The Casco Bay Bicycle Club (Portland, ME) opened registration ($19 on the day of
the ride) for the White Mtn Century at 7am on Saturday, September 11th. The
ride started at the parking lot on the Kancamagus Hwy near the Albany covered
bridge that crosses the Swift River.
Over a year ago when I moved to CT I was advised that New England is hilly, so I
should expect hills. This is not one of those hilly rides. In fact there are
only four uphills: the first goes up Bear Notch(600’ elevation gain), the
second goes up Crawford Notch(1200’), the third goes up Franconia Notch(700’),
and the fourth goes over Kancamagus Pass(2000’).
Initially the route went east on the Kancamagus Hwy for almost four miles to
make the ride a century before turning around and heading west. At 7:45,
skipping the four-mile loop, we went west from the covered bridge under clear
skies, but cold temps. It was under 50 so we wore extra layers.
The Kancamagus Hwy rises gradually as it parallels the Swift River. We had
constant views of the Swift River including the series of gentle falls where on
hot days swimmers sit in the water. In several spots the National Forest
Service was constructing more parking along the river for swimmers. At one
point on the hwy, cliffs west of Bear Notch Rd reflected the early morning
sunshine making a beautiful picture.
After a few miles of gentle climbing we turned north on Bear Notch Rd for some
serious climbing. We rode by some year round homes, some summer homes and then
through the open gates that are closed during the winter.
We climbed four miles before starting a quick descent into Bartlett. On the way
down we resisted the urge to fly by some scenic outlooks and took some pictures.
Casco Bay Bicycle Club (CBBC) had a rest stop at the intersection with US302 in
a local park. The fare was fairly typical – bananas, grapes, bagels, pb&j and
brownies by Amy one of the rest stop workers. The brownies were really rich,
just what I needed. CBBC offered to carry your extra clothes to the last rest
stop at the top of Kancamagus Pass. If I had known that in advance I would
have worn a cycling jacket.
We continued the ride going to the foot of the climb up Crawford Notch. The
shoulder on the road was wide with the views ranging from pleasant to
spectacular. On the west side of the notch, you could see the gap in the trees
left by the North Conway Scenic Rwy tracks. When we got to the Willey House, we
stopped by the pond to take off some clothes before the climb.
The last mile of the climb is steep. You pass two waterfalls on the right – one
is called Silver Cascade. Just after the steepest part a sign advises drivers
going in the opposite direction of a 13% grade. When road levels off you can
see the AMC information booth, a restored railroad station, and the Highland
Center built on the spot where the old Crawford House burned. On the right is
Saco Pond the location of the second rest stop. After a banana, bagel, and
brownie for dessert, we were off.
The route goes up Mt. Clinton Road, but since it is filled with potholes, bumps,
etc, we stayed on US302. Soon we went by the Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton
Woods, a large luxury resort. Just past the resort is a small picturesque stone
church. After the Crawford Notch climb, the ride to Twin Mtn seemed level.
Actually the route descends gently for miles. The temperature had warmed to
about 70 degrees with clear skies – a beautiful day.
At Twin Mtn we turned on US3, a lightly traveled route in upper NH. The rolling
hills went up more than down as we climbed to Franconia Notch. We had great
views of mountains to the northwest and of water like the Gale River. For some
time we could see the ski slopes of Cannon Mtn before finally reaching the rest
stop at the beginning of the Franconia Notch bike path. This stop offered baked
potatoes and melon. That was a nice touch, but I was really looking for more
brownies or at least a bagel.
We started down the bike path. It seemed like the first turn was straight
down. The speed limit sign said 20, but at that speed I could never have made
the 90 degree turn to stay on the path avoiding the embankment on the right that
was steep. In general 20 mph is too fast for the bike path. While there was
not much traffic, there were a high percentage of young children. We passed by
Echo Lake and then Profile Lake, but did not detour to view the Old Man of the
Mountain knowing that he is now just a shadow of his former self. When we
reached the end of the path at the Flume a CBBCer directed us to US3.
We made a quick descent on US3 into Lincoln where we went off the route a few
blocks to get coffee and bagels at the White Mt Bagel Co. Actually my desire
for a bagel was trumped by a cinnamon roll. While we were there, CBBCers swept
the route, but they did not find us. We were leaning back in our chairs, feet
up, sipping coffee and eating.
In three blocks we were back on the route starting our last climb. There’s
some time to warm up before the real climb starts. After crossing the East
Branch of the Pemigewasset River where we could see a long hikers’ bridge
spanning the river, we started climbing. There were great views to the south,
to the north, and back to the west from the road and from some lookouts. To the
east we just saw mountain that we had to climb. Lots of motor cycles passed us
going both up and down. Just before we reached Kancamagus Pass a bicycle racing
team passed us at the beginning of their descent. We pulled off at the lookout
but found no rest stop; we assumed it already closed.
We stopped at one more lookout as we began descending. Then we flew to the
Albany Covered Bridge where CBBCers said, “ we were looking for you.” They gave
us some bagels, bananas, grapes, etc from packed bags and boxes before heading
for their dinner celebrating a successful century. We drove back to North
Conway, a hot shower, and then dinner.
EVALUATION
Brochure – The on-line flyer had all the essential information but consistently
misspelled Kancamagus and cited its elevation as 2160 instead of 2855.
Routes – good. The excellent scenery along this route is just about as good as
it gets. Varied terrain
Intersections - good. The route markings were clear and a CBBCer was in the
Flume parking lot to be sure we got onto US3 south.
Cue sheet – good.
Rest stops – good. The Franconia Notch bike path rest stop needed foods in
addition to the baked potatoes and melons
Sags – good. I didn’t see any sags, but they knew we were missing and looked
for us.
Value – excellent.
Conclusion – I’ll be on this ride next year looking for another great ride.
Addendum: I have ridden on over 20 different invitationals; many several
times. I have worked on club invitationals for ten years and am aware of and
thankful for the significant effort volunteers make in the forms of:
Publicity Route planning Route marking Parking Registration Rest stops
SAG wagons Clean up