On Saturday August 17, 2013 I will once again ride my bicycle up Mount Washington, a 7.6 mile all-uphill race to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States. The Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is the largest annual fundraiser for Tin Mountain Conservation Center. You can help me support a great environmental organization, Tin Mountain Conservation Center, which has provided environmental education to over 75,000 students, campers and individuals throughout schools and communities in Northern New Hampshire and western Maine for over 32 years.
Why do I ride? The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is a personal and spiritual journey for me. I'm forever dedicating my bike rides up the rock pile in memory of one of my best friends, Pete Roux, who was ice climbing in Huntington Ravine on Mount Washington and was tragically killed in an avalanche on January 18, 2008. This will be my fourth ride up in the last five years. In 2009, I completed the race in 1:30:42. 2010 was an off year for me and I did not race. In 2011, I took over seven minutes off my previous personal record and came very close to my time goal finishing in 1:23:06. In 2012, having turned forty that March and feeling like 40 was the new 20, I crushed it! I knew what I had to do mentally and physically and I exceeded my 1:18 time goal, finishing in 1:15:25. I had Finished Mount Washington in TOP NOTCH time and what an amazing feeling it was! This year I will hope to stay in the Elite Top Notch group and I have set a personal
time
goal of 1:18:08 or 1/18/08 as in the significance of the date. That's one hour eighteen minutes and eight seconds. The
seconds might be tough to nail down, so I'll go for within the
eighteenth minute.
So in closing, I ask of you, in memory of Pete, please help me support this great environmental organization, the Tin Mountain Conservation Center.
All the best,
Steve Jacques
Tin Mountain Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing education programs that foster greater awareness and understanding of the natural environment for school children, adults, and families. Since it was founded in 1980 by Barbara Rockwell Henry and David Henry in Jackson, NH, the Center has offered hands-on programs in the schools, at summer camps, and within communities throughout northern New Hampshire and western Maine. Each year Tin Mountain works with over 5,000 in public and private school, in addition to its homeschool programs. To see a sample of our work with students, click here.