Peter Stetina had come to New Hampshire with an goal to set a brand new course report at Mt. Washington Auto Street Bicycle Hillclimb, a report that his father Dale held for 17 years, from 1980 to 1997.
Referred to as ‘the hardest hillclimb within the US, if not the world,’ the 7.6-mile (12.2km) ascent of Mount Washington averages a punishing 12% gradient, pitching as much as 22% at its steepest, and tops out at 6,288 ft, the best peak within the northeastern United States. This race is hosted by and advantages Tin Mountain Conservation Heart.
Two days before the “mythical climb”, Stetina posted on social media, “this has been my major 2025 objective all along. Over the last 2 months I’ve both enjoyed and agonized over stripping my body and bike down to a pure climbing apparatus.”
For the 52nd edition, Stetina’s stated goal was to beat the “all-time record”, including his father’s time of 57:41, and the 2020 time of 49:24 set by Tom Danielson. After the road was fully paved in 2022, records were reset, with Phil Gaimon establishing the new benchmark at 50:38.
After receiving a late invitation from Stetina, Ian Boswell proceeded to not only beat his friend but also set a new men’s course record in the process. Though Boswell lives in New England, he had never set his sights on the legendary climb until Saturday.
“I shot for the stars, and held that pace for 60% of the mountain, but it was clear my body simply said [nope] today. Things weren’t clicking early and I was far off my numbers from training,” Stetina posted.
“I flopped. I probably cared too much, I probably convinced myself this sinus infection wouldn’t make a difference either: but missing the mark is my reality and there’s no changing that. To have a dreaded off-day on THE day sucks: time waits for no one. To admit this failure after publicly announcing my intention cuts even deeper. I currently don’t know where or how to rebound from here for the short term.”
Another record was set in the women’s race with Illi Gardner, setting a time of 58:07, beating the 2024 record of 1:06:08 set by Kristen Kulchinsky. Gardner, three-time winner of the British National Hill Climb Championships, tackled the Mount Kearsarge Hill Climb and Mount Ascutney in preparation.
