Saris' Cogburn reclaims the title, and TWENTY24's Kulchinsky breaks the course record atop Mt. Washington.
April 12th is National Big Wind Day. On an afternoon in 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory, perched on the highest peak in the Northeastern US at 6,288.2 ft, recorded a linear (non-hurricanic) gust of 231 mph. On February 4th, 2023, the observatory recorded a record wind chill of -108.4F.
The Mt. Washington Auto Road opened in August 1861, over a century before the first official Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb rolled off. Constructed by hand, the road ascends more than 4,000 feet in elevation, ascending 7.6 miles from the base, with an average gradient of 11.8%, tipping to 22% in the final meters.
The epic hill climb’s intimidating pitch and iconic stature that marks the climber’s calendar in late August each year would justify the claim as “the toughest hillclimb in the US, if not the world.” It’s the unpredictability of the elements that cements its reputation. Racers never know what they will face from one kilometer to the next.
When Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24’s Kristen Kulchinsky and Team Saris’ Cameron Cogburn toed the line in 2023 in anticipation of the canon blast that would release their assault on the grueling ascent, the tropical valley weather belied the tempest brewing at the top.
The thousands of spectators and support that preceded the racers up the auto road to ensure a safe shuttle after the race reported hurricane-force winds that shook their cars, frigid temps, and snow that made the return trip treacherous.
The seasoned Mt. Washington veteran of over ten years with four victories between the Hillclimb (2 wins) and now defunct Newton’s Revenge (2 wins), Cogburn, who last raced in 2014, would have to wait another for a chance to take back the Strava KOM that Phil Gaimon took when he unceremoniously succumbed to the tape when winning in 2022. (If you know, you know! If not, check out Phil’s video.)
Cogburn’s Strava crown came before a long and steep stretch of gravel known as the “5-mile,” which was paved earlier in 2022.
For Kulchinsky, Mt. Washington’s unforgiving climate paused the debut of her real-world racing career. During the pandemic, she transitioned from spin to Zwift to become one of the most decorated female cycling esports athletes in the sport’s short history.
The reigning 2024 USA Cycling Esports National Champion and two-time UCI Cycling Esports World Championship top-ten finisher only clipped in for the first time a few months before.
Undeterred, the determined Kulchinsky, who jokingly described having to unclip during her first few rides to turn around, took the Northeast hill climb circuit by storm. Her barnstorming campaign saw victories and course records at every event she entered, including Mt. Greylock, Prospect Mountain, and the Allen Clark Hill Climb in 2023. She followed it up with similar stellar results in 2024 at the Hill Point Hill Climb, Crank the Kanc, Whiteface, and Ascutney.
Kulchinsky, a 42-year-old self-employed goldsmith from Long Island, NY, trains predominantly online and often enters cycling esports events, such as the MyWhoosh Sunday Race Club, in the hotel following the hill climbs.
A 38-year-old Research Scientist of Quantum Computation and Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from the Capital District of NY, Cogburn was a Zwift Beta-tester and races at the elite level on the platform. He trains primarily indoors during the off-season to take advantage of the efficiency and specificity, and his platform of choice is indieVelo.
“Returning to the rockpile and winning with a decent time felt like the consummation of the decision to return to bike training in 2023 after nearly a decade of pursuing different adventures,” he shared.
When Cogburn clipped the tape to thundering applause reverberating throughout the White Mountain’s natural amphitheater over five minutes before his next competitor with a blistering time of 52:01 (Cogburn’s KOM time is 50:14 and Gaimon’s is 50:03, the Strava segment is around 30 seconds shorter), Kulchinsky’s drama was unfolding a few kilometers below. (Cam’s Strava is here.)
Her hard, steady pace had distanced her rivals, but as she approached the terrifying 20+ percent pitches of the final kilometer with her quads on the verge of cramping, a loud pop shattered the reflective silence, and her worst nightmare had come true.
Tire sealant sprayed the tarmac, going into her mouth and stinging her eyes. With her face burning, a panicking Kulchinsky pleaded for the puncture to seal.
“All I kept thinking was, I have to finish before there’s no air left,” recalls Kulchinsky. After crossing the line, stunned, she could only say, “What just happened?”
She won the 51st edition of the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, eclipsing the time of Team Saris’ Courtney Nelson (1:09 in 2022), setting the course record in 1 hour and 6 minutes. (Kristen’s Strava is here, and the official results are here.)
“It surpassed every expectation,” says Kulchinsky. “It was more special, more epic, knowing that it would be my first race ever last year. With a year of experience, I could appreciate that everything about it was perfect.”
Kulchinsky is targeting the Zwift World Series, Zwift Games, and the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship live event final on MyWhoosh in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for October 26th. She finished in the top twenty at the semi-finals on September 6th to secure her spot on the finals stage.
She was racing these semi-finals from a hotel room in Massachusetts’ Berkshires that afternoon, making sure not to miss the action on Mt. Greylock the next morning, where her storybook journey began just one year ago.
Guess what? Kulchinsky broke the 14-year-old Mt. Greylock Hill Climb TT course record, finishing the 9.1 miles in 43:59 (over 14 minutes faster than her closest competitor), and Cogburn won for the men with a time of 38:17 (almost four minutes faster than the second place rider).
“And yeah,” confirms Kulchinsky, “I can’t wait to do it [Mt. Washington] again.”
And one more thing. The Mt. Washington Observatory reported its first measurable snow of the season on September 9th.
Listen to Kristen describe the nail biting last kilometers of the Mt. Washington wall with sealent stinging her face, her tire running out of air, and her quads siezing, when she joined Emma Martin and Chris for Episode 49 of the Virtual Velo Podcast!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
