ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060029
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: MOUNTAIN LAKE
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
Salt Pond Mountain has a reputation among Tour DuPont cyclists as perhaps the toughest climb anywhere in the race, and after riding it on my bicycle Thursday morning, I can see why.
It's a Category 1 climb, the toughest, on par with some of the most imposing climbs in the European races. Riders need deep lungs, light legs and bedrock determination to conquer it.
Monday, the climb should play a major role again in the Tour DuPont, as cyclists hit the Giles County mountain about 45 minutes before reaching the Blacksburg finish line of the 134.5-mile Stage 6.
At less than five miles, the climb up the 4,361-foot ridge seems longer than it is. What makes it difficult is the tight turns and relentless grade.
The constant elevation gain chews up momentum and makes legs feel heavy. About halfway up, I went into my granny gear - the one that makes pedaling the easiest - and stayed there the rest of the way. To save weight, the Tour DuPont cyclists don't ride with granny gears.
The climb is tricky and could fool riders who don't know what lies ahead. Beginning at Virginia 613's intersection with U.S. 460 near Hoges Chapel, it starts with some gentle elevation gains and even a few, short downhill sections.
Cyclists new to this climb might think it's not as imposing as its reputation would have it. But it is. About halfway up, the road takes on a different character, becoming merciless in its constant elevation gain of 700 feet in the last mile to the Mountain Lake resort. Some of the turns are even more steep.
Any avid cyclist in these parts knows that a ride of any length here will require at least some hill climbing. Salt Pond Mountain, though, is in a league of of its own.
Monday's cyclists all will have completed longer and most likely steeper climbs before, but what will make this ride tough for some of them is knowing it will be the last good chance to win the stage. The trek to Mountain Lake, by now, is familiar to them and it's not that long compared with some other climbs elsewhere, so some racers may try to sprint up it. They know a good way to gain ground on a leader is to attack, especially on steep climbs, and they know the first person to the top, where the route descends Virginia 700 to Newport, has a good chance of being uncatchable the rest of the way.
But sprinting up Salt Pond Mountain was beyond me, a mere mortal. Instead, my goal was to finish without requiring CPR.
I did make it, and I did not need heroic medical attention. But it wasn't pretty. At times, I weaved back and forth across the pavement, the way Greg LeMond did in 1994. Passing drivers seemed to view me with concern. I started the ride by parking at the Mountain Lake resort and descending to Hoges Chapel in about 10 minutes. I then completed the ride back up in about an hour. Monday's riders will require half that to climb - or less.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM/Staff. Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County,by CNBviewed from U.S. 460, is a Category 1 climb for cyclers.