Call for hill ideas

For 2008 I would like to take out some of the easier climbs and add some more difficult ones. As I see it, the 6 tough climbs that I would definitely leave in are La Collina, Righter's Mill, County Line, Hart's Lane, Port Royal and the Manayunk Wall. I would definitely like to add Delhaven St. off of Balligomingo Rd and Bryn Trydden behind the Spring Mill Country Club. I am also considering Pleasant Ave. in West Conshohocken and I am interested in including a couple climbs in the Valley Forge area. Any ideas?

Rough outline for 2008:

#1: La Collina
#2: Righter's Mill
#3: Bryn Trydden
#4: Pleasant Ave.
#5: County Line
#6: Climb in Valley Forge?
#7: Climb in Valley Forge?
#8: Delhaven St.
#9: Hart's Lane
#10: Port Royal
#11: Valley Green Rd?
#12: Climb in Manayunk?
#13: Manayunk Wall

Pittsburgh DD writeup

Check out Chew's write up plus photos from the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen.
Barb "Barbarella" Howe also has a good write up on her cyclingnews.com diary.

Pittsburgh Tribune Review article

Saw this article, mentions the Philly DD.

PDD Videos

Coutesy of Jason Cole...

Points

Sorry for the delay, but here are the final points from the ride: (modified 11/9/07)

Men:
1. Mike Stubna: 59 points
2. John Minturn: 56 points
3. Joe Reynolds: 37 points
4. Tyler Wren*: 27 points
5. Justin Woulfe: 27 points
6. Charlie Zamastil: 9 points
7. Chris Pagoda: 7 points
8. Bob Kehl: 7 points
9. Guy's Rider?: 5 points
10. Brady Gibney*: 5 points
11. David Hilton: 3 points
12. Colin Barry*: 3 points
13. Lauren Fahnestock: 1 point

Women:
1. Maria Collazo: 90 points
2. Annie Malouin: 77 points
3. Andrea Walheim*: 26 points
4. Julie Davis*: 7 points
5. Jennifer Chun*: 6 points

* Did not finish ride

Thank you & suggestions

The Philadelphia Dirty Dozen was a huge success and I want to thank everyone who showed up. The weather did not completely cooperate and it was 46 degrees and rainy at the start, but it got a lot nicer throughout the ride. Congratulations to the winners, Mike Stubna and Maria Collazo and also a big thank you to Ryan Oelkers for leading the riders from climb to climb and to Jason Cole and Fred Billet for riding with me from climb to climb and turn marshaling.

I will have points posted soon and I will try to post any videos and pictures that people send me. I hope this can become an annual event and I welcome any suggestions anyone may have to improve the ride in the future. So far, suggestions have been:

- Drop Barren Hill
- Add Waverly Rd.
- Add New Gulph Rd.
- Add Delhaven St. (off of Balligomingo rd)
- Official sprint point in the middle of the ride
- Record names of all finishers
- Take a picture of all finishers
- Prizes for the winners
- Spring event in addition to the fall event
- Support vehicle with food & beverages
- Colin should race it & get someone else to score the points
- Danny Chew should ride out from Pittsburgh and race it
- Band at the finish
- Keg at the finish

Preride Videos uploaded

OK, I know that it's late and the ride is tomorrow morning, but here is the helmet cam video from Wednesday, broken down climb by climb. Sorry that the video is at an angle for the first 10 climbs, I didn't realize what was going on until the end of the ride.

Climb #1 (La Collina)


Climb #2 (Flat Rock)


Climb #3 (Hollow Rd)


Climb #4 (Righter's Mill Rd.)


Climb #5 (Rose Glen)


Climb #6 (Rebel Hill)


Climb #7 (County Line)


Climb #8 (Hughes)


Climb #9 (Spring Mill)


Climb #10 (Barren Hill)


Climb #11 (Hart's Lane)


Climb #12 (Port Royal)


Climb #13 (Manayunk Wall)

Weather, video, advice

First, it looks like it will be a nice day Saturday for the ride. The forecast is sunny and temps in the 50s. So, bring light booties, light full finger gloves, leg warmers, arm warmers and maybe a vest.

I rode the course yesterday with Annie, Maria and Andrea and got some good helmet cam footage of all of the climbs. Unfortunately, I am having trouble uploading this to youtube at the present time. I'll keep working on it though.

General advice for the ride: Don't blow yourself up on the first couple climbs. It will be a long day, and if you overdo it early, it will be a really long day. I believe that the winners will be the most consistent riders, but they won't win every climb.

Climb by climb advice:
#1 (La collina): This starts out at a moderate grade and doesn't get that steep until you make the left turn on Rockland. Stay on someones wheel until then. Once you hit Rockland, it will pitch up quickly and get steeper towards the top when you pass Price St. I would put this as the 3rd hardest climb. #4

#2 (Flat Rock): You will come into this with a lot of momentum, so the more you can avoid braking in the descent the further your momentum will carry you. This is not one of the hardest climbs, but it is a steady grade and gets a bit steeper at the top. Just set a pace you can maintain for 3 minutes or so and settle in. I rate this climb as #8

#3 (Hollow Rd): Again, not one of the hardest climbs, but it starts out steep and if you go too hard at the beginning you will be struggling the rest of the way. Set a high enough pace that you can stay with the competition but don't blow up early on. Once you get past the first 200 meters it will get steadier and from there just settle into a rhythm, Once you make the right turn on Hagy's Ford, you are almost there. I rate this climb as #9

#4 (Righter's Mill): This climbs starts out with a stream crossing, so if you don't want to get wet unclip both pedals and put your feet in the air as you cross. Don't hit your brakes. The road will get steep quickly and stay steep. The other challenging element here is that the pavement is grooved and your tires will be wet, so you will at least need to keep your weight back and possibly need to stay seated. The KOM will be right after the steep part ends. I rate this climb #3

#5 (Rose Glen): The climb will start right after the bridge and though it is not that steep it is tough to get into a rhythm. Try to stay with your competition until the end. Once you make the left turn on Maple Hill up to the park, you will actually go downhill a bit before the road pitches up again. Someone strong could attack before the turn and sustain it until the top.

#6 (Rebel Hill): This is not one of the hardest climbs, but very few people have done it before, so you won't know exactly what to expect. After the left turn there are 3 switchbacks before the top. Once you reach the third, go for it. I rate this climb as #10

#7 (County Line): Not a long climb, but steep the whole way. Watch out for people detonating here on the steep pitches and don't get caught behind them. The KOM is right at the stop sign, so watch out for traffic as you come through. I rate this climb #5.

#8 (Hughes Rd): A longer steady climb. Get into a rhythm here and try to stay with other riders. If you are feeling like you went too hard in the earlier climbs, this could be a good one to sandbag. I rate this climb as #12.

#9 (Spring Mill): This climb is tricky in a few ways. First, it starts right at a busy light in Conshohocken, so watch out for traffic and be ready to clip in and go right away. The climb starts steep, levels off a bit before turning into the development and then gets steep at the top again. Once you make the right turn you are almost there. I rate this climb as #7.

#10 (Barren Hill): The longest climb of the day but the least steep. If you are feeling good you can big ring most of this and if you are feeling bad it is one to sandbag. Watch out for traffic and stay to the right here because this is a busy road. If you can, stay behind other riders in their draft. Once you pass Hart's Lane the road will pitch up and you are almost there. The KOM is just before Ridge Ave. I rate this climb as #13, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some people blow up on it.

#11 (Hart's Lane): More elevation gain than Barren Hill and 1/2 a mile shorter, so you know it's going to be tough. There are two distinct kickers at the end. Before the last one the road will go down a bit before pitching up. Save a little bit, and then as soon as you see the road descend a little go for it because you are almost there. I rate this #2.

#12 (Port Royal): This is in my opinion the hardest climb of the day. We will start on River road under the tracks. When you go over the tracks, make sure to keep your wheel perpendicular. make the left turn towards the bike path and then the right turn onto the cobbles. On the cobbles, try to stay seated and maintain your momentum. Watch out for riders that have fallen over or may decide to walk it. Keep pedaling and when you hit the pavement stand up and go for it.

#13 (Manayunk Wall): After Port Royal, the wall probably won't seem too bad, but as the last climb of the day you will most likely be pretty tired. The road doesn't get steep until the turn, so don't blow yourself up before then. Once you hit the turn, put it in your easiest gear, stand up and go for it. Last climb of the day, so leave it all out there. There will be a band and a keg at the top. Well, not really, but that would be pretty cool. Maybe next year :) I rate this climb as #6.

Hope to see y'all on Saturday.

New Route Map & Climb Stats

Here is the data on the climbs. I wouldn't make too much of the max grade since the Topo software may not be exactly right.

#1: La Collina: 0.45 miles, 220 ft elev. gain, 9.3% avg. grade, 14% max grade

#2: Flat Rock Rd: 0.46 miles, 273 ft elev. gain, 11.2% avg. grade, 12% max grade

#3: Hollow Rd: 0.76 miles, 271 ft. elev. gain, 6.8% avg. grade, 18% max grade

#4: Righter's Mill: 0.53 miles, 232 ft. elev. gain, 8.3% avg. grade, 14% max grade

#5: Rose Glen: 1.1 miles, 273 ft. elev. gain, 4.7% avg. grade, 12% max grade

#6: Rebel Hill: 0.51 miles, 167 ft. elev. gain, 6.2% avg. grade, 16% max grade

#7: County Line: 0.39 miles, 203 ft. elev. gain, 9.9% avg grade, 14% max grade

#8: Hughes Rd.: 0.85 miles, 202 ft. elev. gain, 4.5% avg. grade, 12% max grade

#9: Spring Garden: 0.72 miles, 291 ft. elev. gain, 7.7% avg. grade, 17% max grade

#10: Barren Hill: 1.56 miles, 268 ft. elev. gain, 3.3% avg. grade, 7% max grade

#11: Hart's Lane: 1.07 miles, 320 ft. elev. gain, 5.7% avg. grade, 12% max grade

#12: Port Royal: 0.94 miles, 326 ft. elev. gain, 6.6% avg. grade, 19% max grade

#13: Manayunk Wall: 0.59 miles, 238 ft. elev. gain, 7.6% avg. grade, 17% max grade

PDD route changes: stream crossing: yes, private property: no

OK, I rode part of the course this morning... on my fixed gear. First off, not a good idea. There was more tacking going on than the America's Cup on a calm day.

For climb #1, we are going to modify the route up La Collina a little. We will go right at the restaurant and then turn left up Rockland St. to the KOM at Highhland.

Climb #4 will now be Righter's Mill Rd. After Hollow Rd we will come down Conshohochen State and instead of making a hard right at the bottom of the hill on Mill Creek we will keep going past the light, and turn right on Righter's Mill. There is a little stream crossing here, but it is totally rideable. The road gets pretty steep and the pavement is grooved after the first part. There is a church at the top around the KOM. Afterwards, we will go back down the hill a bit, left on Greaves, right on Conshohocken State and left on Mill Creek to Rose Glen for climb #5.

The old climb #6, Cedar Ave. in Conshohocken is out. It is pretty steep, but not all that long and being that it ends in someones driveway it was the first to go.

I was seriously considering Bryn Trydden rd. but I don't want to piss off the locals too much being that there are a bunch of private property climbs. However, this is one I highly recommend riding if you get the chance to ride on your own sometime. Very epic!

A couple other notes:

- I will update the route profile soon and post it here.
- I hope to pre-ride the course again next week with Annie and get some helmet cam footage of the climbs
- I will post a little description and my advice for each of the climbs
- If there is anyone out there that would like to do the ride but not compete, I could definitely use an extra body to sit half way down the climb, tell people when to turn, and watch out for traffic of course. I will ride ahead of the group and score everyone at the top. Hopefully if I have a 5 minute head start, no one will pass me :)

Might change climb #4/5

I have been thinking about adding one of 2 climbs to the PDD. The first possibility is to add Righter's Mill Rd, which comes off of Conshohocken State and goes over the stream. If we do this climb, we will come down Conshy State after the Hollow Rd Climb and turn right onto Righter's Mill. I will take out the Cedar Rd. climb in West Conshohocken if we do it.

The other climb is Bryn Trydden, which you can get to by heading down towards the river on Spring Mill rd, going past the country club and turning left. You will go into a col de sac and down the climb, pull a 180 and head back up. It is an awesome climb that probably no one has done before. Only problem is that it is very narrow, has 2 speed bumps and it is private property, so we may piss of the locals if we have 100 people racing up their driveway.

Any thoughts?

PDD Course Map & Profile

Philadelphia Dirty Dozen: November 3rd, 2007 @ 9:30 AM

Philadelphia Dirty Dozen
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007. 9:30 AM sharp leaving from Cadence Cycling & Multisport Centers, 4323 Main St. Philadelphia, PA 19127

Description: The Philadelphia Dirty Dozen is a 40 mile ride consisting of 13 challenging climbs in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. The format is a points race, with points going to the top 5 men and top 5 women (8-5-3-2-1) up each climb. A whistle will be blown at the start of each climb (rolling start) to signal the start. Riders will regroup at the top of every climb and ride slowly to the next climb. The organizer will try to mark the start of each climb and the 200m to go mark. Local riders will be familiar with many of these climbs, but many will be climbs not typically ridden. All riders welcome.

Entry Fee: $0

Great Advice: A compact or triple crankset would be ideal for this course, with a lowest gear of 25-27 in the back. Some of these climbs are very steep! (Maybe not as steep as in Pittsburgh… but it will be a good warmup)

Prizes: First Place: Greatest Climber in the World; Second Place: First Loser, Third Place: Should train better

History: The Dirty Dozen was started by former RAAM winner Danny Chew in Pittsburgh in 1983. Every year (except 1993) Danny has been organizing the event, usually held the weekend after Thanksgiving. Winners include former professional cyclists Rob Acciavatti, Gunnar Shogren and Josh Smith. Most recently, Meredith Group/GPOA/Cannondale’s own Steevo Cummings has won the 2004, 2005 and 2006 versions. For more information, go to http://www.dannychew.com/

Warnings: This is not a closed course. Riders ride at their own risk and they must obey the rules of the road. The organizer will not be held responsible for any incidents or accidents that may occur. That said, we will try to have one person at the top scoring the points and another person at any turns or intersections on the climb. Once you are finished each climb, get out of the way of the other riders and out of the way of the traffic. Do not go back down the climb until all riders have finished.

Other Notes: This is meant to be a fun event. Competitiveness is encouraged, but please be respectful of the other riders, the event organizer and traffic. Point disputes must be resolved before the start of the next climb. Riders may be disqualified or relegated at the discretion of the organizer for starting the climb early, for dangerous behavior or for any other reason.

Contact Info: Contact Colin Sandberg at capninsano42@msn.com or (330) 647-3977. Updates and course notes will be posted at http://colinsandbergevents.blogspot.com/
Route Description

Main St. to Bridge. Left on Belmont Ave.

#1: La Collina. Penn Avenue (becomes Ashland at Price S.) from Belmont to Mary Watersford. Don’t turn right on Price.

Right on Mary Watersford at top of climb

#2: Flat Rock. Flat Rock Rd. from Mary Waterford to Hidden River

Right on Hidden River. Right on Sprague. Right on Hollow Rd. Be careful on descent (cars coming off of 76) Under overpass & U-turn.

#3: Hollow Rd/Hagys Ford. Hollow Rd from River Rd. Right Turn on Hagy’s Ford to top of hill.

Right on Hollow Rd. Right on Conshohocken State (Rt. 23) Hard right on Mill Creek Rd. Left on Rose Glen.

#4: Rose Glen: Rose Glen to Maple Hill. Left on Maple Hill up to turn around at park.

Back down Maple Hill Rd. Left on Rose Glen. Right on Youngsford Rd. Left on Stony Lane. Hard Right to stay on Stony Lane. Left on Spring Mill. Right on Conshohocken State Rd. Down to Bottom of Hill. Stay straight on Front St. Left on Ford St. Right on Cedar Ave.

#5: Cedar Ave to dead end.

Back down Josephine. Right on Ford St (becomes Matson Ford) Right on Gulph Rd. Right on Rebel Hill

#6: Rebel Hill: Rebel Hill to Lemonton. Left on Lemonton Way. Lemonton to Timothy Cir.

Back down Lemonton. Right on Rebel Hill. Left on Old Gulph Rd. Left on Matson Ford. Right on County Line

#7: County Line: County Line Rd. from Gulph Creek Rd. to Upper Gulph.

Left on Upper Gulph. Right on Hollow Rd. Turns into Gypsy Lane. Left on Hughes.

#8: Hughes Rd from Gypsy Lane to Weadly Rd.

Right on Weadley Rd. Right on Gulph Rd. Right on Swedeland, quick right on Gulph. Left on Balligomingo. Right on Front St. Stay Straight through light on Spring Garden.

#9: Spring Garden St from Conshohocken State to top of Hill. Bear Left on Merion St. Careful at start of climb going through light.

Back down hill. Right on Ford St. to cross river. Right on Bike path. Bike Path to Train Station. Left on Station. Right on Elm St. Bear Right to go up Barren Hill

#10: Barren Hill from Elm St. to Ridge. Careful of traffic. End of climb is at Stop Ahead sign before Ridge.

Right on Ridge. Right on Manor Rd. Manor Rd to bottom of hill. Right on River Rd. Right on Hart’s Lane.

#11: Hart’s Lane from River Rd. to Kinder Rd (top of last ascent before Barren Hill).

Right on Barren Hill. Right on Ridge. Right on Manor Rd. back down to bottom of hill. Left on River Rd. Left over tracks towards bike path.

#12: Port Royal (cobbled climb) from River Rd. (bottom of hill before tracks) to Eva St.

Right on Eva St/ right on Shawmont. Bear Left on Umbria. Right on Leverington. Left on Main St. Left on Levering.

#13: The Manayunk Wall. Levering St. Right on Cresson St. Left on Levering. Levering to Pechin.