# Ride Report, from Storyland: Hurricane Mtn Rd, 113 (Evans Notch), North Road, 2, 16



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

I did this ride today:
Hurricane/Evans/16 from Storyland - A bike ride in Bartlett, NH

I wrote the following ride report for a somewhat non-cycling audience but thought I'd share it here:

Final stats:
71.93 miles
5614 feet elevation gain
4:08:13
Average speed: 17.4

This ride was significantly harder than the out and back Kancamagus ride I did in July. The main reason for that is Hurricane Mountain Road. This is a brutal climb. I had only ridden around 5 miles from my start at Storyland when I hit it so I wasn't fully warmed up and it didn't help that both my water bottles were mostly full. Every ounce matters on a climb like this. It is absolutely unrelenting. I'd look up and gasp as it strongly resembled a wall. I didn't walk any of it but was disappointed that I had to stop twice. I made it up 3/4 of it including parts of the 17% grade where on the switchbacks it was closer to 20% without stopping but then stopped twice briefly. My heart has never beaten like this - ever! It felt like it was going to come out of my chest.

The descent was no reward as it was unpleasant due to very sharp turns and very bumpy pavement. The descent was also posted at 17% and I could feel my bike wanting to get air on parts of it. I had to do lots of hard braking. Fortunately there were a few straight parts where I could let the bike go and let the rims cool off. I could smell rubber at the bottom and it's potentially damaging to the wheels themselves.

I emerged on a road with more lousy pavement but with just mild rolling hills. My body was shell-shocked at this point and I wasn't in a normal riding rhythm. I had gone way beyond my anaerobic threshold and extended efforts at that pace usually take a toll later in the ride.

After some miles of this, I emerged on route 113 where the pavement started to get better. What was amazing about this road was just how desolate the area was. At one point I went about 10 miles without seeing a single car. There were more rolling hills and I could feel myself recovering some which was good because Evans Notch was approaching. The road had recently been repaved heading up the steep part of this which was definitely welcome. The Evans climb was the second hardest of the three. It too was quite unrelenting for several miles but the grades were about half of that of Hurricane Mountain Road. I had the whole road to myself as I got into a good climbing rhythm.

I stopped at the highest point where it's marked by a sign showing the elevation of Evans Notch. It was beautiful there and one of my favorite moments of the ride. Again, desolate and perfectly quiet, I enjoyed looking off into the valley. After about 5 minutes, I began the descent. The first part was also repaved and unlike Hurricane, this was a fun ride down. It didn't stay steep for long but then there was an extended amount of miles with a downward gradient allowing for easier pedaling and recovery.

At the suggestion of a cycling acquaintance, I didn't take route 2 at the bottom but rather crossed over it and took North road. In his report, he mentioned how quiet this road was except for seeing a mother bear and two cubs cross it! I also found it almost carless. I only encountered one car in the roughly 8 miles before it rejoined route 2. I didn't see any bears though I heard rustling to my right and saw a deer who for some reason didn't immediately go into the woods but ran alongside me for a bit. I'm glad it finally took a right rather than crossing in front of me.

After about 4 miles on route 2, I arrived in Gorham and refueled at a Cumberland Farms conveniently located next to the turn for route 16. This was 49.7 miles into the ride but I was fueled sufficiently up to this point. It helped that the temperature was coolish.

I then got on route 16 heading towards Mount Washington. It's steady uphill but except for a brief bit near Wildcat, I found it comparatively easy. It was without question the easiest of the three major climbs. It was an all-out descent down the 9% grade on the other side heading back but the wind was against me so I only topped out at 44MPH. The rest of the trip back to Storyland was almost all downhill and a nice way to finish the ride.

I had never been on route 113 and through Evans Notch on a car or a bike so I really enjoyed that part. I was able to capture a feeling of being alone in the wilderness which doesn't happen that often on a road bike. I'd recommend this ride. Loops are always nice. The only part that was questionable was Hurricane Mountain Road. If you're feeling particularly masochistic, this is the road for you!


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

Thanks for the write up and details. I've always wondered about rt113 and the loop you just described. I've always wanted to go camping up there near the rt16/rt2 area. HAHA, got to love Cumbies.  They saved me on numerous occassions. Free ice and water is great. 

thanks,
evs


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

Cool. Thanks for the write up. I've never done the loop you described but have been on each section you mention as part of other routes.

Definitely agree Hurricane is a beast. I remember at several points I was giving it all I had and the effort resulted in what was essentially a track stand. If I lived near there I _might_ ride it, and it alone, for 'training' but as part of a long ride that I drove 2-3 hours to make a day of it and enjoy myself.....I'm all set with that road. 

Yes, I really enjoyed Evans, and 113, too for the peace and quiet like you noted. 

17.4 sounds like you definitely had a really good pace going considering you were solo and what Hurricane does to average speeds.


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## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

evs said:


> Thanks for the write up and details. I've always wondered about rt113 and the loop you just described. I've always wanted to go camping up there near the rt16/rt2 area. HAHA, got to love Cumbies.  They saved me on numerous occassions. Free ice and water is great.
> 
> thanks,
> evs


As a kid my dad and I used to camp at Dolly Copp every summer. Good times mostly with hiking but I also brought a mountain bike and road bike some of the time. I'd ride into Gorham and then on route 2 along the Androscoggin. Once I rode from Dolly Copp all the way to Hurricane Mountain road and quit probably a quarter of the way up. I think I was 15 and had a low-end road bike with high gearing. That was my only experience with the road previous to yesterday.

It's funny at Cumberland Farms I got a double Snickers bar, a huge cookie, Powerade and water. The cashier asked me if I wanted a bag and I replied that I intended to consume it right then. 



Jay Strongbow said:


> Cool. Thanks for the write up. I've never done the loop you described but have been on each section you mention as part of other routes.
> 
> Definitely agree Hurricane is a beast. I remember at several points I was giving it all I had and the effort resulted in what was essentially a track stand. If I lived near there I _might_ ride it, and it alone, for 'training' but as part of a long ride that I drove 2-3 hours to make a day of it and enjoy myself.....I'm all set with that road.
> 
> ...


I came away with the exact same feeling about Hurricane Mountain Road that you described. Would I want to do it again after traveling all the way from Massachusetts to enjoy a ride in the mountains? As of yesterday, the answer was definitely no. Today, I admit there’s a part of me that is really irked to have had to stop on it and would like to “defeat” it before moving on! If I lived in the area, I agree that it would make for excellent training though given the superiority of the pavement on the east side, I might be inclined to turn around at the top. It would be doubtful though that even then I’d ride it that regularly.

It was fun going along 113, in and out of Maine, and experiencing an area that most casual tourists never visit. I was impressed with the number of trailheads I passed. I used to be really into hiking having climbed 36 of the 4000 foot peaks but had never touched any of those trails. I definitely plan on riding that part again.

Thanks about the average speed. I did 18.7 on the out and back of the Kanc so was hoping for higher but the Kanc never put me in the anaerobic territory that Hurricane did and it did affect the rest of the ride to a degree. I looked at my average speed after my descent of Hurricane and it was 14.2! It just shows how much harder that part of the ride was compared to the rest.


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## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

*Here's a video of the descent*

Granted, it's a motorcycle but it still gives a pretty good idea of what it's like. The is the same direction I did the descent.

Hurricane Mountain Road, New Hampshire - YouTube


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## superlightdog (Jun 10, 2007)

*Hurricane mtn rd.*



JasonB176 said:


> Granted, it's a motorcycle but it still gives a pretty good idea of what it's like. The is the same direction I did the descent.
> 
> Hurricane Mountain Road, New Hampshire - YouTube


Just curious the gearing you had on your bike?


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## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

superlightdog said:


> Just curious the gearing you had on your bike?


I debated quite a bit on which bike to use. My Motobecane only has a low gear of 39X28 so I instead went with my Specialized with its 30X25. A triple is a welcome thing for this particular climb; at least for me!


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## redliner (Oct 21, 2004)

JasonB176 said:


> I debated quite a bit on which bike to use. My Motobecane only has a low gear of 39X28 so I instead went with my Specialized with its 30X25. A triple is a welcome thing for this particular climb; at least for me!


I try to do Hurricane Mt rd every year, my garmin always stops on the climb at certain places. It thinks my bike has stopped moving. Don't know of any steeper road climbs in NH.


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## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

redliner said:


> I try to do Hurricane Mt rd every year, my garmin always stops on the climb at certain places. It thinks my bike has stopped moving. Don't know of any steeper road climbs in NH.


What gearing do you use? I have since replaced my rear cassette with a 12x27 so my new ratio would be 30x27. I wonder if that would have allowed me to make it without stopping.


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## redliner (Oct 21, 2004)

JasonB176 said:


> What gearing do you use? I have since replaced my rear cassette with a 12x27 so my new ratio would be 30x27. I wonder if that would have allowed me to make it without stopping.


 I have a bike with a compact crank. 50-34, and a 11-27 casette. It's really too much to turn for me. I think you'll be in pretty good shape with what you've got.


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