Riding Cornelius Pass from Skyline to Hwy 30

[lynnef]

back in the day (early 90's), I rode it fairly often. Then the road was re-done, traffic picked up, and I haven't been back since. Have any of you ridden it? Thoughts on the traffic density? Are there shoulders?

[Simple Nature]

Given a choice between Cornelius Pass and Germantown... I'd take corn pass. Traffic will hound you but they really can't do anything about it. Still has a few hairpins and limited spots to pull over to let traffic pass. I'd rather be flying down the hill than climbing it.

[lynnef]

I've ridden most of the climbs up from Hwy 30 over the years; Cornelius Pass is the least steep. Just wondering if I care to

1) venture on it again and
2) take friends, who maybe won't want to kill me once they've survived...

The last time I rode Cornelius Pass down from Skyline to West Union, a big truck sat right behind me and laid on the horn. I had nowhere to go.

It is the major truck route over the hills.

[wsbob]

It's been years since I've ridden Cornelius Pass to Hwy 30. It's the fast way down. That's about the only positive thing I can say about the road in terms of its suitability for riding. Motor vehicle traffic on the road is mad-crazy, and there's a lot of it because it's a major route, in fact, a truck route, I think. I seem to recall it has some marginal shoulders. I would consider taking only the toughest most road savvy riders down it. The road isn't even very scenic.

Germantown Rd would be my preference. A 20-25mph rd, it's a beautiful ride, though the hairpin turns and generally narrow road, minimal if any shoulders pose some hazard to people biking, what with nitwit people driving that seem to feel obliged to try defy the natural slowing of the roads curves, disregarding basic caution to try gain some time by passing. Germantown has a few places to pull off to let the anxious drivers move on. That's what I've done in past. Years back at least, traffic was light. The tight turns and almost no straightaways, I think make it a road people driving don't want to fuss with.

I've climbed both roads when fit. Germantown is my preference for climbing. Again, though they don't really want to go slow, the road more or less forces motor vehicle traffic to go slow or reduce their speed upon coming up behind a bike or bikes. You might have to pull off for 15-20 seconds to let them pass, but with a climb like this, that's not such a bad thing.

[Simple Nature]

I guess my biggest concern on Germantown is reaction time. Seems I have the most issues with BMW's and Audi's when it comes to impatient drivers, and they see Germantown as a challenge. When they see my low slung wide trike as they just pulled maximum G's in the hairpin, someone is going over the edge. And for my safety, I ride to the middle on a right turning curve just to remain visible further back rather than hug the fogline. Although WSBOB is right, Cornelius Pass is the primary commerce route, at least it doesn't have as many blind corners.

Anyone have an opinion on Newberry Rd or McNamee as an alternative to the two?

[wsbob]

Originally Posted by Simple Nature

I guess my biggest concern on Germantown is reaction time. Seems I have the most issues with BMW's and Audi's when it comes to impatient drivers, and they see Germantown as a challenge. When they see my low slung wide trike as they just pulled maximum G's in the hairpin, someone is going over the edge. And for my safety, I ride to the middle on a right turning curve just to remain visible further back rather than hug the fogline. Although WSBOB is right, Cornelius Pass is the primary commerce route, at least it doesn't have as many blind corners.

Anyone have an opinion on Newberry Rd or McNamee as an alternative to the two?

It's true that performance drivers may be among the hazards a person riding Germantown might encounter.

I thought about mentioning earlier, Newberry Rd or McNamee, but in all the times I've ridden Skyline, I never dropped down on either of them. From comments in past from other people, I seem to recall reading that McNamee is steep. Also, that it may not be paved, at least not all the way, so it may not work well for road bike tires. Still, their being lesser used roads may make for a nicer route.

Checking the Washington County Bike Map, Newberry looks to be very steep.