ADK Bike Routes

[IndianChris]

Hey,
Am thinking of doing some road riding in the Adirondacks and am currently researching some good routes between 50-100 miles. Checked out the Lake Placid Ironman bike course and it seems somewhat flat from the profile I saw online. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't imagine doing all three legs and those who do are my idols, but the bike route alone seems pretty docile.

Would like to do maybe one loop of the bike route and add in some really aggressive hills.

Anyone know of any of the following:

1) really steep hills for a road bike
2) really long hills for a road bike
3) really steep, really long hills for a road bike

You get the point

The more the better. Thanks a lot.

 

[Jay H]

umm, if the ironman bike route hasn't changed.. the route isn't completely flat!!

I did 1 lap when I had a halfday to do that a long time ago, was camping at the Loj and brought my road bike. It basically takes 73 east towards Keene, then hangs a left onto Rt 9N around present day Cedar Run restaurant, goes to the town of Jay (not me!) and hangs another left onto 86 to Wilmington, then hangs another left at the light where the Autoroad meets 86 and heads back towards Lake Placid. There is that downhill into Keene and a hill climbing out of Jay... Then when you get towards Lake Placid, you can take I think.. Riverside Road before you get to Lake Placid itself to avoid downtown. That road links 86 with the Ski Jumps and 73.

The ironman loop does the loop twice and then finishes in Lake Placid, I did one cause that's the time I had and I think it was something like 53ish miles.

Also, you should check out the ACA's Adirondack Loop, which is more of a multiday touring loop but I'm sure it could give you ideas and routes.. Also the Northern Tier route goes through the ADKs too so more ideas and I'm sure the Adirdondack tourism industry has more.

Lake Champlain bikeways organization has some good short daytrips but as they are Lake Champlain, they are mostly around the Lake..

Jay

p.s. I know a pretty good 100 mile loop in the Catskills..

 

[Peakbagr]

CR 13 out of Keene.
Route 73 from Keene to the top of Cascade Pass.
Whiteface Mt highway before the road opens.

 

[IndianChris]

Thanks Jay.

Here's the link I saw for the bike leg. I realize it's not flat but there's a lot of verticle exageration on the profile. Could you take a guess at the steepest gradient you were on? A quick calculation from the profile is like 1.4% between miles 40-60.

 

[Jay H]

That 40-60 miles sounds like the hill outside of the town of Jay. I remember, there wasn't any seriously steep hills, just long and gradual... nothing that I think anybody in decent shape would need a triple or anything. Don't forget since they do two laps, the second half should mirror the first half except for the part around Lake Placid. the map shows the cutoff which I checked, it's Riverside Rd, not Mountain Ave as I posted.. that huge decent at mileish 16-17miles is the descent into Keene...

Going down to Keene though was helluva lot of fun, one could hit 55mph coasting...


The absolute best downhill I've ever done was (road) biking down Mt Tourmalet in the Pyranees in France though... imagine that section on Rt 73 to Keene but extend that to like 14 miles

Jay

 

[TCD]

For a long loop, circumnavigating the High Peaks is nice. It's a little longer than you were looking for (IIRC ~120 miles).

Pavements are poor in many areas in the Adks; watch your speed on the bigger downhills.

For steep, long hills, come on down to the Lake George region...Luzerne Mtn. Road out of Glens Falls is one of the toughest climbs around. Also look at:

Coolidge Hill Rd and Trout Lake Rd (Bolton Landing)
Tongue Mtn
Rte 8 from Hague to Graphite

Up North, look at:
Simonds Hill Rd (from New Russia to Lincoln Pond)
Do laps around Giant (it's a triangle, about 30 miles)

Have fun!

TCD

 

[Jay H]

I think a cool ADK loop would utilize say from newcomb, 28N to Blue Ridge Parkway all the way to the Northway to get to Rt 9 north. Then cross back over the northway to get to Rt 9 to Elizabethtown and then snake towards Lake Placid, to Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake to Rt 30 south back to Long Lake and then 28N back to Newcomb...

Might be more than 1 day though.

Jay

 

[Pete Hogan]

25 Bicycle Tours in the Adirondacks

IndianChris,

There is a very good resource for Adirondack biking titled, "25 Bicycle Tours in the Adirondacks" by Bill McKibben, Sue Halpern, Mitchell Hay and Barbara Lemmel. My copy has a 1995 copyright, but there may be a more recent edition.

It is extremely well written and thoroughly describes a wide variety of trips and terrain from easy rides (25 miles) to moderate day trips (40 miles) to challenging treks (80 miles).

I highly recommend it.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

For a long loop, circumnavigating the High Peaks is nice. It's a little longer than you were looking for (IIRC ~120 miles).

For steep, long hills, come on down to the Lake George region...Luzerne Mtn. Road out of Glens Falls is one of the toughest climbs around. Also look at:

Tongue Mtn
Rte 8 from Hague to Graphite

I agree, big hills in the Lake George area. How about a 70 mile loop starting and ending in Hague? North on 9N to Ticonderoga, with a major hill over Tongue Mt.; west on 74 past Eagle and Paradox Lakes to Schroon Lake, with a killer hill out of Ticonderoga; south on 9 to Chestertown, a long, flat stretch; and then east on 8 past Brant Lake, with long, significant elevation and then a steep descent to Hague.

Might be harder in the opposite direction.

 

[Pete Hogan]

Teddy's Trail

IndianChris,

The trip that JayH suggested is (sort of) in "25 Bicycle Tours of the Adirondacks." It is called "Teddy's Trail". It begins in North Creek and travels north on Rt. 28 to Blue Mountain Lake and Long Lake before heading back to North Creek through Newcomb and Minerva.(80 miles)

An extension of that circuit is to continue north from Long Lake to Tupper Lake and then east through Coreys, before turning north again through the St. Regis region to Paul Smiths. Then northeast up to Rainbow Lake and Onchiota before dropping south through Vermontville, Bloomingdale and Saranac Lake.

The ride continues through or bypassing) Lake Placid cruising down Rt. 73 through Keene and St. Huberts before connecting with Rt. 9 just past I-87 Exit #30. The route heads south past North Hudson before heading west on the Blue Ridge Road toward Tahawus. Finally at the junction of Rt 28N, the last leg heads south to the starting point at North Creek. (196 miles)

There are some very fine DEC State campgrounds along this enlarged circuit for possible overnights; Lake Eaton, Fish Creek Ponds, Buck Pond, Sharp Bridge...to name only a few.

 

[hikehike]

Good Website for Bike Rides

The following website called "Map My Ride" has lots of routes in LP and the ADK's.

http://www.mapmyride.com/search?txt...RatingMax=&lstRouteTypeID=&btnSearch=SEARCH+>

You can do a search of pretty much anywhere. I have put a few rides on this site and am still learning the ins and outs of using it, but it seems pretty good....