It was surely the closest thing to the TdF that most of us are going to experience. Anyone get any good pics?
Did you find the Poppa Bear climb the toughest? In riding the course on Friday during a training session (was in LP to support friends), I thought the three hills out of town to the Keene descent were tougher.
I personally thought mame was tougher than papa…just because it’s longer …
It’s always a great atmosphere on Papa Bear coming back into town, and it is tough since it’s at the end of each loop (love to see some good pics!)
That said, having done IMLP in 04, 05, and numerous training trips, I’d say the climb out of Jay is the toughest, or the short steep one right in front of Whiteface.
I would agree that the first 5miles of climbs are more demanding- Papa is really not that big a deal as a stand alone hill. I would also say the climbs from the left turn to Wilmington are harder- it is simply that the bear and cherry climsbs are at the end of the loop
Weeman
I don’t think the OP is referring to toughness. More that on race day the crowd was lined up on both sides of the street 2-3 deep so that they closed around you as you came up. It had a very tdf feel to it - or at least that’s how I imagined it. People were a foot away on both sides going absolutely nuts. Fricking awesome.
I wish I did since it was pretty awesome. Personally, I think one of the tougher climbs is the ascent out of Jay and the climb on the Hassleton out and back. The Cherry and Bear climba are tough due to placement, but not hard as standalones. But the atmosphere on Papa is the best there is.
Cool - that does explain it.
I don’t think the OP is referring to toughness…
I was referring to the actual fan frenzy surrounding that hill, not the difficulty. Myself, I didn’t find it that bad - I even rode it no hands on the first loop to play the crowd a bit. I mountain bike race a lot, so a short burst like that was no problem. The people on Papa bear were covering the entire road, and like the TdF the crowd would split just in time for a path to the top. You’d ride up with people a foot away of both sides, screaming, shouting and slapping your back. It was a big party of crazy fools, and quite memorable.
The climb out of Jay however is a different story. I think that’s the killer climb on the course. It’s just long, long, long and at the right grade to wear you down slowly.
That sounds SO cool! Oh, how I yearn for something like that on my long lonely Saturday morning rides.
How much of an energy boost did you find that to be? Was it at all problematic, in that the crowds’ excitement might have pushed you to go over your HR-cap or anything? I’ve found that my turnover rate does unconsciously increase when I encounter big crowds.
I’m hoping IMWI has sections like that. I’ve heard the tales, but I’m looking forward to seeing for myself.
Doesn’t anybody have race-day pics?
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There is a climb on the IMWI course just before you get to Verona that people have called “The Bitch” that is like that with the crowd support. It was awesome to have people on both sides yelling up close and clanging cowbells, one person was even pounding out cadence on a drum. Definitely had a TdF feel, as does Verona when you go through the main part of town.