August 11, 2004: Nearly two decades ago, an obscure hill in New York's Ontario County put local racers through hell. Years later, the same hill was revisited by considerably more prominent riders.

A single rider waited by the side of the road. In retrospect, this wasn't terribly surprising, as Bristol Center was well out of the way for most riders of the Genesee Valley Cycling Club. My own summer job at Lakelands Concrete had kept me away from the Thursday night races at Pittsford, Valentown, Chili and Webster for the past 2 years for the very same reason.

I joined the other rider, and it soon became obvious that the two of us constituted the "pack." This certainly hadn't been the first time I drove out to a race, only to find the event cancelled, and traditionally the "stranded" riders often rode the course, lest they get nothing out of their drive time.

For once, the distance to the event was hardly an issue. I had just returned from my sophomore year at Nazareth College, and my parent's house was within 5 mile of the start/finish line on County Road 32. By my companion had driven down for the suburbs, and he was understandably anxious to put some miles on the bike. I quickly joined him on his venture.

The course was reasonably straightforward, and it had the enormous benefit of not suffering from a deluge of motor vehicles, a problem that plagued race organizers even then. We rode clockwise around the course, riding west and then north, to Route 20a. A 90 degree curve to the right and quick descent brought us to 20a (near the Wizard of Clay pottery store). We turned right on to 20a, and hit 40 miles an hour on the descent, before turning right (again) when we reached South Hill Road.

We climbed gradually as we made our way back to County Road 32 to complete our first circuit. But that country road's undulations were trivial compared with the monster that faced us when we reached Fletcher Corners.

My family moved to Honeoye in 1983, and we had lived in the area for the past 5 years. But I was unfamiliar with this particular road, and I was about to pay for my ignorance. What we saw as we rounded the corner was a veritable wall of asphalt. Although I had worked out over the winter, and I had hundreds of fast miles in my legs, the relatively flat roads around Pittsford were poor preparation for this kind of climb. I struggled to reach the top of the hill the first time, and if I managed to make several circuits, it was only through the urging and kindness of my erstwhile companion, who stayed with me the entire time.

The Old GVCC course.

After an additional month of training, I had my climber's legs back, but I was determined that I should not befall the same fate in the 1989 season.

County Road 32 became the focus of my training in '89. I would usually follow Allen's Hill Road north to Routes 5 & 20 in Bloomfield, then it was East on 5 & 20 to Route 64. Route 64 brought me south to the charming hamlet of Bristol Center, where I would turn on to County Road 32. I quickly learned that the old GVCC course actually omitted the first portion of the climb, a relatively "gentle" step that rises some 200 feet in half a mile. The road then flattens out, and there is a brief respite before Fletcher Corners.

It is at this point that the road kicks up, reaching a 10% plus grade, before "levelling" into a steady climb. The second part of the ascent rises over 200 feet in half a mile, before gradually tapering off. The base of the hill rests at 890 feet, while the peak tops out at 1490 feet. The distance between the two is 2 miles, but the short flat means that most of the 600 feet of climbing really occurs in roughly 1.5 miles.

There are certainly far more challenging climbs in the area: Jersey and Burch hills have steeper gradients, as does the infamous Bopple Road (+20%!). Gannett Hill Road rises some 700 feet in 1.2 miles, and Springwater's East Street is considerably tougher.

What County Road 32 does offer is a challenging climb on a well-paved road with easy access to 2 state roads and ample parking at the Bristol Mountain ski center.

In recent years, the Bristol Hills have seen the return of road cyclists by the hundreds. The Bristol Highlander bike tour, held every September, continues to gain popularity, and the more masochistic riders get the thrill of descending county road 32.

Equally heartening is the resurgence of bicycle racing, and unless I'm mistaken, County Road 34 plays a pivotal role in the USCF Bristol Road Race, which featured Navigator's pro Marty Nothstein in it's 2004 edition. The race now occupies a prominent position in the Maxxis Cup Regional Cycling Series, which should (hopefully) ensure the event's longevity.

It's refreshing to create a page celebrating a relatively new event, for a change. I hope to tackle County Road 32 again (for the first time since 1989) next year.

The Pittsburgh-based Kraynic Cycling Team has posted a number of photographs from the 2004 Bristol Road Race on their web site. There are literally dozens more available at the Bike Crazie web site. A number of the photographs give a good impression of the hill's rather nasty grade.

Where to stay and what to do

The Bristol Highlander and Bristol Road Race are based out of Bristol Mountain, which is off route 64. The ski center is about 15-20 minutes from Canandaigua, and 30-40 minutes from the Rochester Area. The Acorn Inn, located in Bristol Center, would be an ideal (albeit pricey) place to stay, as Bristol Center is just a couple of miles from the ski resort.

Canandaigua has a number of hotels and b & bs, and of course, there's Rochester.

In my case, I'll just stay at the House of Jordan (hey, I'll need all of the help I can get!).

This is wine country, and you're within 30 miles of a number of wineries producing excellent gemanic style wines. The Victorian town of Naples, home of the Widmer Winery, lies a few miles to the south of Bristol Mountain. There are numerous places to tour, dine and shop throughout the region.

For more information on climbs in the western Finger Lakes region, including a full topographical overview of County Road 32, click here.

For more on older races in upstate New York, click here.