Up, Up, and Away

An insider's view of one of the most strenuous bike races in the world -Pedaling Mt. Washington's Auto Road

By Susan Lucek-Hughes

I have been asked to write a story about my ride up Mt. Washington…it sounded easy until I started to try and then I realized it’s a much bigger story for me than just the climb up.  Here is my attempt at putting the ride of a lifetime into words….

It had been 15 years since I raced competitively and that year was #35.  I had set a pretty lofty goal for that milestone birthday and had been persistent and lucky enough to qualify to travel with the US Mountain Bike Team to the World Championships in Kirzarten, Germany.  Since then, I settled down, got married and realized my dream of having a child….only to have a high risk pregnancy result in a direly premature birth.  The roller coaster that has ensued since is another story altogether (aka my precious daughter, Annalee) but suffice it to say that bike racing was not a priority.  However, through it all, I rode my bike as much as I could; early mornings, sneaking out when the sitter was there, always at lunch hour.  It was my sanity break. And still is.

Fast forward to my # 50 year.  I had decided to set another personal goal for this milestone birthday.  I had dabbled in a few mountain bike races last summer, Annalee seemed to enjoy the people and some really warmed up to her. I didn’t think it was the best place for a kid in a wheelchair but she was making some friends, and enjoying herself.  I had raced the Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans Hillclimbs in my previous life and the legend of Mt Washington had already started to tempt me…. the mostly paved auto road rises 4727 feet in 7.6 miles, nearly a 12% average grade. And there is a 22% grade section at the top!  Registration opens in February at a hefty $350, nonrefundable fee, and rumor had it that it sold out in hours.  So it required a huge commitment – very early in the season.   But it was the perfect challenge for me, and I decided to go for it.  I was online the minute registration was live and was about the 200th person to register (limit is 600).  Then I had roughly 7 months to train… and worry about it.

I was lucky enough to be working for a wonderful company right near my home, with a handful of die-hard cyclist/co-workers who also like to get out and ride no matter what the weather, every single day at lunchtime if schedules permit.  And we ride hard….hard enough to actually get in race shape!   Everyone seemed to be willing to help me get ready to ride up the big hill….we did a weekly14 mile time trial religiously and a longer ride of 50-60 miles on the weekend.  In addition, I was racing regularly in the New England/Root 66 Mountain Bike Race Series, and doing pretty well.  As the season went on and I tried my hand at a couple of true “hill climbs”; one at Okemo and one up Mt. Equinox, I realized that maybe I could do this thing.

I should say that I actually like the hill climbs, I won the race up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs in the mid 90s twice in a row – and that went up to 14000’+.  It’s a different kind of racing – more like a time trial in that you can really only go as fast as you can go.  For me anyway, it’s about finding the highest level of suffering that I can take, and hoping that I can reach the end before I give out, or give up.  That said, it was sobering to hear that none of my Colorado racing friends would even consider this race as it was rumored to be harder (much steeper) than anything we had done back in the old days out west.  I decided to ignore those rumors....

Anyone familiar with Mt Washington knows that the biggest variable is the weather.  You can sign up in February, pay your $350, go up for the ride in August and go home without riding at all and $350 poorer, not to mention equipment, gas, food, lodging, and all the time spent on training.  I found this out at the “practice ride” in July, one month before the race.  They open the road super early for registered riders only, who want to ride the course.  After driving the six hours, staying at a hotel overnight, getting up at 4am to get to the staging area at the base of the mountain, we were told that although it was calm and temperate at the bottom, there were 70mph winds at the top and they were increasing.  We waited for about 3 hours and were finally cleared to ride 2 miles, then had to turn around and ride down.  All that for TWO MILES!?  That weekend made me realize you can’t take the ride up Mt. Washington for granted.

I decided to try another hill, this time Mt Equinox, which is a relatively similar climb, a bit shorter and two weeks out from the actual race day.  I had some new gearing that would give me a 1 to 1 ratio that I wanted to try out before the race.  I was somewhat injured from a MTB race fall (I couldn’t walk with full weight on my right leg), but it didn’t affect my climbing so….it was another 4 am alarm clock, but a beautiful day.  I was doing fairly well and about a ½ mile from the top when I felt something give.  I looked down and realized my chain had broken and was dragging down the hill.  Unfortunately running/walking hurt much more than riding so it took me quite a while to get the rest of the way to the top.  So I was zero for two tries up a good size hill going into the final weeks before the race.

In the meantime, I had kept in touch with my practice ride friends who had gone back to Mt Washington for the rescheduled practice ride the following weekend, and had made it to the top.  Word was that the two miles we had been able to ride on the original practice day were the “worst of it” and that the weather would still be the biggest challenge.

So I started obsessing on the weather at the top of Mt Washington….I could tell you what the temperature and wind speed was every day those last two weeks, as well as the 4 day outlook.  It made me sick to my stomach to turn on my computer and see that there were 65 mph winds at 8:30 am with wind-chill temps below freezing.  And almost worse, exactly one week before the race, it was clear, sunny, windless and 60 degrees.  That happens only a few times and it seemed unlikely to happen again. Damn!

The few days leading up to the race almost felt like a dive into deep water.  Once I realized that the weather wasn’t going to prohibit the trip, I knew we were on our way even though there was still no guarantee.  Friends kept telling me that I was ready….I felt ready….and I just couldn’t wait to finally get there!

Arriving in Gorham, NH at our little motel, I was wound up so tight…. I had so many little details spinning around in my head…should I change out my tubes, should I carry a spare, what should I wear, what was the weather going to do, should John & Annalee try to drive up to bring me down or should I get a ride down with friends as planned, what to eat for dinner, what to eat for breakfast, what to send up ahead for extra clothes…I had to keep telling myself to just remember to breathe.  It was nice to see other riders pulling into the motel and start tinkering with bikes and gear.  John started chatting with a woman named Diana who was drinking a beer and doing the race for the 9th or 10th time.  She quickly became my best friend and I asked her all my questions and then some (“oh yea, I always have a beer before a big race!”).  She was changing out her tubes AND tires because she said that they were almost worn through.  I decided to just trust the ones I had in place and not mess with them.  She and all the others seemed to have the same outlook; good luck, have a good ride, try to enjoy it. It’s all uphill from here!

We got some advice from the motel owner on a nearby restaurant that served “homemade” pasta (I couldn’t believe it) and headed out to eat dinner.  As we were leaving the motel, we heard the terrible sound of Diana’s tire blowing out….Oh well, better to blow out in the parking lot than on the ride!!

Dinner was amazing, the pasta really WAS homemade, the place was empty and we were back to the motel in an hour.  Diana was still drinking beer AND tinkering with her bike…I was beginning to wonder if she was going to make it to the start the next morning!  But after laying out clothes and packing my bag for the top, it was off to bed and a good night sleep for me! 

The morning was kind of a blur, it was very early but there was already so much activity.  I went to Dunkin Donuts to grab some coffee and hot water for my oatmeal and the place was packed with racers getting their pre-race caffeine and carbs.  And the best part – the weather “seemed” to be calm, it was chilly but it was still dark.  As the sun came up, it just got better and better, warming temps and low winds.  WOW, could this be for real?

Off to the start area, John & Annalee had decided to drive up since the weather looked so good, and they needed to be on the road almost an hour and a half before my start.  So I had some time to kill and didn’t want to overdo the warm up (I had heard 20 mins was plenty).  I hung around with some folks who were spinning on stationary bikes and talking about their superlight, 14.5lb race bikes with all the super light, hi-tech, climbing gadgetry and I realized that I should just go ride my bike now and try to relax rather than get intimidated that my bike weighs 21 lbs and has no hi-tech gadgetry. (I actually added weight to get all the gears I wanted to have) 

I really can’t describe the feeling of anticipation that morning while warming up and watching the other age groups take off up the hill.  I knew that all the work and worry and effort I had put in since February had finally gotten me to the start line, it was an incredibly beautiful day, and all that remained was to ride to the top.  It was a great feeling, to know that I was on my way, and nothing but a broken bike was going to stop me from getting there…..

The ride up Mt Washington is one of those things that while it is happening you are suffering like nothing else, but you don’t really remember it being so bad afterwards.  I remember that I watched my speed rather than the distance on my bike computer.  I was actually going a little bit faster than I thought I would.  I also rode quite close to another woman in red most of the way, we would trade places off and on.  I remember the sound of breathing – mine and others I was passing or who were passing me.  Otherwise it was very quiet and somewhat peaceful.  Not a lot of chitchat! The road was incredibly steep, I guess since I had not been up before I was surprised at the relentless grade. It just never lets up.  There is a section of dirt road right at treeline that just sucked the strength out of my legs.  I had read about it and knew that it was less than a mile long but it seemed to last forever and took a lot out of me.  It was here that I lost contact with the red woman I was riding with.  I could see her ahead but I could not keep up.  I remember that I just tried not to get discouraged, just tried to keep my cadence up and take some energy drink, hoping that would help.   I was trying not to hate whoever said that the first two miles were the worst of it…... but I knew that I was more than half way there.

Once we cleared the dirt section we were above treeline, which offers a much better view!  You can see much farther out ahead and all around as the road goes up and across the mountain side.  All of a sudden I felt good, as if the road had leveled out a bit!  I was making up ground on the red woman who had ridden away, and I was spinning comfortably!  What a great feeling to get, so far into this climb!  I knew we were closing in on the top so I figured I might as well push it as long as I could.  Looking at the profile map afterwards, the grade does relax to about 10% for a bit and this was what gave me the break I needed.  I caught and passed the red woman with about a mile to go. 

From here we started to see spectators cheering, ringing cowbells, even a man dressed as superman running alongside for a few yards.  There were people filming in the road as we rode by, photographers lying on the ground.  I could see buildings, but it was not clear how we were going to get there or how much farther it would be. I was starting to hear the sound of cheering and muffled voices over a microphone.  I remember looking up ahead to see the road take a sharp right and disappear behind the hill.  Then I heard “OH MY GOD ITS SUE DAD ITS SUE WOOOHOOO” followed by a nonstop litany of encouragement and cheers from my good friend Rachel, whose dad had raced and already finished.  It was so great to see her!  It was like the clouds parted, the sun beamed down and there she was – like an angel at the top!! !! 

Next I see someone bounding down the road, it was her dad, Andy running to me and then running with me as I rode and as we approached that final turn, the crowds got bigger and the cheering got louder and he said, “OK Sue, now it’s time to punch it, punch it, now, now, now, GO, GO, GO!!” So I did!  I stood up and went as fast as I could as I took that turn and turned up that hill with the cheering, screaming crowds and about half way up I sat back down because it was really, really hard and I thought I might fall over.  This part wasn’t just steep, this was like riding a bike up a ladder!  I had heard about the steep section at the top and I’m not sure if I forgot about it or just didn’t care but I certainly didn’t realize what was waiting for me as I took that last turn.  Somehow I kept pedaling and stayed on my bike but I was in a complete fog, this part got very grey for me.  I saw the finish line but it seemed REALLY far away and still WAY uphill and I simply do not know how I crossed it. Luckily there were volunteers who caught and supported me as I did, let me stay clipped in and just held me upright until I was able to catch my breath, put my heart back inside my chest and get off my bike.  I was at the top!!  All I remember thinking was HOLY CR@P – that was hard! 

Once I caught my breath and my heart slowed down, I was able to look around at the incredible views from the top, and it finally sank in…yes, it was incredibly hard, it was the hardest 7.6 mile ride I’ve ever done.  But I had made it to the top, my daughter and husband were waiting there for me, I even took 3rd in my age group....and it was not just a ride, it was the experience of a lifetime.  I encourage anyone who is even tempted to “just do it”. …once you get to the top, you won’t regret it!

My results

     FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 to 49

Place OverAll Race# Age Time    Rate Name                     Age Sex Race# City/state             

===== ===== ===== === ======= ==== ======================== === === ===== =======================

    1    26     1  47 1:05:42   6.9 Marti Shea                47 F       1 Marblehead MA          

New record.  Old record 1:07:43 by Sue Schlatter in 2009

    2   185   506  46 1:24:13   5.4 Elisabeth Wegner          46 F     506 Colchester VT          

    3   213   511  49 1:26:18   5.3 Susan Lucek               49 F     511 Tolland CT             

    4   245   481  46 1:29:29   5.1 Saiya Remmler             46 F     481 Lexington MA           

    5   282   419  48 1:33:43   4.9 Liane Burke               48 F     419 Norfolk CT             

Even better…my result adjusted for age and gender placed me 75th overall out of 526 finishers.

You can see complete results here.

2010 in a nutshell

Fastest Male           57:26         (record is 49:24)

Fastest Female        1:05:42      (record is 54:02)

Slowest Male          3:46

Slowest Female       2:18

Unicycle                  1:40:42

Oldest Male(75)      2:22:59

Oldest Female(62)1:39:01     

Susan Lucek-Hughes is a cycling and outdoors enthusiast, who balances the drive to be outside riding all day long with the larger priorities of taking care of and advocating for her daughter (who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair), regular mom duties and a full-time job.  She currently resides in Tolland, CT with her husband and daughter, two cats, 25 chickens and 2 geese.  She enjoys cooking, gardening, taking care of the menagerie and doing just about anything that her family can do together.  She hopes to find herself at the bottom (as well as the top) of Mt Washington again in the future…