Last weekend, hundreds of hearty cyclists lined up to take on the Mt. Washington Hill Climb. Among them was former World Tour rider turned gravel pro, Pete Stetina. This annual hill climb challenge is typically the only day the Mt. Washington Auto Road is open to cyclists. Gaining ~4,700 feet of elevation in 7.6 miles with an average grade of 12% and a max of 22%, this climb is undoubtedly one of the hardest in the U.S.
This year, Pete Stetina made this climb one of his major goals for the season. In fact, back in January, Pete’s race calendar had “record attempt” listed for the month of August. It seems he set his intention early, and attempting to break the all-time and current hill climb records was clearly something he had his sights on all year. In fact, he was notably absent from the Leadville race this year in favor of training for this very specific challenge.
Why? Pete’s dad and former professional cyclist, Dale Stetina, held the record up Mt. Washington from 1980 to 1997. Cycling runs in the family, obviously, and Pete wanted to build on the family legacy and add his name to the list of record holders on this mythical mountain. And if anyone could do it, it’s Pete. He was a climbing specialist in his World Tour days and has since become one of the top gravel racers in the U.S. and the world. He has been a mainstay in the Lifetime Grand Prix and is a podium threat in just about every race he enters.
Pete set his sights high and entered the event with the goal of beating not only the current record but also the all-time record. In 2002, the all-time record of 49:24 was set by Tom Danielson. In 2022, however, the race organizers wiped the slate clean and reset the records after making changes to the road surface. Since then, Phil Gaimon has held the current record of 50:38.
Joining Pete at this event was fellow gravel racer — also a former World Tour pro — Ian Boswell. The two took the challenge on together but separately. Ultimately, it wasn’t Pete’s day. He says he held the record pace for 60% of the climb, but a nagging illness resulted in a bit of an off day. On Pete’s Instagram, he said, “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.”
Boswell, however, managed to finish in 50:18, twenty seconds ahead of the current/modern record held for the past few years by Gaimon. While Pete may not have claimed the record this time, his finishing time of 51:38 is nothing to scoff at. By my calculations, that works out to an average of ~1.5 feet per second and ~91 feet per minute. Say what???
Achieving such a feat involves lots of very intense and specific training. Pete reportedly even dropped his weight down to a very svelte 136 pounds — at 5’11”. But on top of training hard and dropping weight, Pete, along with his mechanic Big Tall Wayne, also created a very lightweight and climbing-specific bike to take on this challenge. They stripped his bike down to what he calls “a pure climbing apparatus.”
I’ve known Big Tall Wayne since he was in high school, working at the local bike shop in my old hometown. I reached out to him, and he put me in touch with Pete, who was happy to share a gallery of bike photos and some of the unique details that went into his Mt. Washington Hill Climb bike.
Pete’s Canyon Ultimate CFR – Hill Climb Edition
Pete told me, “Basically, Wayne and I dove into it with the goal of chopping weight wherever feasible while still maintaining sponsor obligations.” In the end, they created a unique bike that’s really only good at one thing, and that is going up hill as quickly as possible. And without any UCI restrictions, they didn’t need to adhere to the 14.99-pound (6.8 kg) minimum weight limit.
Pete is sponsored by Canyon, so he chose the brand’s lightest and most climbing-oriented frame, the Ultimate CFR.
He told me that he “decided touch points needed to stay the same.” That meant he kept the same saddle (vs. a superlight one with no padding) and the same shifter buttons because “I don’t want to think about shifting but rather keep it second nature.”
Aside from the hoods and shifters, however, they cut the drops off the handlebar and skipped the bar tape in an effort to shave precious grams.
Another weight-saving measure included drilling small holes into the aluminum derailleur hanger. They also chose to tape the Di2 battery to the chainstay, reducing weight compared to the standard internal hardware.
Pete stuck with 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, but opted for a single chainring. He didn’t specify, but it appears to be a 36-tooth ring, which makes sense for such a steep climb.
In a move that clearly shows this bike is intended to only go uphill, they removed the rear brake and brake rotor. Seeing a bike without a rear brake is a trip.
Lightweight Dura-Ace C36 wheels were clad with IRC Formula Pro Speed Edge 28c tires. They also opted for lightweight Robert Axle thru axles and lighter bolts wherever possible.
In the end, Pete and Wayne got the bike down to a very impressive 13.14 pounds (5.96 kg). It’s truly a one-of-a-kind build, and one that might even get used again. Pete told me, “I feel some unfinished business and will likely return now to right my wrongs.”
Until then, we wish Pete all the best for the rest of this race season, including the upcoming Gravel Worlds.
