Hill-climb races are a rarity in the U.S. and don’t carry nearly the same prestige or mass following as they do in the U.K. But last weekend, former WorldTour climbers Pete Stetina and Ian Boswell brought fresh attention to what many call the hardest ascent on U.S. soil: the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb.
Attempted, and won, over the years by Tour de France veterans, Olympians and national champions such as Tyler Hamilton, Tom Danielson, Ned Overend, and Jeannie Longo, the event covers just 7.4 miles (11.9 km) but climbs 4,678 feet (1,425 m). The road averages a punishing 12.6% gradient, with ramps that pitch up to 22%.
“I think it is the hardest mountain in the U.S. Maybe even one of the hardest in the world,” Stetina told Cycling Weekly. “Meter for meter, it is harder than the Zoncolan or Angliru.” Women’s record holder Illi Gardner echoed the sentiment, saying: “It’s harder than almost every climb I’ve done.”
For Stetina, the hill-climb was a target race for his 2025 season. Not because he needed a post-WorldTour retirement challenge—he remains an active force in gravel racing—but because of family legacy. His father, Dale Stetina, held the Mount Washington record for 17 years through the 1980s and 1990s, and the younger Stetina returned to the iconic climb determined to reclaim it.
In 2022, organisers of the race wiped the nearly 50-year-old record books clean because a treacherous gravel section had finally been paved, and the shadow of cycling’s doping era lingered over many past results. The modern-day record was held by Phil Gaimon, who set a time of 50:38 in 2022. The all-time fastest ascent, however, remained Tom Danielson’s 2002 effort of 49:24. Stetina eyed both.
Joining him somewhat last-minute was longtime friend Ian Boswell. “We’re kind of tackling this thing together, not as teammates, but it is my fault he decided to show up, and I may come to regret that,” Stetina said ahead of the race. And as it turned, he was right.
Boswell’s 50:18 didn’t surpass Danielson’s 2002 benchmark, but it was enough to dethrone Gaimon and establish the new modern-day record. Stetina fought to the finish, digging deep to claim second in 51:38.
The hill-climb machines
To help them tackle the brutal climb, riders turned to bikes built for one thing only: going uphill as fast as possible. Free from UCI weight limits, Stetina and Boswell pared their setups to the bare minimum. Stetina, especially, leaned heavily into the classic hill-climb hacks, from chopped handlebars to drilled-out aluminum parts.
Pete Stetina’s Canyon CFR
(Image credit: Dominic Gill)
Frame model: “Canyon CFR special edition climbing bike”
Specs: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain with a single chainring, Shimano Dura-Ace WH-R9270-C36-TL wheelset, Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedals, IRC Formula Pro Speed Edge 28c tyres, PRO Turnix Carbon saddle, Rex 4:1 chain wax, Robert Axle thru-axles.
Weight: 5.96kg (13.14lbs)
Mods:
Stetina and his mechanic Wayne had a lot of fun with this build. They tried to chop weight wherever they could, while still honouring sponsor obligations and keeping the touch points intact, meaning: same saddle rather than an ultralight, no-padded option; and the same shifter buttons.
“I don’t want to think about shifting but rather keep it second nature,” he commented.
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From there, everything was fair game. This included: chopping off the handlebars just below the shifters, swapping to lighter bolts and thru-axles, the removal of seals from bearings for reduced friction, no bar tape, no rear brake, drum-holed aluminium bits where present, a single tiny chainring, and zip-tying the Di2 battery to the chainstay to shave off the few grams from the internal mounting hardware.
As Stetina put it, “it’s kind of a stupid bike in that it literally only does one thing.”
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Ian Boswell Specialized Aethos
(Image credit: Dominic Gill)
Frame model: Specialized S-Works Aethos
Specs: SRAM RED AXS drivetrain, Roval Alpinist CLX II wheelset, Specialized S-works Turbo tyres, S-Works Power with Mirror saddle, Specialized S-Works Short & Shallow, handlebars, Wahoo speedplay pedals
Weight: 5.52kg (12.17lbs)
Mods:
“I wasn’t signed up ’til the last week of registration so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to plan,” said Boswell, who built his bike around a Specialized S-Works Aethos frameset with Roval Alpenist CLX wheels.
His modifications were limited to: no bar tape, the removal of the rear brake and disc brake rotor. He also removed his front derailleur but still kept his 2x crankset on the bike. Even so, it came in lighter than Stetina’s bike.
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