Okay ... can you believe 5 showed for this ride? DC, Virginia and MA was where they travelled from. I don't recall the temp ... but you could see your breathe on some of those hills. All completed the ride ... no problem.
One note, one guy was so strong ... a courier from DC, 240 lbs riding toeclips. His brakes were squeaking and he was losing brakes. The only shop he could have gotten brakes was Frenchtown - too far away. This was his longest ride ever - 70 miles.
About the route ... it included a good portion of the NJ 200K. Can you believe Bellis Road was recently chip sealed (sometime after my scouting last Sunday). I could only imagine the thoughts of the riders when they cycled up.
I noticed that almost all the houses on Adamic Hill Rd were FOR SALE!
Light rain fell throughout the entire ride. I didn't hear anyone mention Roxburg Hill Road on Hillier Than Thou (I'll check my route sheet - I would believe you turned from Ridge Road to Fiddler's. One observation I had was that you know you're at the top when you start smelling chimney smoke.... cold days. I believe most of these guys - or all - climbed Fiddler's without getting off the bike. This IS the worst hill in NJ.
It was a good ride ... no one wanted to stop for food ... so the riders were in and out of the control at Apgar's Cider Press.
BTW, there's a beer called Fiddler's Elbow.
Oct 4 Populaire ... More about Fiddler's Elbow
Yes, Roxburg Hill Road was on Hillier Than Thou.
>BTW, there's a beer called Fiddler's Elbow.
In the area there are multiple items named after
the Fiddler's Elbow Rd.
In Glen Gardner General Store at Main St. and
Sanatorium Rd. there are sandwichs named for the
local roads including the infamous
Fiddler's Elbow and Iron Bridge Rd.
In my opinion, a climb like Fiddler's Elbow should not be on any course, competitive or not. This is coming from somebody started a race up an 8 mile, 8% mountain! Yeah, I got up Fiddler's Elbow's, but I did not enjoy it. I'll take 12+ percent grades if I am prepared for them -- I have a special bike for Mount Washington, but what am I to do for Fiddler's Elbow, get a triple or some other special gearing for this one miserable little climb? Lommason's Glen Road parallels Fiddler's Elbow and is difficult without being brutally steep -- a far more appropriate option. I am looking forward tomorrow to Slide Mountain and 2000 vertical feet of gain -- this is a real climb.
