SpazCyclingNews presents:
Top Rides: Route de Petite Roche
The recent Tour of Missouri opened up the eyes of the cycling public to the richness of riding in a region that, until now, had gone largely unnoticed. With that in mind, we set out to ride one of the many epic climbs packed into the St. Louis area.
Passed over by race organizers for the inaugural Tour of Missouri, the Route de Petite Roche (Little Rock Rd as the natives call it) provides a daunting challenge for the average five year old child. Nestled away amongst the bustling I-55 and Butler Hill interchange the Petite Roche provides an oasis amongst the fast food restaurants, strip mall and nondescript neighborhoods.
Some friendly locals helped provide me with directions to the Petite Roche. They suggested starting the ride in a nearby parking lot. With cars that filled the parking lot, this clearly was the place to begin our journey.
Questioning the local residents knowledge about where to start the ride paid off as I was provided with nearly 400 ft of warm up before beginning the challenge that lay ahead of me. From the parking lot, I weaved my way through the Hardee's, Waffle House and gas station. A left turn along the shoulder of Butler Hill and the then another quick left brought me to the true start of my journey.
Once you reach the gas station, you see the sign indicating the start of Petite Roche. This is a part of Missouri with a rich archaeological history. Apparently, the mighty brontosaurus once roamed these areas.
Almost immediately, the road tilts upward. After a mere 200ft of the climb you have ascended 4ft.
A road veers off to the left but don't let the excitement overcome you. You haven't crested this monster quite so quickly. Much like the Col de Telegraphe precedes the Col du Galibier, this is a double climb eager to dish out a second round of punishment.
During the long descent of 37 ft, soaring rocky cliffs line the right hand side of the road and help to distract you from the muscle-tearing climb that awaits you.
A strange thing happens on epic roads such as this. No matter how many cars are at the base, once you start climbing everyone spreads out across the length of the road leaving the road amazingly clear of other cyclists. You are left to enjoy the wonder of this road in serene loneliness. It is you against the hill and the hill gives no quarter.
What goes down, must go up. As mentioned earlier, this is a two-tiered climb. The first half only serves to soften the legs as the main portion of the climb begins. The grade kicks up sharply, making you shift to the middle of the cassette.
With a dig of determination and you find your way past the steepest section as the road begins to level out in the thin air at 564 ft. Off to the left sits a tiny chapel atop the mountain that serves as a milestone to the many riders that scale these heights
Ride around toward the back of the chapel and you are greeted with views of the valley below that take your breath away.
After a few minutes of gathering your composure it is time to begin the descent back into town, satisfied with a job well done. This is a mountain summit that leads to nowhere. Once you reach the top you must return along the same roads you just climbed.
A minute long climb followed by a blazing descent, makes a man work up a big hunger. In typical Spaz fashion, you always need to restore the body's energy supplies after a hard ride like today. I stopped at the Taco Bell and filled up on delicious meats and condiments.
Top Rides: Route de Petite Roche
The recent Tour of Missouri opened up the eyes of the cycling public to the richness of riding in a region that, until now, had gone largely unnoticed. With that in mind, we set out to ride one of the many epic climbs packed into the St. Louis area.
Passed over by race organizers for the inaugural Tour of Missouri, the Route de Petite Roche (Little Rock Rd as the natives call it) provides a daunting challenge for the average five year old child. Nestled away amongst the bustling I-55 and Butler Hill interchange the Petite Roche provides an oasis amongst the fast food restaurants, strip mall and nondescript neighborhoods.
Some friendly locals helped provide me with directions to the Petite Roche. They suggested starting the ride in a nearby parking lot. With cars that filled the parking lot, this clearly was the place to begin our journey.
Questioning the local residents knowledge about where to start the ride paid off as I was provided with nearly 400 ft of warm up before beginning the challenge that lay ahead of me. From the parking lot, I weaved my way through the Hardee's, Waffle House and gas station. A left turn along the shoulder of Butler Hill and the then another quick left brought me to the true start of my journey.
Once you reach the gas station, you see the sign indicating the start of Petite Roche. This is a part of Missouri with a rich archaeological history. Apparently, the mighty brontosaurus once roamed these areas.
Almost immediately, the road tilts upward. After a mere 200ft of the climb you have ascended 4ft.
A road veers off to the left but don't let the excitement overcome you. You haven't crested this monster quite so quickly. Much like the Col de Telegraphe precedes the Col du Galibier, this is a double climb eager to dish out a second round of punishment.
During the long descent of 37 ft, soaring rocky cliffs line the right hand side of the road and help to distract you from the muscle-tearing climb that awaits you.
A strange thing happens on epic roads such as this. No matter how many cars are at the base, once you start climbing everyone spreads out across the length of the road leaving the road amazingly clear of other cyclists. You are left to enjoy the wonder of this road in serene loneliness. It is you against the hill and the hill gives no quarter.
What goes down, must go up. As mentioned earlier, this is a two-tiered climb. The first half only serves to soften the legs as the main portion of the climb begins. The grade kicks up sharply, making you shift to the middle of the cassette.
With a dig of determination and you find your way past the steepest section as the road begins to level out in the thin air at 564 ft. Off to the left sits a tiny chapel atop the mountain that serves as a milestone to the many riders that scale these heights
Ride around toward the back of the chapel and you are greeted with views of the valley below that take your breath away.
After a few minutes of gathering your composure it is time to begin the descent back into town, satisfied with a job well done. This is a mountain summit that leads to nowhere. Once you reach the top you must return along the same roads you just climbed.
A minute long climb followed by a blazing descent, makes a man work up a big hunger. In typical Spaz fashion, you always need to restore the body's energy supplies after a hard ride like today. I stopped at the Taco Bell and filled up on delicious meats and condiments.
4 Comments:
genius!
Jim -- your words and pictures nail precisely why I had difficulty staying motivated after returning from France!
Thanks Patrice
Correct, Ted. I really do like the riding around here and find areas to be very pretty. You can't help but feel a little letdown though, after riding through the mountains. As nice as the Pyrenees are, I think the Alps are prettier. More dramatic. And the Dolomites... another step above the French Alps. Just amazing.
Did you really drive there? Don't you live maybe a mile away from that place?
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