Pittsburgh's Drity Dozen

Before I moved here, I asked Alex about the biking terrain out here in Picks-burgh; he likened it to San Francisco, CA.  Over the past few weeks I have started to see some of the larger hill, but it was not until today did it all start to click.  Today you see was the Dirty Dozen ride.  Bikers, ranging from novice to professional, head out to conquer some of the biggest hills in the city.  While over the years the ride has gotten easier (lower gears on bikes, some of the roads being converted from cobblestones to asphalt), it still continues to kick butts ever year!!

The video is 30 minutes long, but just click through the bottom to get a glimpse of some of the killer hills these people have to climb.

As you can see the riders are ALL OVER Pittsburgh ... 

think the 50 States Ride, but with 13 killer hills

Feeling brave, click here for a cue sheet

The race includes the steepest hill in the world, Canton Ave, which has a 37% gradient.  Walking up the hill was a challenge ... I could not imagine what it would be like to have to ride my bike up it.  While the weather was nice on Saturday, there have been some years that the hills were covered in snow.