Question for you folks from southern Ontario who have raced Lake Placid. How would you compare the hills on the bike to races such as Muskoka and Peterborough? Any recommended areas for bike training?
Thanks,
CW
Hills are longer at LP than Muskoka or Peterborough. Similar or less steepness.
Depending on where you’re located in Southern Ontario, there are two particularly good training areas I can think of if you want some good hills.
The first is the Milton area. You’re right on the Niagara Escarpment, and there are tons of routes you can pick with quiet roads (despite its proximity to the GTA), the drivers are all generally good about sharing the roads, and plenty of hills to kick your ass. If you want recommendations for routes, let me know as I use that area for training frequently.
The other area is around Caledon/Hockley Valley. Its also on the Niagara Escarpment, and is reputed to have some good hills. I’ve ridden on Airport Road, and the hills are big, but there’s a bit too much traffic for my tastes. I’m not familiar with the routes up there, but friends tell me its a good area for riding and hill training.
Best of luck with your training.
Andrew
Thanks for your responses.
I do most of my riding around Milton, but I get the impression these escarpment climbs are steeper and shorter than anything at Lake Placid? But that looks to be the best in the area : )
Zip up Collingwood way, there are some nice long steep hills there. Go to the Multisportcanada website and grab their map for their long course tri and you should get a good workout. 
Descending the Eliminator in Collingwood is the best approximation of the Keene hill at LP. There is nothing around the Escarpment in Milton that comes close (too steep and short). For the hard part of the course (the climb from Wilmington to Lake Placid), I recommend riding the Hockley Valley Road from East to West. Very similar terrain, and just as frustrating (long, hard false flat).
ccy
I live in Orangeville and there are some great routes that will have you climbing all the time. I can give you some that would keep you off the busy roads like Airport Rd yet still give you the hills. One of the great things about the area is that Caledon has paved a huge number of roads in the last couple of years and opened up tonnes of new routes. North of O’ville there is a place called TerraNova that has some great hills, nice and long with the option of circling back and hitting a monster of a hill.
PM me if you want and I’ll put together some routes for you or if others are interested I’ll figure some out tonight and post them tomorrow.
PM me if you want and I’ll put together some routes for you or if others are interested I’ll figure some out tonight and post them tomorrow.
That would be great if you could post some routes somehow.
I would love to see some routes. I’m in Markham and the best we get around here are some quick steep climbs but that’s about it. The riding is nice but I’m hoping to find something that I can ride that won’t just be repeats 15x of the same thing.