Explaining the Major Climbs

With four straight stages in the mountains, this is certainly a year for the climbers at America's Premier Cycling Event. After four relatively flat stages, some of the world's finest cyclists will endure four grueling days through the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, before ascending the second to final climb of the 1996 Tour DuPont, atop Beech Mountain. Along the way they will cross 22 mountain passes and climb nearly 20,000 vertical feet. This segment of the race will not only produce the winner of the GT Bicycles King of the Mountains, but it may also produce the race's overall winner.

The 22 categorized climbs on this year's route receive a ranking between one and four with one being the most difficult. This ranking, based on the climb's degree of incline and its overall length, is determined by the race organizers according to UCI guidelines.

Mount Airy, N.C. to Roanoke, Va. (Stage 5) As Stage 5 departs Mount Airy, North Carolina, it leaves behind the flat to rolling roads the peloton has grown accustomed to over the past several days. The riders will pass over the Category 4 Bull Mountain, before reaching the first major climb of the Tour, Sugarloaf Mountain, approximately 52 miles into the day's stage. After several more short peaks, including a KOM at Shorts Knob, the riders will have some time to flush the lactic acid from their legs as they descend to the Category 2 climb of Cahas Mountain, with just 25 miles remaining to the finish.

Salem, Va. to Blacksburg, Va. (Stage 6) The longest of the mountain stages, this 135 mile road race includes six categorized climbs, including the brutal ascent of Mountain Lake. It is on Mountain Lake last year, Lance Armstrong propelled himself to victory, taking over the leader's jersey on his way to a stage win on the campus of Virginia Tech. The road up Mountain Lake rises over 2500 feet in just five miles. With an incline grade ranging from 5-13 percent, even the world's best will struggle to maintain 10 miles per hour.

Wytheville, Va. to Bristol, Va./Tenn. (Stage 7) With just two climbs on the schedule for the Stage 7 road race, spectators may find the favorites seeking refuge in the comforts of the pack. As the next day's staggering race (Stage 8) looms in the back of minds, the riders will try to rest their legs as they make their way to Bristol. But with Whitetop Mountain, a Category 2 climb of 4480 feet, on the course, resting will not be easy. Look for an ambitious, perhaps unknown, rider to steal the day, as he forges ahead of the field in search of an uncontested stage win.

Bristol, Va./Tenn. to Beech Mountain, N.C. (Stage 8) Many cyclists have said this is the most feared day of the 1996 Tour DuPont. Stage 8 features a seven categorized climbs, including the Category 1 ascent up Roan Mountain, the highest point in Tour history at 5612 feet, and the now famous summit finish atop Beech Mountain. If Roan Mountain doesn't make a final selection as it climbs 8 miles to the KOM at Carver's Gap, then the nearly 3-mile climb to the Beech Mountain Town Hall, at an elevation of 5100 feet, is likely to force tight racing. The only summit finish, Beech Mountain provides a European atmosphere to the race. Similar to a mountain stage in the Alps, look for frenzied spectators, switch backs galore, and the well-appreciated painted road.