Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb facts for kids
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | August |
| Region | Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, United States |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Type | One-day race |
| History | |
| First edition | 1973 |
| Editions | 37 |
| First winner |  John Allis (USA) |
| Most wins | Tyler Hamilton (USA) (4 times) Aimee Vasse (USA) (5 times) |
| Most recent | Phil Gaimon (USA) Courtney Nelson (USA) |
The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is a super challenging bike race held every year in New Hampshire, USA. It's not just a race; it also helps raise money for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center. This center teaches people how important it is to protect our environment.
Contents
The Tough Climb Up Mount Washington
Every August, up to 600 bike riders gather for this amazing race. They have to cycle 7.6 miles (about 12.2 kilometers) straight up to the very top of Mount Washington. This mountain is the tallest peak in all of New England.
The road they ride on, called the Mount Washington Auto Road, is incredibly steep. On average, it goes up 12% of the way, but some parts are super steep, climbing as much as 22%! Imagine riding your bike up a hill that steep!
Race Records and Changes
Over the years, many strong cyclists have tried to set new records on this tough climb. For a while, Tom Danielson held the men's record, and Jeannie Longo held the women's record.
However, in 2011, some past records were changed. This happened because some riders, like Tyler Hamilton and Genevieve Jeanson, didn't follow the rules during their careers. Because of this, their record times were no longer counted as official.
New Records for a New Road
Before 2022, parts of the Mount Washington Auto Road were gravel, not smooth pavement. But starting in the 1970s, the road slowly got paved all the way to the top.
Because the road changed so much, the race organizers decided to reset all the records in 2022. This means there are new fastest times to beat! The current men's record is 50 minutes and 38 seconds, set by Phillip Gaimon in 2022. The current women's record is 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 35 seconds, set by Courtney Nelson in 2022.
Past Champions of the Hillclimb
Many amazing cyclists have won the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb over the years. Here's a look at some of the past winners:
| Year | Men | Women | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 |  John Allis |
1:15:05 | Unknown | |
| 1974 | John Allis |
1:01:39 | Unknown | |
| 1975 | Results unknown | |||
| 1976 | John Howard | Barbara Amburgey | ||
| 1977 | Mike Hogan | 58:24 | Ester Salmi | |
| 1978 |  Martin Ernst Bruhn |
1:03:21 | Unknown | |
| 1979 | Steve Pyle | 1:01:29 | Unknown | |
| 1980 | Dale Stetina | 0:57:41 | Unknown | |
| 1981 | Steve Pyle | Unknown | Beth Heiden | 1:16:30 (new wm's record) |
| 1982 | Matt VonWahzle | 1:06:22 | Murrie Green | 1:14:24 (new wm's record) |
| 1983 | Gary Evans | Unknown | ||
| 1984 | Chuck Canfield |
1:03:45 | Martha Tuttle | 1:29:46 |
| 1985 | Chuck Canfield |
0:59:59 | Martha Pitman | 1:18:58 |
| 1986 | Chuck Canfield |
0:28:22 | Kathy Swanson | 0:31:52 (shortened due to weather) |
| 1987 | Dan Works | 1:06:20 | Kathy Swanson | 1:23:12 |
| 1988 | Dan Works | 1:07:48 | Debbie Jensen | 1:21:31 |
| 1989 | Tai Roulston | 1:10:16 | Megan Hayes | 1:22:48 |
| 1990 | Douglas Tanner | 1:05:13 | Kathy Swanson | 1:19:25 |
| 1991 | Andrew de Garmo |
1:01:30 | Mary Serreze | 1:24:40 |
| 1992 | Mike Nelson | 1:02:47 | Suzy West | 1:16:17 |
| 1993 | Joe Bucciaglia |
1:02:33 | Jodi Groesbeck | 1:16:51 |
| 1994 | Race cancelled due to weather | |||
| 1995 | Race cancelled due to weather | |||
| 1996 | Joe Bucciaglia |
1:00:30 | Marilyn Ruseckas | 1:14:19 |
| 1997 | Tyler Hamilton |
0:51:56 | Marilyn Ruseckas |
1:11:38 |
| 1998 | Robert Dapice |
0:59:19 | Dorrie Martell |
1:11:56 |
| 1999 | Tyler Hamilton |
0:50:21 | Geneviève Jeanson |
1:01:57 |
| 2000 | Tim Johnson |
0:55:46 |  Jeannie Longo |
0:58:14 (record) |
| 2001 | Tim Johnson |
0:53:31 |  Karen Bockel |
1:09:20 |
| 2002 | Tom Danielson |
0:49:24 (record invalidated in 2011) | Geneviève Jeanson |
0:54:02 (record invalidated in 2011) |
| 2003 | Tom Danielson |
0:51:05 | Geneviève Jeanson |
0:59:58 |
| 2004 | Justin England |
0:58:50 | Aimee Vasse |
1:10:44 |
| 2005 | Tyler Hamilton |
0:51:11 | Aimee Vasse |
1:12:38 |
| 2006 | Tyler Hamilton |
0:52:21 | Aimee Vasse |
1:08:31 |
| 2007 | Race cancelled due to weather | |||
| 2008 | Phillip Gaimon |
0:54:57 |  Flavia Lepene |
1:08:52 |
| 2009 | Phillip Gaimon |
0:54:37 | Sue Schlatter |
1:07:43 |
| 2010 | Nico Toutenhoofd |
0:57:26 | Marti Shea |
1:05:42 |
| 2011 | Ned Overend |
0:55:03 | Marti Shea |
1:04:12 |
| 2012 | Cameron Cogburn |
0:52:28 | Marti Shea |
1:03:14 |
| 2013 | Cameron Cogburn |
0:50:48 | Silke Wunderwald |
1:09:56 |
| 2014 |  John Kronborg Ebsen |
0:52:53 | Marti Shea |
1:06:01 |
| 2015 | Eneas Freyre |
0:53:00 | Véronique Fortin |
1:05:58 |
| 2016 | Eneas Freyre |
0:52:10 | Victoria DiSavino |
1:07:32 |
| 2017 | Phillip Gaimon |
0:52:10 | Aimee Vasse |
1:07:32 |
| 2018 | Barry Miller |
0:53:34 | Aimee Vasse |
1:04:05 |
| 2019 | Erik Levinsohn |
0:53:42 | Stefanie Sydlik |
1:10:32 |
| 2020 | Race canceled due to Covid-19 | |||
| 2021 | Cameron Cogburn |
0:50:48 | Silke Wunderwald |
1:09:56 |
| 2022 | Phillip Gaimon |
0:50:38 (Record) | Courtney Nelson |
1:09:35 |
| 2023 | Race cancelled due to weather | |||
More About Mount Washington Races
- Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race
- Mount Washington Road Race
