2021 Mt Washington Hill Climb – Results

Mt. Washington was shrouded in clouds during the early morning hours of Saturday, August 21, 2021 when riders who were registered for the 48th Annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb (MWARBH) gathered in the field at the base of the Auto Road. The weather forecast was all over the place saying in and out of the clouds, possible showers, chance of thunderstorms, and, to top it off, Henri, a hurricane, was on the way to hit New England.

The base was hazy, hot and humid and the summit was in and out of the clouds as 196 of the 225 registered racers left the start in five waves to begin their 7.6 mile all uphill, one way ride to the 6,288 ft summit of Mt. Washington. At 51:58, Erik Levinshohn, 31 from Boston, MA crossed the finish line. Quickly following were John Jantz, 30 from Arlington MA at 54.08, David Talbott, 32 from New Canaan, CT at 54:52 and Philip Mason 35 from New Haven, CT at 58:47. Local racer, Darren Piotrow 23, from Jackson NH crossed in 1:00:02 putting him in fifth place overall.

Aimee Vasse, 43 from Black Hawk, CO, was the first female across the line at 1:13:22. In 2017 she set the record for the female 35-39 age group at 1:05:34. 2021 marks her sixth winning title for the Bicycle Hillclimb. Gabrielle Vandendries of Chestnut Hill, MA was the second woman across the line at 1:20:16 followed by Patricia Karter, 65 from Guilford, CT. At 1:27:52, Patricia also shattered the old record of 1:47:08 set in 2019 for the Female 65-69 age group. Patricia joined Lisa Antonelli of Pocatello, ID for the honors as the oldest women in the race, both age 65. Lisa is also the first racer from Idaho that we’ve had in the past 10 years.

“Coming off of last year when we had to cancel the race due to the pandemic, we weren’t sure what to expect this year,” stated Jotham Oliver, race director. “We missed the tent, the food and the awards that we’ve enjoyed in previous year, but we were thrilled to be able to offer the race at all in light of the increase of Covid cases due to the delta variant. Our hope is that next year will more closely resemble previous events as we begin planning and gear up for a big event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bicycle Hillclimb in 2023.”

Historically racers come from all over the United States, Canada and even the United Kingdom to participate in the MWARBH. Due to border restrictions, the Canadian contingent, which traditionally has been 6-10% of racers was absent and there were no international participants. Meg Skidmore returned to the area all the way from Ketchikan, Alaska to participate in the race. Even with a mechanical issue off the starting line, she finished in just over 2 hours at 2:02:52. She traveled the furthest for the race.

Riders passed a “ghost bike” at the 6,000 foot mark. It was placed there in honor of Dick Devellian, a big supporter of and participant in the MWARBH whose life was tragically cut short in a bicycle accident in 2020. The bike marked the location where while participating in the Hillclimb one year, Dick was blown off his bike into the krumholtz. Leo Devellian, 57 from Boxford, MA, rode in this year’s race to honor his father’s legacy finishing in 1:28:43.

Male Age Group: 19 and under

1. Simon Phipps, 16, Norwich, VT — 1:10:40

Female Age Group: 20-34

1. Gabrielle Vandendries, 22, Chestnut Hill, MA — 1:20:58
2. Hannah Henley, 33, Tully, NY — 1:36:28
3. Liza Jacobsen, 28 — 2:16:21

Male Age Group: 20–34

1. Erik Levinsohn, 31, Boston, MA — 51:58
2. John Jantz, 30, Arlington, MA — 54:08
3. David Talbott, 32, New Canaan, CT — 54:52

Female Age Group: 35-39

1. Jennifer Murphy, 39, Nottingham, NH — 1:39:52
2. Emily Lafferty, 36, Kensington, NH — 1:44:42
3. Meg Skidmore, 37, Ketchikan, AK — 2:02:45

Male Age Group: 35-39

1. Philip Mason, 35, New Haven, CT — 58:47
2. Weston Lane, 38, Arlington, MA — 1:08:06
3. Julien Dugal-Tessier, 39, Belmont, MA — 1:12:41

Female Age Group: 40-44

1. Amiee Vasse, 43, Black Hawk, CO — 1:13:22
2. Tara Kenny, 43, Cambridge, MA — 1:52:16
3. Michelle Clarke, 41, Medford, MA — 1:57:22

Male Age Group: 40-44

1. Nate Kemp, 44, Concord, MA — 1:05:02
2. Derek McIntire, 40, Dorchester Center, MA — 1:06:41
3. John Peterson, 41, North Easton, MA — 1:08:05

Female Age Group: 45-49

1. Julie Smith, 48, Boston, MA — 1:28:59
2. Lydia Mathger, 46, Norwich, VT — 1:30.53
3. Ellen Jankowski, 48, Portland, ME — 1:36:12

Male Age Group: 45-49

1. Tiothy Ahern, 47, Woodstock, CT — 1:02:33
2. Andrew Choen, 47, Lexington, MA — 1:05:41
3. Gregory Bartick, 49, Gorham, ME — 1:09:20

Female Age Group: 50-54

1. Katrina Niez, 50, Woodbury, CT — 1:31:46

Male Age Group: 50-54

1. Derek Sawyer, 50, Falmouth, ME — 1:10:45
2. Charles Coldwell, 52, Belmont, MA — 1:12:11
3. Ulandt Kim, 53, Somerville, MA — 1:12:33

Female Age Group: 55-59

1. Johanna Lawrence, 58, Bedford, NH — 1:34:44
2. Susan Blickstein, 55, New Paltz, NY — 1:43:31

Male Age Group: 55-59

1. Erik Vandendries, 56, Chestnut Hill, MA — 1:12:10
2. Peter Higgins, 55, Woburn, MA — 1:13:26
3. Bruce McDonald, 56, Buckland, MA — 1:17:19

Male Age Group: 60-64

1. Michael Johnson, 60, Honesdale, PA — 1:17:57
2. Andrew Sawyer, 61, Winchester, MA — 1:19:53
3. Tom Keane, 61, Somerville, MA — 1:20:36

Female Age Group: 65-69

1. Patricia Karter, 65, Guilford, CT — 1:27:52 (new record)
2. Lisa Antonelli, 65, Pocatello, ID — 2:53:05

Male Age Group: 65-69

1. Mark Virello, 66, Boston, MA — 1:21:56
2. Chris Armen, 68, Hartford, CT — 1:35:07
3. Peter Sloom, 68, Gardner, MA — 1:38:58

Male Age Group: 70-74

1. Michael McCusker, 72, Shelburne Falls, MA — 1:29:50
2. Hank Schiffman, 72, New York City, NY — 1:43:55
3. Richard Gagnon, 72 — 2:10:38

Plans are already underway for the 49th anniversary in 2022 and the 50th anniversary in 2023. For the 50th, the goal is to have at least one rider from each of the 50 states. Thank you to all the riders, racers, supporters, drivers and volunteers, without whom this event would not be possible. See you next year!