Category 1 · New England
Mount Washington Auto Road
12.2 km of private toll road at an average of 11.8 percent — the toughest paved hill climb race in the United States.
Where it is
The Mount Washington Auto Road climbs the eastern flank of New Hampshire's Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. It is a private toll road, and is closed to cyclists except on two days per year — the Mount Washington Bicycle Hill Climb in August and a smaller "Newton's Revenge" race in July.
What makes it iconic
There is no easing on the Auto Road. The gradient starts at around 11 percent and never relents. The middle is a sustained 12 to 14 percent. The final 100 m, after passing the alpine treeline, ramp to 22 percent on dirt — the only unpaved section of the climb. Tyler Hamilton's 49:24 from 2006 stood as the record until Phil Gaimon broke it in 2021 with 49:09.
Race history
The Mount Washington race dates to 1973. It is a uniquely American event — no big peloton, no GC, just an individual time trial against gravity. The summit is often above the clouds and weather can shift dramatically; the mountain holds the historic record for highest surface wind speed measured by humans, at 372 km/h.
Pacing
The Auto Road is too steep for tempo. Aim for the highest sustained effort you can hold for an hour at threshold or just below, and accept that the closing dirt ramp will be done on character. Gearing of at least 34x32 is required for most riders; many use mountain bike triples or 1x setups.
Practical notes
The road is only legally open to bicycles during the race events. The summit is cold (mean July high of 13 °C) and frequently above the cloud line. Descent is by support vehicle — bicycles are not allowed to descend the road. Bring multiple layers for the summit and post-race ride down.