PINKHAM NOTCH, NH—The four massive treads of the SnowCoach dug into the fresh snow that covers the Mt. Washington Auto Road, offering a surprisingly smooth surface for day one of the tours. There was great excitement among the passengers, none of whom had experienced Mt. Washington and the winter world above treeline before. While limited snowfall made this one of the latest starts to the “SnowCoaching” season, it was an auspicious beginning, with sunny skies, brisk temperatures and unlimited views.

The two snowcoaches have a team of specially trained drivers, who surely have one of the most unique jobs in the United States—sentiment echoed by passengers as they ascended. “It’s hard to believe that some people get to work every day in such an amazing location. This is just a spectacular experience!” said Brad Halstead of Rye, NH, who took the tour with his wife, Jen. “At six months pregnant, I can’t think of a better way to see Mt. Washington in winter,” Mrs. Halstead said with a laugh.

The SnowCoach is indeed a unique way to travel. These same custom built Chevy passenger vans ferry guests up the Auto Road in summer, albeit with four tires instead of the winter treads. Capable of carrying up to 9 passengers, each trip up the road in a SnowCoach can be as unique as a snowflake, with no two ever being exactly alike.

“What’s really terrific about the SnowCoach is that we can take anyone, at any age, into an alpine environment they might never see otherwise. It really is a comfortable adventure for the whole family, in an unforgettable place,” said Great Glen Trails general manager, Howie Wemyss.

The SnowCoach tour up Mt. Washington takes approximately 1 ¼ hours and departs daily, weather permitting, on a first come, first served basis. The price for adults is $45, $30 for kids ages 5-12. A Total Trails Ticket ($69) includes a SnowCoach tour as well as an all day trail and tubing pass, as well as snowshoe and/or ski rentals. For more information call the Mt. Washington Auto Road or Great Glen Trails at (603) 466-3988 or online at www.greatglentrails.com

PINKHAM NOTCH, NH –As we move through our daily lives, rarely do we glimpse any sign of the vastly different lives and times that played out on the very ground we walk on. In New Hampshire, there are vestiges of the colonial era in some of the homes that still stand, the place names we use every day and in the cemeteries, lost and found around these mountains. If we only had a time machine and could experience or even see how that world really was…Well, for a few days last week at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, a time portal opened and a colonial encampment appeared, revealing a true vision of the past that you could step right inside of, talk to the people, taste the food and smell the cannon and musket fire as a very different group of locals prepared for war.

For as much as has changed throughout the centuries, the timeless ridgelines of the Presidential Range and Mt. Washington remain as they ever were. The Autumn Muster in the Mountains, which brought more than 100 historical reenactors and their encampment here, returned to its ancestral home at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road after an 18 year hiatus. Organized by Bob Ross of Randolph, NH and the Pequawket Alliance, the Muster has participants from around New England who reenact the time period between 1755 and 1840.

The muster is quite a family affair, as multi-generational camps abound. This is best exemplified by the Ross family, as Bob’s wife Robin (a teacher in Berlin, NH) three of his grown children and three of his grandchildren were in attendance, all in proper period attire. But that is the norm at the Muster, as every participant has gone to great lengths to research and create all the truly authentic clothing and gear needed to live life as it was more than two centuries ago.

Virtually all of the lost arts and skills of 18th century have been preserved through the efforts of these living historians and examples can be seen and explained as one walks through the encampment. That is another hallmark of the reenactors in attendance, as they always graciously take the time to host large groups of schoolchildren and the general public. There were record numbers of visitors to this year’s muster, as sunny days and moonlit nights brought yet another time period to life in this eventful season on Mt. Washington.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road is has been celebrating its 150th Birthday with a season long series of events representing various time periods. Still to come on September 30th will be a Roaring 20s themed Speakeasy and Casino night, which will benefit Arts in Motion. For more information call 603-466-3988 or online at www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com

For More Information
Call: Steven Caming
Email: steven@mt-washington.com
(603) 466-3988

PINKHAM NOTCH, NH – One of New Hampshire’s most dramatic and colorful time periods (1750-1850) will come to life on September 9-11, as the Autumn Muster in the Mountains returns to the base area of the Mt. Washington Auto Road on Route 16 in Pinkham Notch.

This colonial encampment will recreate the historic gatherings where early settlers traded goods and services, often traveling great distances for the annual rendezvous. Groups representing Northeastern Indians, frontiersmen, militiamen, British soldiers, French Marines and mountain men will set up period tentage, tipis and wigwams.

Artisans will offer handcrafted items ranging from leather goods and clothing to period beadwork, knives, guns and rare books. Planned activities include musket and cannon firing; tomahawk and knife throwing competitions; a mock battle; weaving; woodcarving; gunsmithing; coppersmithing; blacksmithing; period music; candle dipping; basketmaking; quillwork; period cooking; woodcraft; archery; 18th century games and more!

Saturday will be competition day, with cannon fire, a shooting range and woods walk/mock hunt and Sunday at 1 pm will feature a reenacted battle.

“This Muster in the Mountains is a spectacular opportunity to experience yet another time period in Mt. Washington’s history. Our 150th birthday celebrations this season have included events which have spanned the centuries and now we’re time traveling to the colonial era!” observed Howie Wemyss, General Manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.

For more information on the upcoming Muster in the Mountains call the Mt. Washington Auto Road at 603-466-3988 or online at: www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com

Pictured in Photos: Historical reenactors participating in a previous Muster in the Mountains at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road on Route 16 in Pinkham Notch.

For More Information
Call: Steven Caming
(603) 466-3988

Pinkham Notch, N.H. – August 20, 2011

Ned Overend of Durango, Colorado, celebrated his 56th birthday today with beautiful weather, lots of exercise, a $1000 prize, and one more reminder to the cycling world that age has taken away very little of this former world champion’s strength or stamina. Less than two miles up the dizzying 7.6-mile road to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern U.S., Overend pedaled away from his two closest pursuers. Extending his lead continuously, he won the 39th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in 55 minutes three seconds.

As if Overend’s age weren’t enough to make the point, the runnerup a minute later was Tinker Juarez of Whittier, California, himself 50 years old. Like Overend, Juarez, who clocked 56:14 for today’s ride up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, is a three-decade veteran of mountain and off-road bicycling competitions at the international level. Together, the two veterans left the 20-, 30- and 40-somethings behind them to sort out the rest of the top finishing places.

The women’s race similarly demonstrated the value of experience and stamina over youthful ambition, as 48-year-old Marti Shea, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, won her seventh bike race up Mt. Washington. Earlier this summer Shea had already won Newton’s Revenge, the other cycling race up the same road, in her personal best time for the climb, one hour four minutes 12 seconds. Today she finished in exactly the same time, more than six minutes ahead of Kristen Gohr of Reading, Mass. Gohr, 40, clocked 1:10:39.

“It’s good to win,” said Overend as he cooled off at the summit. “I wanted to win, and I wouldn’t travel this far for it if I didn’t think I had a chance. Comparing past times with the others, I figured I should be the favorite, but I’m not getting any younger!”

Overend, who won the inaugural World Mountain Biking Championship in 1990 and won the U.S. national off-road biking championship six times between 1986 and 1992, added that he tried to ride today’s race as a time trial, concentrating more on his own performance than on his position relative to others. “But I did look back to see where Tinker was. If you’re fading, a 30-second lead on Tinker is nothing.”

Following Juarez, just as he did in 2010, was Timothy Ahearn of Woodstock, Conn. “It’s pretty impressive what (Ned and Tinker) can do,” said Ahearn. “I had hallucinations of staying with Ned for two miles, but that was crazy!” Ahearn’s third-place time was 58:22.

This was Ned Overend’s first Mt. Washington victory in four attempts here. In 2005 he finished fourth, narrowly edged by two younger pros while all three trailed former Tour de France star Tyler Hamilton. He finished second behind Hamilton in 2006, and then, by just two second, behind rising pro Phil Gaimon in 2009.

Juarez took the runnerup’s place on the podium for the second time in a row, having been beaten last year only by Boulder, Colo., rider Nico Toutenhoofd. This year, while Toutenhoofd returned less well trained and finished behind several other of the top riders, Juarez beat Toutenhoofd’s 2010 time.

“I had more confidence today,” said Juarez. “I knew what to expect. When Ned pulled away, though, I knew he was going to take it. Once you get a decent gap here, it’s hard for anyone to make it up on you. I love this climb!”

Shea, who today defended the Hillclimb title she won for the first time in 2010, exhibited even more confidence. “I tell myself I will not lose here,” she said afterward. “I’m on the line, I’m ready to go. Watch it!”

Besides her two Hillclimb wins, Shea has won Newton’s Revenge in each of the five years in which it has been contested. In each race, she has ridden among the first male riders and enjoyed being able to pace herself with them. “I love riding with the guys,” she said, “because they make me feel that I can go harder.”

Excited by the win, Shea reflected on the possibility of eventually breaking the women’s course record of 58:14, set in 2000 by French cycling star Jeannie Longo. “Today I was on record pace for four miles,” she observed. “I just have to figure out how to keep it up for seven and a half!”

The men’s Mt. Washington record is beyond nearly anyone’s reach. It is 49:24, set in 2002 by Tom Danielson, who this summer was the first American finisher overall in the Tour de France.

In all, 600 riders competed in the race. Overend and Shea each won $1000 for first place. All proceeds of the Hillclimb benefit the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H.

TOP FINISHERS:
Men:
1. Ned Overend, 54, Durango, Colo., 55:03
2. Tinker Juarez, 50, Whittier, Calif., 56:14
3. Timothy Ahearn, 36, Woodstock, Conn., 58:22
4. Chris Yura, 32, Philadelphia, Pa., 1:00:22 [NOTE: THIS IS NOT 1:22, BUT ONE HOUR AND 22 SECONDS]
5. Chris Hillier, 25, Etna, N.H., 1:01:30
6. Robert Douglas, 45, Honeoye Falls, N.Y., 1:01:58
7. Peter Ostroski, 22, Intervale, N.H., 1:02:09

Women:
1. Marti Shea, 48, Marblehead, Mass., 1:04:12
2. Kristen Gohr, 40, Reading, Mass., 1:10:39
3. Sari Anderson, 32, Carbondale, Colo., 1:17:20
4. Liz Feeney, 48, Philadelphia, Pa., 1:17:48
5. Dominique Codere, 52, Montreal, Quebec, 1:18:55
6. Cristine Lamoureux, 45, Montreal, Quebec, 1:22:40
7. Heather Norris, 36, Westhampton, Mass., 1:23:40

August 17, 2011 – Pinkham Notch, N.H.

• Mountain bike legend Ned Overend returns; men’s race gets tighter.
• Anderson continues to look like Shea’s biggest challenge.

Former world mountain biking champion Ned Overend has just confirmed that he will compete again this year in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb. Overend’s return to the ultra-steep Mt. Washington Auto Road intensifies what was already looming as the liveliest contest in this race in recent memory. A mountain biking legend who, at 54, continues to outride much younger cyclists, he is one of four of five riders with a reasonable chance of being first to the top of the highest peak in the northeast United States this Saturday.

Overend, of Durango, Colorado, placed second in his last two appearances on the Auto Road, 2006 and 2009, following a fourth-place finish in 2005, his first appearance here. In this 7.6-mile climb to the 6288-foot Mt. Washington summit, he is well matched against defending champion Nico Toutenhoofd of Boulder, Colo.; last year’s runnerup David “Tinker” Juarez of Whittier, California, also a champion mountain biker; the 2010 third-place finisher Timothy Ahearn, of Woodstock, Conn.; and newcomer Dereck Treadwell of Laurens, N.Y., who last month won Newton’s Revenge, the other bike race held each summer on the same all-uphill course, in a time close to these other riders’ best.

The women’s race meanwhile continues to pose the question of whether Sari Anderson, a multi-sport adventure athlete from Carbondale, Colorado, can beat defending champion Marti Shea. Shea, 48, has won six consecutive races on the Auto Road. In addition to winning last year’s Hillclimb in her personal best time for the course, she has won Newton’s Revenge every year it has been held — 2006 and 2008-2011. (In 2007, severe weather canceled both races.)

Anderson, 32, has won numerous ski mountaineering races in the Rockies and been on winning teams in adventure races in North America and abroad. On wheels she is primarily a mountain biker like Overend and Juarez, whose Mt. Washington performances show that road bikers enjoy no clear advantage on the Auto Road’s 12 percent average grade.

The 39th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb starts at 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, when the first wave of cyclists, the elite group known as the Top Notch, begins the 7.6-mile ascent. Three successive waves of riders, sorted by age group, follow at five-minute intervals. In all, 600 riders from across the United States and from several Canadian provinces will test themselves against the road that professional cyclists have called tougher than the most difficult climbs in the Tour de France.

OVEREND’S LEGEND
Ned Overend won the U.S. national off-road biking championship six times between 1986 and 1992, won the UCI world mountain biking championship in 1990, and twice was the Xterra world champion (1997 and 1999). He first raced in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclinb in 2005, placing fourth, then returned in 2006 to take second, beaten only by Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton. In 2009 Overend returned to Mt. Washington and narrowly missed the $1000 first prize, finishing just two seconds behind the winner, Phil Gaimon of Georgia.

Riders’ times in the Hillclimb can vary with the notorious Mt. Washington winds, which are capable of blowing riders to the ground, and with various days of damp air or unrelenting sun, so year-to-year comparisons are inexact. Nevertheless, Overend’s past performances on the mountain make him a favorite. His best time here was 54 minutes 41 seconds in 2006, which is two and a half minutes faster than Toutenhoofd’s winning time last year (57:26), and he was nearly as fast in 2009 (54:43), taking second behind a professional rider (Gaimon) who is three decades younger.

Nico Toutenhoofd, a 43-year-old Category 1 amateur, was runnerup in the Hillclimb in 2008 and fourth in 2009. Last year, pacing himself with a power monitor on his bicycle, he followed the lead pack for two miles before moving forward and winning in a fine solo effort, in a time of 57:26. Juarez, the only rider to go out in the lead pack and not lose significant ground, finished second in 58:08. Tim Ahearn was a close third in 58:22.

Adding to the excitement this week is that Tinker Juarez also enjoys near-legendary status in mountain biking. Now 50 years old himself, Juarez was a teenage champion in the early days of BMX off-road racing in the 1970s, later a high-profile pro in the more modern version of the sport. He rode mountain bike events in the 1996 Olympics, won the U.S. National Mountain Bike Championship three times, and earned a gold medal in the Pan-American Games. He turned to long distance road cycling in 2001, following his induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. He and Overend have met in many previous competitions, but never in this relatively short but also extremely steep race.

The other possible favorite is Dereck Treadwell, 36, a former All-American distance runner at the University of Maine who now coaches at Hardwick College in New York State. Treadwell enjoyed an impressive Mt. Washington debut last month, when he won Newton’s Revenge by riding in the second wave of starters yet recording a faster time than any of the Top Notch group. His time in Newton’s Revenge, 57:41, is very close to Toutenhoofd’s winning time in 2010. As Treadwell only recently took up bicycle road racing, it is possible that he’ll ride significantly faster with his recent experience here.

Sari Anderson adds suspense to the women’s race partly because of her renown in grueling endurance events elsewhere and partly because she has never raced on the Auto Road before. Although her road-biking experience is limited, this year Anderson placed third in the 133-kilometer Megeve- Mont Blanc road race in the French Alps. Her endurance is beyond question; the challenge for her, as for many riders who are familiar with the longer and higher roads and trails of the Rockies, may be how she handles the shorter but steeper Auto Road.

Marti Shea, a Manchester, N.H., native who, like Treadwell, was an All-American distance runner – she ran at Boston University — has held a steady claim to the title of New England’s Queen of the Mountains. Besides having won Newton’s Revenge five times and having added the Hillclimb championship last year, Shea is the overall points leader in the B.U.M.P.S. series of nine uphill bike races in New England and New York. Now living in Marblehead, Massachusetts, she has won all five of the races in that series this summer. A dedicated amateur who declined the opportunity to turn professional because of the pressure she saw in pro cycling to use performance-enhancing drugs, she has seemed to grow more confident with each passing year. Her experience and leg strength will be a formidable challenge for Anderson and the other women in the field.

The other top women are familiar to Shea: Kristen Gohr , 40, of Reading, Mass.; Carol Meader, 45, Raymond Maine; and sprightly 52-year-old Dominique Codere of Montreal. Gohr finished second to Shea in last year’s Hillclimb, less than three minutes behind. She is also the co-holder of the tandem record for the Mt. Washington Auto Road; last year she and her teammate John Bayley double-pedaled to the summit in 1:06:32. Neither Codere nor Meader has recorded times close to Shea’s best, but both are steady competitors and very familiar with the Auto Road’s relentless grade.

THE COURSE
The Mt. Washington Auto Road climbs 7.6 miles at an average grade of 12 percent, with an extended stretch of 18 percent grade in the second mile and a surreal 22 percent at the finish. From the starting line just off N.H. Route 16, the course gains 4727 feet in altitude, finishing at the windswept 6288-foot summit of Mt. Washington.

Professional riders have called Mt. Washington a more difficult climb than the hardest climb in the Tour de France, and this summer that claim seems more believable than ever. Last month, Mt. Washington record-holder Tom Danielson competed in the Tour de France for the first time ever. As the three-week-long race entered the mountain stages, Danielson moved up from 45th in the overall standings to 9th, eventually becoming the first American finisher in the field. He held his position against the world’s best on the Col de Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez, the back-to-back hors categorie (“beyond category”) ascents of the final days.

Danielson set the men’s open cycling record for the Mt. Washington Auto Road in 2002, when he made the ascent in 49 minutes 24 seconds, and he nearly matched that time again in 2010, when injuries prevented him from making his Tour debut and instead he raced in Newton’s Revenge. (Mt. Washington Auto Road course records may be set in either race.) With all due respect to this year’s men’s field, no one in it is likely to come close to Danielson’s mark.

The women’s course record presents an only slightly less daunting challenge. The current record holder is former French and world cycling star Jeannie Longo, who made the climb in 58 minutes 14 seconds in 2000, the only year she competed in this race. Longo’s mark is six minutes faster than Shea’s best time; whether or not it is within Anderson’s reach is a question that may be answered on August 20.

RACE BENEFITS TIN MOUNTAIN
Sponsored by Polartec, with additional support from international corporations as well as from Red Jersey Cyclery and other local businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary annual fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H. For the opportunity to pedal up the unrelenting grade while battling Mt. Washington’s famously high winds, elite and amateur cyclists pay an entry fee of $350. All proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

The entry fee allows the conservation center to continue its support of school programs that reach nearly 5000 students, nature camps for more than 300 children, a series of community nature programs, and other educational and environmental events.

The size of the field for the Hillclimb is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

B.U.M.P.S.
The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is one of nine events in the Bike Up the Mountain Point Series, familiarly known as B.U.M.P.S. The series also includes Newton’s Revenge, Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, Whiteface Mountain in New York State, and other uphill races. Shea stands firmly at the top of the women’s standings, with Dominique Codere third in the standings. The man with the highest points total so far in the men’s competition is Duncan Douglas, of Honeoye Falls, NY. Douglas, who finished second to Treadwell in Newton’s Revenge last month, is also entered in Saturday’s race. For further information see www.hillclimbseries.com.

STARTING TIMES
The 2011 Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb starts at 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, when the Top Notch group – one hundred riders who qualify by virtue of top performances in previous Mt. Washington races or exceptional accomplishments in other cycling races – sprint through the first, flat 300 yards of the Auto Road and then downshift for the long the ascent. Three subsequent waves of riders, sorted by age, start at five-minute intervals following the Top Notch group.

As always, the organizers allow for the weather, often a complicating factor on Mt. Washington. If severe weather on Saturday makes road conditions unsafe, the race will be postponed until Sunday, with the same starting times.

August 8, 2011 – Pinkham Notch, N.H.

• Tootenhoofd and Shea return to defend titles.

• Treadwell and Douglas, 1-2 in Newton’s Revenge, join Hillclimb elite.

• Anderson, Gohr, Codere lead female challengers.

• Mountain bike icon Tinker Juarez makes second Hillclimb appearance.

Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb August 20, 2011 (weather date August 21)
Starting times: 8:40-8:55 a.m.

The field for the 2011 Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb looks like last year’s with a couple of new twists. While the ranks of entrants to this year’s race to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States were officially filled in February, two exceptional riders recently joined the elite men’s Top Notch group of Hillclimb competitors, on the strength of top finishes last month in Newton’s Revenge, the other bike race held each summer on the same all-uphill course. Meanwhile, the women’s field has added a Mt. Washington newcomer with an impressive list of victories in adventure racing and mountain biking.

MEN’S FIELD
Dereck Treadwell, of Laurens, NY, surprised everyone but himself in winning this year’s Newton’s Revenge, despite not having qualified for the Top Notch starting category. After his stunning Mt. Washington debut, he happily accepted the organizers’ invitation to return for a second climb up the 7.6-mile Auto Road this month. So did Robert Douglas, of Honeoye Falls, NY, who mounted an inspiring attack in Newton’s Revenge and beat all other Top Notch riders, only to find himself the runnerup after Treadwell emerged from the second starting group to record a faster time.

Rematch? Definitely – but can Treadwell or Douglas reach the 6288-foot summit of Mt. Washington faster than defending Hillclimb champion Nico Tootenhoufd of Boulder, Colo., or former world and Olympic mountain biking champion David “Tinker” Juarez? Having placed second in the 2009 Hillclimb, Tootenhoufd won the race last year after trailing the lead pack for two miles, then moving forward steadily and winning in 57 minutes 26 seconds. Juarez made his Mt. Washington debut last year and proved to be the only rider who could start fast and maintain the pace, taking second in 58:08.

Treadwell looks like a serious challenger. His time in Newton’s Revenge six weeks ago was 57:41, close to Tootenhoufd’s time last year. The other man with the best shot at a podium finish in this month’s race appears to be Timothy Ahearn, 36, of Woodstock, Conn., who in the 2010 Hillclimb took third behind Tootenhoufd and Juarez with a time of 58:22.

Douglas’s runnerup time in Newton’s Revenge was 1:02:09. With more knowledge of the course he should contend with several other veterans of the race. Similarly likely to be at or near the front are 32-year-old Chris Yura, of Philadelphia, Pa., who battled with Douglas for much of Newton’s Revenge in July and finished in 1:02:29; 50-year-old Gerry Clapper, of Avon, Conn., who finished 17 seconds behind Yura; and Irish-born John Bayley, 42, of Watertown, Mass., who finished Newton’s Revenge in 63 minutes flat.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Mt. Washington veteran Marti Shea, who last month won Newton’s Revenge for the fifth time in as many attempts, and who in 2010 also won the Hillclimb, which boasts a much larger field, will return to try to maintain her title as Queen of the Mountain. Last month Shea, 48, originally from Manchester, N.H., but now living in Marblehead, Mass., rode her fastest time ever on the Auto Road, one hour 4 minutes 12 seconds, despite being blown off her bike near the finish by the notorious Mt. Washington winds.

The biggest threat to Shea’s winning streak may be 32-year-old adventure racer Sari Anderson of Carbondale, Colorado, a widely admired competitor in mountain biking, ski mountaineering, kayaking, running and other endurance events. Last winter Anderson won several ski mountaineering races in Colorado and the Sage Burner 50K Trail Run in Gunnison, Colorado. She finished second in the U.S. National Ski Mountaineering Championship in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and in the Teva Mountain Games Ultimate Mountain Challenge in Vail, Colo. Although her road-biking experience is limited, this year Anderson placed third in the 133-kilometer Megeve- Mont Blanc road race in the French Alps. One week before making her first appearance in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, she will compete in the Leadville (Colorado) 100-mile mountain bike race.

The other top challengers in the women’s field are familiar to Shea: Kristen Gohr , 40, of Reading, Mass.; Carol Meader, 45, Raymond Maine; and sprightly 52-year-old Dominique Coderre of Montreal. Gohr finished second to Shea in last year’s Hillclimb, less than three minutes behind. She is also the co-holder of the tandem record for the Mt. Washington Auto Road; last year she and John Bayley double-pedaled to the summit in 1:06:32. Neither Coderre nor Meader has recorded times close to Shea’s best, but both are steady competitors and very familiar with the Auto Road’s relentless grade.

THE COURSE
The Mt. Washington Auto Road climbs 7.6 miles at an average grade of 12 percent, with an extended stretch of 18 percent grade in the second mile and a surreal 22 percent at the finish. From the starting line just off N.H. Route 16, the course gains 4727 feet in altitude, finishing at the 6288-foot summit of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States.

Professional riders have called Mt. Washington a more difficult climb than the hardest climb in the Tour de France, and this summer that claim seems more believable than ever. Last month, Mt. Washington record-holder Tom Danielson competed in the Tour de France for the first time ever. As the three-week-long race entered the mountain stages, Danielson moved up from 45th in the overall standings to 9th, eventually becoming the first American finisher in the field. He held his position against the world’s best on the Col de Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez, the back-to-back hors categorie (“beyond category”) ascents of the final days.

Danielson set the men’s open cycling record for the Mt. Washington Auto Road in 2002, when he made the ascent in 49 minutes 24 seconds, and he nearly matched that time again in 2010, when injuries prevented him from making his Tour debut and instead he raced in Newton’s Revenge. (Mt. Washington Auto Road course records may be set in either race.) With all due respect to this year’s men’s field, no one in it is likely to come close to Danielson’s mark.

The women’s course record presents an only slightly less daunting challenge. The current record holder is former French and world cycling star Jeannie Longo, who made the climb in 58 minutes 14 seconds in 2000, the only year she competed in this race. Longo’s mark is six minutes faster than Shea’s best time; whether or not it is within Anderson’s reach is a question that may be answered on August 20.

RACE BENEFITS TIN MOUNTAIN
Sponsored by Polartec, with additional support from international corporations as well as from Red Jersey Cyclery and other local businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is the primary annual fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H. For the opportunity to pedal up the unrelenting grade while battling Mt. Washington’s famously high winds, elite and amateur cyclists pay an entry fee of $350. All proceeds go to the educational and environmental programs of the conservation center.

The entry fee allows the conservation center to continue its support of school programs that reach nearly 5000 students, nature camps for more than 300 children, a series of community nature programs, and other educational and environmental events.

The size of the field for the Hillclimb is limited by the ability of the road crews and race officials to monitor the safety of all participants, and by the number of vehicles that can be parked at the summit to bring cyclists back down the hill after the race.

B.U.M.P.S.
The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is one of nine events in the Bike Up the Mountain Point Series, familiarly known as B.U.M.P.S. The series also includes Newton’s Revenge, Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, Whiteface Mountain in New York State, and other uphill races. At the beginning of August, Marti Shea stands firmly at the top of the women’s standings, having won four races in the series, with Dominique Codere fourth. Robert Douglas holds the highest points total so far in the men’s competition. For further information see www.hillclimbseries.com.

STARTING TIMES
The 2011 Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb starts at 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, when the Top Notch group – one hundred riders who qualify by virtue of top performances in previous Mt. Washington races or exceptional accomplishments in other cycling races – sprint through the first, flat 300 yards of the Auto Road and then downshift for the long the ascent. Three subsequent waves of riders, sorted by age, start at five-minute intervals following the Top Notch group.

As always, the organizers allow for the weather, often a complicating factor on Mt. Washington. If severe weather on Saturday makes road conditions unsafe, the race will be postponed until Sunday, with the same starting times

For information about the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, visit www.tinmtn.org.

PINKHAM NOTCH, NH – It was history in the making all this past weekend at the Mt. Washington Auto Road as hundreds of invited guests and thousands of the traveling public arrived at the base of the Auto Road on Route 16 in Pinkham Notch. Beginning with a classic car show on Friday night, the main event was on Saturday– a Victorian Gala Evening, attended by more than 150 time travelers in period attire. The evening featured a theatrical presentation by Darby Field (portrayed by Auto Road media director Steven Caming), who introduced “voices” from Mt. Washington’s past in a presentation that included vehicles from the Carriage Road’s history being driven through the elegant pavilion tent. Victorian dancing, elaborate birthday cakes in the shape of Auto Road vehicles and a magnificent fireworks display capped off the night’s festivities.

Sunday featured an employee reunion bringing back individuals who’d worked on the Auto Road going as far back as the 1950s. An evening presentation of a new documentary on White Mountain Artists and writers called “Brush and Pen” was screened for an appreciative audience, as the staff prepared for another day of celebration on Monday, August 8th, the Auto Road’s actual 150th Birthday.

Monday’s activities have included a steam car rally which brought more than 20 vintage vehicles, (mostly Stanley Steamers) to the Auto Road. Many of these 100+ year old cars, ornate and painstakingly restored, (valued at between $60,000 and $150,000) took a drive to the top of the Northeast’s highest peak to further celebrate the history making day. The US Postal Service was also on hand to offer a one day only commemorative pictorial postmark, recognizing the Mt. Washington Auto Road’s unique place in history as the nation’s first manmade attraction.

“The Mt. Washington Auto Road may be a New Hampshire and American icon, but it is also a family business, owned and run by the same families for more than a century,” noted Howie Wemyss, Auto Road General Manager. “We all take immense pride in being a part of this remarkable history and the day to day operations that take place here. This whole season has been an opportunity to see a glimpse of the Auto Road’s past come to life”.

Sponsors for the 150th birthday festivities include: PSNH, Berlin City Auto Group, Northway Bank, Infantine/Cross Insurance, Pike Industries, Acadia Insurance and FairPoint Communications.

This eventful season continues: Upcoming sesquicentennial events include a Colonial Muster in the Mountains Sept. 9-11 and a Speakeasy: A 1920′s Casino Night on September 30th. For More information about past or future events, contact the Mt. Washington Auto Road at 603-466-3988 or online at www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com

PINKHAM NOTCH, NH – The Mt. Washington Auto Road became the Mt. Washington Carriage Road for the first time in more than a century, as part of a history making event that took place here on Sunday, July 17th. The first ever Horse & Carriage weekend found several two, three and four horse hitches making their way up the eight mile road to the summit of the Northeast’s highest Peak.

More than 30 riders on horseback, several in vintage attire joined the cavalcade of horse drawn vehicles to create a scene that brought Mt. Washington’s history to life. Riders and carriages came from around the Northeast and spent Saturday riding and driving at the base of the Auto Road and Great Glen Trails.

The youngest rider was 9 and the oldest was 73, with many families riding and driving together. The event also brought together some of New England’s most noted horsemen and drivers, including Lee Sawyer of Jaffrey, NH.

“It was a truly delightful vision of the Auto Road’s past history that came to life. The sights, sounds and even the smells all added to a feeling of real time travel,” noted Howie Wemyss, General Manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and Great Glen Trails.

This event took place as part of the Mt. Washington Auto Road’s 150th season long birthday celebration, which includes ongoing events and reenactments of the Auto Road’s early history. Abraham Lincoln was president when the Mt. Washington Carriage Road opened to the public on August 8th 1861. The Auto Road is America’s first manmade attraction.

For More information about this or other events taking place on Mt. Washington this season call 603-466-3988 or on the web at www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com

For More Information
Contact: Steven Caming
(603) 447-1187

Pinkham Notch, NH—When the Tour de France starts on July 2, most cycling fans will be merely watching that great race on cable TV. However, at least 139 serious amateur cyclists will be preparing themselves for their own great race a week later, a race as challenging as the most extreme mountain stages of the Tour.

This is Newton’s Revenge, the first of two bike races held each summer on New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington Auto Road, 7.6 miles of mostly paved road to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. Professional cyclists who have competed on this ultra-steep course have declared it as difficult as the Alpe d’Huez or any of the other hors categorie (‘beyond category”) ascents that the world’s top pro cyclists will encounter this summer in the Alps or Pyrenees.

THE COURSE
The Mt. Washington Auto Road rises at an average grade of 12 percent, with an extended stretch at 18 percent and a leg-numbing 22 percent grade for the final 70 yards. In its 7.6 miles, the Auto Road makes an ascent of 4727 feet of altitude. By contrast, the celebrated Alpe d’Huez course in France rises 3350 feet in eight miles.

Newton’s Revenge takes place this year on July 9, with an 8:40 a.m. start for the first of four waves of riders, the “Top Notch,” or elite, group that includes licensed and high-ranked amateurs. The following three waves, starting at subsequent five-minute intervals, include riders sorted by age groups and previous performances in this race, plus tandem teams.

REGISTRATION OPEN
Newton’s Revenge is contested on the same course as the older and better-known Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb. Held annually since 1973 except for three years when extreme weather conditions forced cancellation, the Hillclimb became so popular that in 2006 the Auto Road management created Newton’s Revenge to accommodate cyclists who could not secure a place in the older race. This year’s Hillclimb filled to its capacity of 600 almost as soon as on-line registration opened at the beginning of February; registration for Newton’s Revenge begins each year after the Hillclimb field is filled..

As of this week, 139 riders from 15 states plus Ontario, Quebec and Ireland, have already entered Newton’s Revenge 2011. Anyone else wishing to make this grueling and unforgettable climb on two wheels can still register for the race at www.newtonsrevenge.com any time up to 5 p.m. on July 7. Further information about the Auto Road, the race, accommodations, etc. can also be found at the registration site.

BIKE UP the MOUNTAIN POINTS SERIES
Newton’s Revenge and the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb are part of this series of nine uphill bike races, which began on June 18 at Whiteface Mountain in New York State and includes ascents of Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, and other uphill races, concluding with the Allen Clark race in Vermont on October 2. Further information is available at www.hillclimbseries.com.

ENTRY FEE
The entry fee for Newton’s Revenge is $300. That fee – substantially less than the cost of entering a major triathlon, never mind buying an airplane ticket to France — covers the cost of substantial logistical support, food, commemorative shirt and other expenses involved in staging the event. In addition, a portion of the proceeds is donated to the educational programs of the Mt. Washington Observatory. Riders who are already registered for the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb may enter Newton’s Revenge for $150.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, which also serves as the major annual fund-raising event for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, NH, will be held on August 20 (with a possible weather postponement date of the 21st).

WEATHER PROVISIONS
Mt. Washington is home to some of the most unpredictable weather in the world, including sometimes extraordinary winds. If weather conditions on July 9 create excessive wind chill or unstable surface conditions, the race may be postponed to the following day, Sunday, July 10.

OTHER CYCLING EVENT
Newton’s Revenge and the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb are two of a long list of events celebrating the Auto Road’s 150th anniversary. A third cycling spectacle is the annual 24 Hours of Great Glen, an off-road bicycle endurance race on the trails at the foot of the mountain, held this year on August 13. For details see www.24hoursofgreatglen.com.