12/22/24
August 20, 2007
Auntie Em! It's a twister! : Saturday's running of the 2007 Mount Washington Hillclimb, considered the toughest hillclimb in the sport of cycling, was cancelled due to weather.
"We have agonized over this decision," said Howie Wemyss, the general manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, noting that some of the volunteers staffing the finish area at the 6288-foot summit were being blown to the ground by the winds.
posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 12:50 PM - 3 comments
Yeah, you need to be a few tacos short of a combo plate to enter that race. I know a guy who did it until it got too pricey for him. He talked about riding up the road, leaning over into the wind and still being pushed the other way, and hoping the gust would stop before he got to the edge because there ain't no guardrail...nutty. It's too bad that there's really no way to watch this race.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 03:27 PM on August 20, 2007
It's too bad that there's really no way to watch this race. Sounds right up Versus' alley unless they run it with the nasty weather intact, then the resulting spills and injuries would make it more appropriate for coverage on FOX or Spike.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 03:39 PM on August 20, 2007
Just another typical August day on Mount Washington. Days like this on the mountain have managed to kill a lot of unwary hikers. People will find it hard to believe that weather conditions can deteriorate so quickly. The highest wind gust recorded in the world was at the summit; 236 mph. On the next gust, the anemometer blew away. The cyclists who would attempt the climb, even under ideal conditions, certainly deserve kudos for their courage.