# Commute becomes Cadillac Mt. winter climb



## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

I took a look at the temps this morning and headed out for my regular commute to work...

singlecross


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 2*

Everything was fine... roads were what I expected, a mix of ice, sand, and salt slush... studs were doing their thing... I even had to stop and take off a layer as took the back way to avoid traffic. I rolled past the old farms and the fishhouses with the traps put up for the winter.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 3*

It started to snow lightly and I decided to take the back, back way and enter the National Park where the roads are closed, and unplowed or maintained, for the winter and REALLY avoid any traffic. The surface was beautiful for biking with studs... About an inch of textured rhine ice on the bottom with another inch of drifted/compacted snow on top, and very consistent with no ruts from traffic.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 4*

My fenders were doing their best to contain the spray of snow from the tires... and my Thermos was doing its best to keep my tea hot and protected from the cold. I find hot tea a must when riding in the winter...


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 5*

It got darker and started to snow harder as I climbed above town and looked out over the Bay... but the road was so nice I decided to blow off my morning at work and continue on the Loop Road to climb Cadillac Mt. one last time before it got snowed in for the winter.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 6*

Headed up into them thar hills with the snow still coming and the ice flowing over the rocks on the side of the climb.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 7*

Ice hanging over the rocks and the snow getting deeper as I climb higher.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 8*

The wind picked up and the snow started blowing as I climbed and rounded the exposed side of the mountain. I had to start picking my way through the drifts that were forming. I was glad to have the MTB gearing on my bike. The 22T front on a 26T rear doesn't get used much but when it does...Phew!


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 9*

Closer to the summit and the drifts got deep enough that I had to get off a few times and tromp through them as I'd start to drag my pedals and rear derailleur which would start to skip on the cassette.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference
-Robert Frost


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 10*

The summit was very windy and dark... lots of blowing snow and cold. Probably 30 MPH winds and 10*F... quite brisk with the wind chill. Time to get down off the mountain.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 11*

Headed down into more reasonable conditions, so I took the time to get a self-portrait...


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

*Pics 12*

Around the last hairpin to get off the mountain and into town to my office. I pulled in at Noon instead of 9:00 and had worked up an appetite for some Mee Pud lunch from my friend at the Thai restaurant. Sitting at my desk in my warm office seemed a million miles away from where I'd been just an hour before on the summit. Despite the warmth and the tasty food, I think I liked the summit better...

singlecross


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

That was awesome, thanks for sharing.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

You the man!


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## saf-t (Sep 24, 2008)

Great to see- I've never been on the island in winter.

Unfortunately, I now have no excuse for wimping out on _my_ commute.....


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I've never been there in winter, Sure looks different without all the tourists (like me). Nice pics.


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

That's just nuts, wonderful but nuts.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Great photo essay. You definitely da man! I've never ridden in snow so I got to ask, is descending on a frozen snowy road an invitation to break your neck?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

h man, that is my kind of bike riding!


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

We spent a week camping at Acadia National Park, and I'll have to say it is one of the most beautiful national parks and surprisingly "undiscovered." I didn't do any cycling there but a lot of hiking. If you live on the East Coast (or elsewhere) and you've never visited there, put it on your list of places to go.

One of my fondest memories is stopping at a roadside restaurant and ordering "lobster rolls" and fresh blueberry pie, while sitting outside at a table overlooking a harbor. I could have sat there eating pie all day. It was my daughter's first real experience camping, and she had the time of her life.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

Wowsers. Very cool. Looks like the Lemond is working out pretty well.


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## rkj__ (Mar 21, 2007)

awesome.

nice bike too.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Mapei said:


> Great photo essay. You definitely da man! I've never ridden in snow so I got to ask, is descending on a frozen snowy road an invitation to break your neck?


No, not at all. Studded tires provide an amazing amount of grip and the surface was very consistent so I got a good sense of the grip level. Disc brakes provide reliable stopping in snow and slush. I was pedaling sections on the descent and probably got up to 30 mph or so. I had also just ridden up and scoped the conditions in different sections pretty well so there were no surprises.

The sketchy thing about winter commuting is sharing the road with cars and trucks when the bike lanes get pinched off due to snowbanks. The roads get really narrow come February. I usually end up riding in the lane and moving over only when traffic approaches from behind.

singlecross


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Reports like this are what makes my day, week, sometimes month. Just unbelievable!


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

llama31 said:


> Wowsers. Very cool. Looks like the Lemond is working out pretty well.


Yes, the Lemond is working out better than the Gunnar for my use although the Gunnar was nice. I'm planning to write up a review of the Lemond as a commuter here sometime soon.

singlecross


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Sccweeeetttt.

That is unbelievable. Nice photos and what a ride when you have it all to yourself.


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## commutenow (Sep 26, 2004)

Wow beautiful pictures and a wonderful ride report!!!!!


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## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

Great report and ride.
You need to get a sponsor like Chapstick or Carmex.


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## bubba biker (Mar 1, 2008)

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrr... I would have been shaking so bad all the pictures would have been blurry. I wimp out when it gets like that. Awesome ride report.


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## randi_526 (Jun 12, 2008)

Awesome. 

This thread just gave me another reason on the plus column for moving back to Vermont. Those pics made me miss the mountains too much.

//yes, I realize your in Maine, not VT. Google and wikipedia told me.


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## qwertzy (May 25, 2005)

That looks like loadsa fun
I gotta love your prioritizing  


singlecross said:


> but the road was so nice I decided to blow off my morning at work and continue on the Loop Road to climb Cadillac Mt. one last time before it got snowed in for the winter.


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## macalu (Jan 16, 2003)

Wow. Great post and fantastic pics. You are one tough guy.


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## bubba biker (Mar 1, 2008)

(This thread just gave me another reason on the plus column for moving back to Vermont. Those pics made me miss the mountains too much.)


I lived in Vermont for 10 years, beautiful place so is Bar Harbor. Where in Vermont are you planning to move to. I worked in Burlington but lived Milton. Great riding, I miss some of those country roads. Can't recall ever getting hassled by cars. Farm dogs were another story. Where are you planning on moving to?


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## superjohnny (May 16, 2006)

That's crazy talk singlecross! Nice report!


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## whataklug (Mar 6, 2007)

When did you join the ranks of the Cadillac men in orange gang? Funny, I was thinking about you last night, one of my friends down here remembers you from years ago. The poprad turned out nice man. K-rock says hi and it is time for me to ride to work. Rain and sleet....yahoo! Happy Holidays to you, the fam, and the Crew. 
Last time I did that ride in those conditions was on the Celeste and yellow rocket with those goofy green mastercrosses on it. So fun...be well...b


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Damn! Simply amazing. What a beautiful place. Ever do that ride in the snow, in the dark, with lights? I bet that would be a lot of fun. I love riding in the dark, especially in the snow. It just seems like you have the world to yourself. Never been able to do it on a closed road. The closest I've gotten to that would be some single track MTB action.


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

Chiming in a bit late here, but heck that's an awesome commute! I have fond memories of riding in the snow when I lived in Pittsburgh PA some time ago. Of all the folks in the coin op carwash, I'd be the only one spraying mud off my MTB (low pressure hose, of course).

Good stuff!


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

stud.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

JohnnyTooBad said:


> Ever do that ride in the snow, in the dark, with lights? I bet that would be a lot of fun. I love riding in the dark, especially in the snow. It just seems like you have the world to yourself. Never been able to do it on a closed road.


Not up Cadillac in the dark, but every commute home is in the dark and snow this time of year. It's quite rural, especially in the winter, and if I take some back roads I only get passed by 4-5 cars in my 15 mile commute.

singlecross


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

*SWEEET STUFF...I'm so there next Oct.*

Going through some older posts I saw this one and once again you give me the itch. I've never been to Acadia and I already have the Cadillac Challenge marked on my calendar. I've been wanting to go for several years now. Your pics have inspired me. To get me throught the winter I've been hitting acadiamagic.com of late and checking out all the great pics .But in winter it looks like another animal.  I bet it's nice to have the mountain to yourself. Sweet deal. Do you work in Bar harbor? Just wondering. 

evs(see ya next year)


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## El Caballito (Oct 31, 2004)

Inspiring! Next time I'm wondering, should I or should I not because it's 38 degrees outside, I'll refer to your photo report. Thanks from sunny Southern California. Oh... by the way, you REALLY da man!!!


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## nbrennan (Feb 19, 2007)

sorry if im going off topic, singlecross, but what gloves do you wear? i rode today in 29 degree weather and my fingers were numb real quick in my gloves.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Swix nordic ski gloves. I used a model called the Membrane but only when the temps get into the 20's and below. I run warm however and rarely have cold hands.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/SW...l?CMP_ID=SH_FRO001&CMP_SKU=SWI0272&mv_pc=r126


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## commutenow (Sep 26, 2004)

Wow that looks like an exciting ride and great pictures.


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## thumbprinter (Jun 8, 2009)

awesome pics and ride report. looks like a lot of fun....
thanks for sharing!


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## Kolossal (Feb 12, 2007)

Respect.


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## j-man (Sep 3, 2009)

you're the man!


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Awesome!
I bike the Loop Road when I'm up there in June or August...building up the nerve to climb Mt. Cad on my bike...wouldn't dream of doing it in those conditions!

My hat (helmet) is off to you - great report and a great ride.


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Whoa! What a ride. Great report & pix.

And I skipped the bike ride to work because it was 24 and windy.


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## skyphix (Jul 26, 2007)

I've only ever driven up there, and was met by 60+mph winds and cold temps... in the middle of the summer. Can't even imagine cycling up it, let alone in the winter, and by myself. Nicely done and thanks for the photos.


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## aking legs (Aug 30, 2009)

That's awesome to see. My wife grew up on Swans Island - went to MDI HS. I have only been to Acadia a couple of times. I can tell it's just as magical and a heck of a lot quieter in the off season..


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