 3.5 miles)
Total Climbing	Approximately 695–714 meters (about 2,279 feet)
Average Gradient	Approximately 11.7%–12.4%
Maximum Gradient	Steepest 100 meters at about 16.2%; some records note instantaneous 17% or higher
Steepest Mile	Approximately 14.9%
Steepest Quarter-Mile	Approximately 17%
Gradient Distribution	About 53% of the road falls in the 10–15% range; about 20% falls in the 15–20% range
Start / Finish Elevation	Approximately 158 meters → approximately 872 meters (road end)
Hairpin Turns	Approximately 5
Claim to Fame	Steepest average gradient stop in the BUMPS hill-climb series; cycling hill-climb held 1999–2014, resumed in 2019

Data Discipline Note: Different sources report lengths ranging from 5.6 to 6.1 km, climbing from 695 to 714 meters, and average gradients therefore fluctuating between 11.7% and 12.4%. This discrepancy mainly stems from the starting point (park entrance toll booth vs. a lower intersection) and GPS elevation error. Defer to on-site signage and your own cycling computer.

Where This Road Sits in the BUMPS Series

Event	Location	Distance	Climbing	Average Gradient
Mt. Ascutney	Windsor, VT	3.5 mi	2,279 ft	12.4%
Mt. Washington	Gorham, NH	7.6 mi	4,678 ft	12%
Whiteface	Wilmington, NY	8 mi	3,500 ft	8.3%
Greylock	North Adams, MA	9 mi	2,805 ft	5.7%
Mt. Kearsarge	Warner, NH	7.7 mi	2,156 ft	5.3%
Prospect Mountain	Lake George, NY	5.7 mi	1,610 ft	5.3%
Allen Clark	Waitsfield, VT	6.2 mi	1,600 ft	5%
High Point	Montague, NJ	5.5 mi	1,511 ft	4%
Crank the Kanc	Conway, NH	21.3 mi	2,340 ft	2%

This table is more persuasive than any adjective. Ascutney’s length is only mid-pack for the series, but its gradient is number one. It’s a “short and pure” climb—no warm-up, no recovery, no tactics. It just places you at the bottom of a slope and sees how long you can hold on.

3. Segment-by-Segment Breakdown: A Road with No Patience

Ascutney’s character can be summed up in one sentence: It gets serious from the very first meter, and it never lets go.

Segment 1: The Start—There’s No Such Thing as a Warm-Up

From the state park entrance, the road immediately goes above 10%. This isn’t hyperbole—some data indicates the first two miles have almost no noticeable flat sections, and sustained 15% pitches appear.

The implication for pacing is revolutionary: you cannot use the traditional strategy of “warm up first, then settle into a rhythm.”

On Wuling, on Beiyi, on most long climbs, you have ten to twenty minutes to transition your body from rest to exertion. On Ascutney, you’re already on a 15% grade before your heart rate has stabilized.

Practical Advice: Warm up somewhere else first. Ride 15–20 minutes on the flat roads at the base, do a few short progressive accelerations to fully activate your cardiovascular system, then start your timing at the start line. This is the single most important tactical tip for this road.

Segment 2: Consecutive Steep Walls and Hairpin Turns in the Forest

The road burrows upward through dense woods, with almost no visibility on either side—only trees and slope. This section features several tight hairpin turns—turning a hairpin on a road steeper than 12% means the inside gradient can suddenly spike to over 17%.

About 1.7 miles from the start, you’ll pass the entrance to a viewpoint—one of the few “landmarks” on the road, and a useful mental checkpoint.

The feel of this section is very distinctive: with no visibility, you don’t know where you are or how much remains; you can only stare at the tarmac two meters ahead of your front wheel. Many who have ridden it describe this as a sense of enclosure close to riding an indoor trainer—just you, your breathing, and the road surface continuously rising toward your face.

Pacing focus: There’s no room to “save energy” here, because the gradient gives you no chance to lower the load. The only thing you can control is the rhythm of your own willpower. It’s recommended to break the section into time segments (check heart rate and breathing every five minutes) rather than distance segments.

Segment 3: The Steepest Mile (Averaging About 14.9%)

This is the heart of the entire road. One mile, average gradient close to 15%.

Using the model, this mile means the following for riders of different abilities:

Ability	Time Through This Mile	Speed
2.0 W/kg	About 23 min 30 sec	4.1 km/h
2.5 W/kg	About 19 min	5.1 km/h
3.0 W/kg	About 16 min	6.1 km/h
4.0 W/kg	About 12 min	8.2 km/h
5.0 W/kg	About 9 min 30 sec	10.2 km/h

4.1 km/h is slower than most people walk. That is the essence of this road—it pushes cycling climbing to the limit of “a direct wrestling match with gravity,” where aerodynamic drag barely exists, and all that remains is you, the bike, and a 15% incline.

Segment 4: That Quarter-Mile at 17%

The steepest quarter-mile of the entire road averages about 17%. On this stretch, a 2.0 W/kg rider moves at only 3.6 km/h.

What does 3.6 km/h mean? It means balance itself starts to become a problem. Below roughly 6–7 km/h, the bicycle’s gyroscopic effect and self-steering stability drop significantly, the front end begins to wobble, and the front wheel can even show a tendency to lift on steep grades.

Tactical advice:

• Shift your weight forward, keep your upper body low and close to the handlebars, to prevent the front wheel from lifting.
• Ride a “zig-zag” line (only if the road is completely free of traffic, visibility is clear, and it’s legal) can effectively reduce the actual gradient, but this is absolutely not acceptable on a road with traffic.
• Do not stop. Restarting on a 17% grade is extremely difficult—you need a flat section or at least a gentler slope to get going again.

Segment 5: End of the Road and the Final Summit

The park road ends at a parking lot at an elevation of about 872 meters, and the true 958-meter summit requires a short walk from there. The parking lot offers scenic viewpoints, and the autumn foliage season in the Northeast is a signature attraction here.

IV. Power and Pacing Estimates

Model and Assumed Parameters

P = (Fg + Fr + Fa) × v ÷ drivetrain efficiency

Fg = m × g × sin(arctan(gradient))
Fr = m × g × cos(arctan(gradient)) × Crr
Fa = 0.5 × ρ × CdA × v²

Parameter	Value
Rider weight	70 kg
Bike and gear	9 kg (total 79 kg)
g	9.81 m/s²
Crr	0.005
CdA	0.32 m²
ρ	Average elevation about 515 m, ρ ≈ 1.166 kg/m³ (95.1% of sea level)
Drivetrain efficiency	0.975

On this road, aerodynamic drag is almost negligible. Because speeds are only a few kilometers per hour, and wind resistance scales with the square of speed, its share of total resistance is extremely low. This is a pure battle against gravity.

Full Climb (6.1 km / 714 m / Average 11.79%)

Power-to-Weight Ratio	Corresponding Rider Profile	Actual Power	Estimated Time	Average Speed	VAM
2.0 W/kg	Beginner finisher	140 W	About 1:11	5.2 km/h	About 606 m/h
2.5 W/kg	General enthusiast	175 W	About 57 min	6.5 km/h	About 756 m/h
3.0 W/kg	Solid weekend rider	210 W	About 47 min	7.7 km/h	About 904 m/h
3.5 W/kg	Advanced	245 W	About 41 min	9.0 km/h	About 1,052 m/h
4.0 W/kg	Strong amateur	280 W	About 36 min	10.2 km/h	About 1,197 m/h
5.0 W/kg	Competitive level	350 W	About 29 min	12.7 km/h	About 1,484 m/h
6.0 W/kg	Pro level	420 W	About 24 min	15.1 km/h	About 1,764 m/h

Calculated with BUMPS Course Data (5.63 km / 695 m / 12.44%)

Power-to-Weight Ratio	Estimated Time	Average Speed
2.0 W/kg	About 1:09	4.9 km/h
2.5 W/kg	About 55 min	6.1 km/h
3.0 W/kg	About 46 min	7.3 km/h
4.0 W/kg	About 35 min	9.7 km/h
5.0 W/kg	About 28 min	12.1 km/h

Note the VAM column. On Ascutney, the VAM at every power level is higher than on gentler grades—at 3.0 W/kg you can produce about 904 m/h here, while on the 5.7% Mount Diablo the same power yields only about 824 m/h.

The reason is simple: the steeper the grade, the slower the speed, the lower the proportion of power wasted on aerodynamic drag, and the higher the share of your power that actually converts into elevation gain. That is the one advantage of steep climbs.

All of the above are estimates from a physical model, not accounting for wind direction, road surface roughness, body size differences, starting conditions, or how you feel on the day; actual results will vary.

5. Gearing: The Real Equipment Threshold on This Road

This is the most important practical section of this article. On Ascutney, gearing isn’t a comfort issue—it’s a question of whether you can finish at all.

First, let’s look at the speeds achievable with common gearing at different cadences (calculated with 700×25c tires, wheel circumference approx. 2.105 m):

Drivetrain Setup	Easiest Gear	50 rpm	60 rpm	70 rpm
50/34 + 11-28T	34×28	7.7 km/h	9.2 km/h	10.7 km/h
50/34 + 11-32T	34×32	6.7 km/h	8.1 km/h	9.4 km/h
50/34 + 11-34T	34×34	6.3 km/h	7.6 km/h	8.8 km/h
Gravel 46/30 + 11-36T	30×36	5.3 km/h	6.3 km/h	7.4 km/h
1x 32T + 11-42T	32×42	4.8 km/h	5.8 km/h	6.7 km/h

Now compare that against your actual speed on an 11.79% average grade:

Ability	Actual Speed	Cadence with 34×34	Cadence with 30×36
2.0 W/kg	5.2 km/h	41 rpm	49 rpm
2.5 W/kg	6.5 km/h	51 rpm	61 rpm
3.0 W/kg	7.7 km/h	61 rpm	73 rpm
3.5 W/kg	9.0 km/h	71 rpm	85 rpm
4.0 W/kg	10.2 km/h	81 rpm	97 rpm

What This Table Tells Us

If your ability is below 2.5 W/kg, with 34×34 you’ll be forced to pedal below 50 rpm for nearly an hour. That’s a huge load on your knees and muscles, and on steep grades, low cadence causes the peak torque of every pedal stroke to spike dramatically.

Clear recommendations:

Your Ability	Recommended Easiest Gear
Above 4.0 W/kg	34×32 is workable, 34×34 is more comfortable
3.0–4.0 W/kg	Start at 34×34
2.5–3.0 W/kg	Gravel drivetrain recommended (30×36 or lighter)
Below 2.5 W/kg	30×36 or lower recommended, or consider whether this road is right for you right now

On the steepest 17% section, all the numbers above need to be adjusted down another step. Choosing conservative gearing will never make you regret it; going up the mountain with gearing too heavy will force you off the bike in the final mile.

6. Weather, Seasons, and That Descent

Seasons

The New England riding season roughly runs from late spring through autumn. The fall foliage from late September to mid-October is the most famous time in this region—and Mount Ascutney is no exception. Looking down over the Connecticut River Valley in autumn colors from the summit is the reason many people make the trip specifically for this.

But fall foliage season also means: more tourists, more traffic, and colder temperatures. Mornings can be near freezing.

The road closes in winter. Be sure to check the state park’s opening status and fee regulations before you go (fees and hours are subject to change; please refer to official announcements).

Good Road on the Way Up, Rough Road on the Way Down

Multiple sources mention the same thing: the road feels good on the climb, but noticeably rough on the descent.

On a 12% average grade, this is a serious problem. Imagine:

• You’ve just spent over 45 minutes riding at full effort
• Your arms and core are fatigued
• You need to control your speed on a 12% grade with local sections at 17%
• The road has cracks, patches, and debris
• There are also 5 hairpin turns

This is where this road can actually hurt you.

Descent recommendations:

• Rest fully at the summit (at least five to ten minutes) to let your arms and breathing recover.
• Put on a jacket—the temperature difference between the summit and the base, combined with wind chill on the descent, will be noticeable.
• Keep your speed down to a level that feels “almost too slow.”
• Brake intermittently—hard, release, then hard again—don’t drag the brakes continuously. Dragging brakes on a 12% grade causes severe overheating—rim brakes can cause blowouts, and disc brakes can experience brake fade.
• Shift your weight back to avoid locking up the front wheel.
• Treat it as a separate task: your effort is already over the moment you reach the parking lot. The descent carries only risk, no reward.

7. A Taiwanese Rider’s Perspective

Difficulty Conversion

Comparison Item	Mount Ascutney	Taiwan Reference
Length	Approx. 6 km	Roughly the length of Fengguizui (from the Gugong side)
Elevation Gain	Approx. 700 m	Slightly less than the Fengguizui to North 28 combination
Average Grade	Approx. 12%	Far steeper than the vast majority of long climbs in Taiwan
Steepest Sustained Section	1 mile @ approx. 15%	Similar to the steepest section of Highway 106, but much longer
Steepest Short Section	1/4 mile @ approx. 17%	Similar to the steep walls on some suburban mountain access roads
Highest Elevation	Approx. 872 m	Roughly the elevation between Fengguizui and Qingtiangang

To put it most bluntly: the elevation gain on this road is nothing for Taiwanese riders—but the grade is a completely different story.

Taiwan’s major climbing routes (Provincial Highway 14A, Beiyi, Yangjin P-shaped mountain road) mostly average 5–8% grades, and even sections widely recognized as steep rarely have a continuous mile at 15%. Ascutney demands an ability that Taiwanese riders are relatively unfamiliar with: sustained output at low cadence and high torque over a long duration.

How to Train for This Road in Taiwan

Requirement 1: Tolerance for extremely steep grades over 45–70 minutes

This is the hardest part to simulate. Taiwan rarely has roads that are 6 km continuous at a 12% average.

Alternative training: Find a steep section with a continuous grade above 12% and a length of 1–2 km (many suburban mountain access roads qualify), and do 5–6 repeats, descending back to the start between each as recovery. The goal is to accumulate over 40 minutes of actual riding time on grades above 12%.

Requirement 2: Low-cadence muscular strength

On Ascutney, you’ll spend a long time stuck at 50–65 rpm.

Alternative training: On a moderate grade (6–8%), deliberately use a heavy gear to do 6×5-minute seated climbs at low cadence (50–60 rpm), with intensity around threshold. This is not sprinting; the focus is on muscular tension and neurological adaptation. (Those with knee issues should avoid this or consult a professional first.)

Requirement 3: Balance and bike handling on steep grades

At 4–6 km/h, a bicycle’s self-stability decreases, and this requires practice.

Alternative training: On a safe, traffic-free steep slope, deliberately ride at low speed, practicing shifting your weight forward, straight-line control, and low-speed starts. This technical practice is severely underrated, yet it’s the real reason many people fail on ultra-steep climbs.

Practical Preparation

• Gearing: See Section 5. This is the most important equipment decision for this road.
• Warm-up: You must warm up elsewhere, as there is no warm-up area on this road.
• Tires: 25c or wider; pay attention to road surface conditions on the descent.
• Brakes: Check brake pad thickness before departure. This descent places high demands on the braking system.
• Supplies: The route is short, so one bottle is usually enough, but bring two if your finish time will exceed one hour.
• Park Entry: The state park has entry regulations and fees; please check the latest official announcements.
• Traffic Rules: Drive on the right in the US. This is a park road with moderate speeds but many blind spots.

Worth a Side Trip

The town of Windsor itself is worth a stop—near the base of the climb is the famous Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, one of the longest wooden covered bridges in the US, spanning the Connecticut River to connect Vermont and New Hampshire. This area features classic New England countryside: white churches, wooden barns, and maple groves.

If you’re collecting all the famous climbs of the BUMPS series, the drive from Ascutney to Mount Washington (New Hampshire) isn’t far—many people combine these two mountains into a single trip. In terms of intensity, it’s a brutal but logically complete combination: Ascutney gives you the steepest grades, Washington gives you the longest suffering.

8. Safety Reminders

• The descent is the primary injury risk on this road. Rough pavement, steep grades, numerous hairpin turns, and you’re exhausted. Rest at the summit, add layers, and descend slowly.
• Brake overheating: On the sustained 12% descent, use intermittent hard braking rather than dragging the brakes.
• Low-speed instability on extreme grades: Control becomes difficult below 6 km/h. Shift weight forward, avoid sharp turns, and do not stop suddenly on steep sections.
• Hypothermia: The temperature difference between summit and base, combined with soaked jersey and wind chill on the descent. A jacket is essential.
• Autumn temperatures: Mornings during foliage season can approach freezing, and frost may be present on the mountain.
• Knee strain: Prolonged low-cadence, high-torque riding places significant stress on the knees. If you experience sharp knee pain (not ordinary muscle soreness) while riding, stop immediately. This is not the kind of discomfort you can “push through.”
• Cardiovascular load: This road is high-intensity from the very first meter, with no gradual build-up. This is a sudden load on the cardiovascular system. If you have cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, a family history of heart disease, or are older, please consult a physician first and complete a proper warm-up.
• This article shares route and training information and does not replace professional medical evaluation. Training recommendations vary greatly between individuals and should be progressed gradually. If you experience any persistent pain, chest tightness, abnormal shortness of breath, or dizziness, seek medical attention.
• Do not race on roads open to traffic.

9. Four Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Starting without a warm-up. This is Ascutney’s unique trap. On most climbs, the first ten minutes serve as the warm-up; here, the first ten minutes are already a 15% grade. Solution: warm up for 15–20 minutes on flat roads at the base, including a few short accelerations.

Mistake 2: Gearing that’s too heavy. “I used a 32T at Wuling without any problem” is the most dangerous comparison—Wuling’s average grade is less than half of Ascutney’s. Solution: see the gear chart in Section 5 and choose based on your W/kg.

Mistake 3: Pushing too hard in the first third. The road is so short that it’s tempting to ride the entire thing at high intensity. But 45 minutes of 12% climbing is genuinely supra-threshold effort. Solution: use a “deliberately conservative first third” strategy and save your firepower for the steepest mile.

Mistake 4: Treating the descent as a reward. The climb ending doesn’t mean the day is over. This descent demands more focus than the climb. Solution: rest fully at the summit, add layers, and treat the descent as an independent task.

11. About the Mountain Itself: A Mountain “In the Wrong Place”

Mount Ascutney has a geological term: monadnock (or residual hill).

It means: it’s a hard rock more resistant to erosion than the surrounding strata. Over vast geological time, the softer surrounding layers were worn away, leaving it standing alone.

This geological background directly explains why the road is so steep. Because Mount Ascutney is not part of a mountain range—it’s a block that suddenly rises from the plain.

A typical mountain road can follow the range’s orientation, using valleys and ridgelines to wind upward gradually, trading distance for gradient. But an isolated monadnock offers no such terrain to exploit—the horizontal distance from base to summit is simply that short; you have to go straight up.

The same logic explains another feature: exceptional views. Because no other mountains of similar height block the view, the summit offers an open panorama of the Connecticut River Valley and the mountains toward New Hampshire. This is also why the mountain has long been a landmark of the region.

For hikers, the mountain also has several trails; the route from the Windsor side is about 2.7 miles long with roughly 2,514 feet of elevation gain—note that elevation figure: the trail gains more elevation than the road. This once again illustrates just how steep this mountain is.

A ski resort once operated on the mountainside, closing in 2010. The area therefore carries a certain “once-bustling” character—a familiar story in many New England towns.

12. The History of the Hill Climb and Why It Was Interrupted

The Mount Ascutney bicycle hill climb has a history worth knowing: it began in 1999, ran continuously until 2014, was interrupted for a few years, and resumed in 2019.

This pattern of “run, pause, return” is actually common among small hill climbs in the northeastern US. Reasons typically include organizer manpower, insurance costs, road use permits, and fluctuating participation numbers.

This has practical implications for trip planning: don’t assume the race will be held in the year you go. If your goal is “to ride this road on an official race day,” be sure to confirm the year’s calendar first; if you simply want to ride it, you can do so during state park hours by paying the entry fee as required.

It’s worth noting the design philosophy behind the BUMPS series itself. It links small, scattered hill climbs across the New England states through a points system, allowing participants to accumulate results throughout the summer. This “series” format is highly effective at promoting hill climbing—it makes every small race part of a larger story and gives riders a reason to ride mountains they might otherwise never visit in a lifetime.

Taiwan has similar potential. We have many excellent climbing routes with limited visibility. If they could be integrated using a similar points-based series concept, it would greatly help promote climbing culture. This is a valuable inspiration from BUMPS for the Taiwanese cycling community.

13. Technical Details of Extreme Grades: Things Easily Overlooked

Riding on grades above 12% involves several things that differ from ordinary climbing and deserve separate attention.

1. Front Wheel Lift Is Real

On grades above 15%, combined with the forward-backward weight shift of standing to sprint, the front wheel briefly leaving the ground is entirely possible. This is especially dangerous at speeds of only 5 km/h, because you lack the stability that speed provides to recover.

Solution: On steep grades, stay seated as much as possible and shift your body forward (sit on the front of the saddle), with elbows bent to lower your upper body. If you must stand, press your weight forward over the handlebar, not back onto the saddle.

2. Rear Wheel Slippage

On steep grades combined with wet or gravel-strewn pavement, the rear wheel can suddenly lose traction under high torque. This typically happens the moment you stand up and apply force explosively.

Solution: Avoid explosive, sudden power application; apply torque with smooth, circular pedaling. When you see leaves, gravel, or water on the road, sit down in advance.

3. The Difficulty of Starting from a Low Speed

If you stop on a 15% grade, getting going again is extremely difficult — you need to output very high torque in an instant with almost no momentum, while maintaining balance.

Solution: If you must stop, try to do so where the grade is gentler (such as the outside of a hairpin turn, where the slope is usually milder). When restarting, angle the front wheel slightly across the road (reducing the effective grade), use your easiest gear, place the pedal at the 2 o’clock position, and push down in one decisive motion.

4. The Conflict Between Breathing and Posture

On steep climbs, lowering your upper body helps with weight distribution, but hunching down compresses the diaphragm and makes breathing shallower. This is a real trade-off.

Solution: Find your own balance point — bend your elbows but keep your chest open, and don’t press your chest against the stem. Consciously use belly breathing, and focus on “fully exhaling.”

5. Mental Strategy: Breaking Time into Pieces

Riding for over 45 minutes on a road with no views and no change in gradient, the mental toll can be greater than the physical one.

Effective strategies:

• Segment by time rather than distance (use five-minute blocks)
• Count your cadence (restart every hundred revolutions)
• Set micro-goals (the next corner, the next big tree, the next patch of pavement)
• Don’t keep staring at the remaining distance on your computer — at 6 km/h, looking at it will only make you more miserable

14. Action Checklist

Before the ride:

1. Confirm the state park’s open season and regulations (follow official announcements).
2. Determine your gearing using the table in Section 5 — if it’s not light enough, change it; don’t gamble.
3. Check your braking system (pad thickness, hydraulic condition).
4. Accumulate 40+ minutes of actual riding experience on 12% grades in Taiwan, doing it in multiple short climbs.
5. Practice bike handling at low speed on steep grades — it matters more than you think.

On the day:

6. Warm up fully for 15–20 minutes at the base, including a few short accelerations. This is the most critical preparation for this road.
7. Deliberately hold back in the first third, using time segments (check every five minutes) rather than distance segments.
8. Get through the steepest mile by “counting breaths”, shifting your weight forward and avoiding out-of-the-saddle efforts.
9. Rest fully at the end of the road and put on a jacket.
10. Stay conservative on the entire descent — brake intermittently, shift your weight back, and don’t chase speed.

The mountains of New England aren’t tall. The summit of Mount Ascutney is only 958 meters, which by Taiwanese standards is almost a hill. But the average gradient of this “hill” is steeper than any road in the entire BUMPS series, including the Mount Washington that everyone in the world talks about.

Sometimes, a mountain’s difficulty has little to do with its height.

Related Reading

• Australia’s Hardest Climb: Mount Baw Baw’s Front Section Lulls You into Relaxation, Then the 20.6% Rear Section Makes You Want to Dismount and Walk
• Home of the World’s Worst Weather: Mount Washington Auto Road, an Eastern US Climbing Trial with a 12% Average Grade and No Respite
• How Steep Is 1 in 3 Really? A Full Breakdown of Britain’s Most Brutal Climb, Hardknott Pass in the Lake District
• Los Angeles’ Old Bald Head, Mount Baldy: Eight Hairpins and a Final 400 Meters at 13%