Fey finishes

on top at Mt. Washington

By Ron P. Coderre

If you’ve ever pedaled a bicycle up Hospital Hill in Putnam you know what an excruciating task that can be.  Now picture that climb, in the middle of March say, with the temperature around zero and the wind howling at 40 miles per hour.  Sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it?

On Aug. 16 more than 500 bicyclists attempted the climb up Mount Washington in New Hampshire under similar conditions.  Now think of this, the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is 7.6 miles and rises more than 4,600 vertical feet with a grade that averages nearly 12 per cent.  Makes Hospital Hill seem like an ant hill in comparison.

Putnam’s Martin Fey, who’s now 60 years old, accomplished this remarkable feat in a time of one hour, 17 minutes and 16 seconds.  By the time he reached the top of the mount named after the Father of our country, George Washington, the thermometer was near freezing and the winds were slightly more than 40 miles per hour.  Fey was the 91st rider in the huge contingent to cross the finish line.  

The most amazing part of Fey’s journey was that he covered the distance at the rate of 5.9 miles per hour, which placed him as the Number One finisher in the 60 to 64 age group.  Quite an accomplishment for a married man with a 2-year-old son and fulltime employment.  His winning time was nearly a full four minutes faster than his nearest competitor.

“Winning my division was a complete surprise because I thought I was real slow.  This race is for the serious bicyclist and competitors come to this event from across the country and around the world.  Considering the conditions I’d have to think that everyone’s times were a bit off from previous years when the conditions were more ideal,” said Fey who was greeted at the top by his wife Delia and his son Mark.

Once the cyclists begin the climb to the top they can’t stop because there isn’t anyone along the way.  Arguably this is the toughest climb in the country, making Fey’s accomplishment even more remarkable.

“By the time I finished my hands were frozen and I was close to hypothermic.  Seeing my wife and son was a pleasant sight to behold.  It was great to have my family’s support,” said Fey.

In preparing for this race, which was his third on a bicycle, he’s run it 11 times, Fey trains by taking what he describes as “hard rides.”  Although he can’t simulate Mount Washington, he does ride some of the biggest hills in the region including Mount Wachusett in Massachusetts.  Another factor in the training is that at nearly 5,000 feet the Mount Washington air is very thin, depleting a person’s oxygen supply quickly.

Fey has modified his bicycle, a “Specialized Tarmac,” that has 20 speeds and is equipped with gears adaptable for climbing mountains.

As for next year, Fey’s response was, “I’ll be going back.  I have a reason now that I’ve won my age division.  I guess I have to defend my crown,” he concluded after taking a deep breath.

Pedal Pushers: Northeastern Connecticut was well represented in the Hill Climb as approximately 20 bicycling enthusiasts represented our area…Martin Fey’s 91st place finish ranked him fourth overall among the locals…The area’s top finisher was Tim Ahearn, 39, of Woodstock.  He finished sixth overall, less than three minutes behind the winner.  Ahearn’s time was a remarkable 55:48 and good for third place in his age division…Elizabeth Bove, 43, of Woodstock was the top local female.  She finished 183rd overall and second in the 40 to 44 female age division in a time of 1:26:12…Elizabeth’s husband, Dan Bove finished right behind Fey in 94th place with a time of 1:17:32…The popular Dennis Kelly of Kelly’s Tire in Putnam placed 113th in a time of 1:19:44.  He was 9th in the 55 to 59 bracket…Mark Luzio of Brooklyn finished 7th in the same age bracket.  His time 1:16:43…Anson Ross, 23, of Plainfield finished 50th overall in 1:12:39…Another Brooklyn resident, 38-year-old Gary Gluck posted a time of 1:20:38 and finished121st overall…Michael St. Lawrence of Thompson had a good run, finishing in 1:23:06…Former Putnam resident 56-year-old Bill Provost, who currently lives in Groton, Mass., posted a time of 1:25:38…Doug Couture and Chuck Couture (Remember him from Bill’s Bread and Breakfast?) of Woodstock were very competitive.  Doug, 40, finished in 1:27:42 and Chuck crossed in 1:32:49…Paul Humphreys of Brooklyn had a time of 1:31:30, while Jeff Arends also of Brooklyn came in at 1:37:04…Cary Bentley, 34, of Woodstock finished in 1:39:28.  Does he train at Body By Design?...Another Brooklynite, Ryan Zach had a time of 1:40:06…Mark Dupuis represented Danielson and finished in 1:45:55, while another Danielson resident Kevin Mahan posted a 2:09:30…Dr. Kevin Reagan, who recently ran in the Deary Memorial Road Race, got on his bike and made it to the top of the mount in 2:32:05.  And there were quite a few bicyclist still trailing behind him…Congratulations to all the men and women from the Northeastern Corner of Connecticut for representing us so valiantly.