Wow, that sounds bad but also like a lot of fun....as long as you weren't trying to make time.

I have to say though that none of that could compare with any of the massively awesome South Florida roads I ride each day [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

My nastiest, and this probably doesn't even compare, was Deals Gap.

Tom

 

this ****er

easy smeesy turn....... turned nasty bitch.

 

The nastiest turn I've ever ridden on had pretty much all the items you described:

narrow road
uphill
off camber
gravel
crest that blocks your vision of any of the above until you're in it.

But the added bonus was the gravel. There wasn't just a half inch of gravel on the road, there was a half inch of gravel that wasn't there when I rode the corner 2 hours previously.

Apparently while I was off on my ride in the Vermont countryside (this was many years ago) the gravel fairies visited the corner, dropped their load, and vanished.

And yes. I crashed.

 

There is one spot not far from my house on a narrow blacktop that I have yet to master (of course, I only venture back there a few times per season), despite them recently repaving it.

Here's the scoop:

The road turns very sharply to the right, and uphill slightly. At the top of the crest is a railroad track with that sort of rubbery section surrounding the rails (a tad slippery). Once you're on the tracks, the road turns sharply to the left and slightly downhill. I think the turns are posted for 30 MPH, and there is always a bit of gravel on the surface from vehicles kicking it out.

I rode it this past weekend thinking that it would be better than it had been since the asphalt was a bit crumbly in the past, and headed into the right-hand corner doing about 40. Then I noticed the rubbery "pad" on the tracks (which wasn't there before), and you have to start to turn left immediately at the point of the crest where the "pad" is. Did I mention that the rubber thingy was slippery? I thought I felt the rear step out a tad, corrected, and found myself headed for the ditch (which is full of nasty brush). So I grabbed a tiny bit of brake and just managed to hug the white line on the edge of the road and made it through. A glance at the speedo said 30, and I'm just not sure you could push it much further on a bike.

The ol' sphincter was pretty tight there for a second. I should really ride the section over and over until it's my bitch.

 

There is one on Rt. 2 in western Mass that is on a 45 mile an hour road. There are a bunch of warnings that start over 3000 feet ahead of it, and the speed limit goes to about 10 at the turn. It is downhill, a 180 degree U-turn basically, and if you go to fast then you drive off a mountain. Never done it on the bike.

 

SaintDuc:

Nasty turn...
I know that route; driven it many times but never ridden on a bike...

But how about that ocean view at the end of Jalama Road? [clap]

 

There is one on Rt. 2 in western Mass that is on a 45 mile an hour road. There are a bunch of warnings that start over 3000 feet ahead of it, and the speed limit goes to about 10 at the turn. It is downhill, a 180 degree U-turn basically, and if you go to fast then you drive off a mountain. Never done it on the bike.

Yep, done that one. You forgot the gawkers on the Mohawk trail during leaf peeping add to the fun.

David B.

 

SaintDuc:

But how about that ocean view at the end of Jalama Road? [clap]

Oh. My. God. I had one of those "this is why I ride" moments. I had no idea how far into the road I was when I started the climb to the top of a hill. When I reached the top I my jawed dropped. It literally took my breath away. I just pulled the clutch and let everything go silent. Just amazing. It was at that time during the start of the sunset that photographers call "the golden hour." The ocean was glass smooth and the light was bouncing off of it in sheets instead of little sparkles. The hills were red with the light pouring out of the pink and orange sky. No clouds over the water but a beautiful light grey covered the tops of the hills. And the cherry on top of that sundae was the silver amtrak track (completely lit up shining from the setting sun) that was below me and slowly working its way along the coast. Words can't do it justice. Just stunning.

:angel: duc

 

w/out pics............ it did not happen

 

#4 @ Willowsprings

Those that have enjoyed some XC time just past this turn know the feeling. [laugh]

 

71 Northbound exit ramp off I-270, East Bound

Why?

 

South Mountain Park here in Phoenix has a bad one. The turn is a right hand hair-pin. The inside of the turn hugs a hillside and is completely blind. The outside of the turn has what used to be a guardrail until a car took it out. The other side of the guardrail is a huge drop off. The turn is a reducing radius and always has sand near the exit. The first time I took this corner I came in and of course had to crank it in more as the radius tightened up. Then I saw sand. Had a bit of a moment but came out OK. I now pay my respects to that corner by taking it nice and slow.

 

w/out pics............ it did not happen

+1

 

King's Mountain Road in Woodside, CA has plenty of those twisting camber, 270 degree, light changing, gravel infested, blind corners enticing one to unintended suicide. Then when you get to the top you can cross over Skyline Blvd and go down Tunitas Creek Drive for more. Add to that- dodging bicyclists, and any variety of 4 wheeled ninny-hammers. These roads are barely wide enough for one vehicle in places and have so many tar patches it feels like riding on cobblestones. I used to slide my Datsun pickup truck around those corners when I was much more of an idiot than I am now. Well, maybe not MUCH more.

 

Latigo Canyon has an innocuous looking little lefthander, tightens up in the middle, with a nice paved culvert at the exit to draw your attention (and thus, your path).

Lockwood Valley Road has at least one dropaway righthander that dumps you into a water/sand crossing, which is still bending right, and continues right as you come up out of the crossing.
So if you blow the entry, you're pretty well screwed.

Lake Hughes Road (I think) has a fast ~80mph downhill right sweeper, rolls offcamber just after entry, and there's some sort of wacky visual cues that entice you into waiting too long to turn in.
I've railed through that twice, about 6" inside the DY, wondering WTF I did wrong.

 

Fillmore can attest to this one as well.

Some lonely ass two lane bumpy-ish road on the way to Angel Fire, NM - Rte 76, if I'm not mistaken.

Downhill into a decreasing radius, off camber, right hander that heads back uphill. Add about a 4 foot pothole on the apex of the turn. And the first time you hit that turn, coming in a little too hot...well, it's not pretty :-[

 

Any turn you're forced to take while the road is still straight - like the one that put me under a Chevy.

Now for a more interesting question: The nastiest trick you've ever turned...

 

Any of the decreasing radius corkscrew hairpins on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. If you crash, you either slide into a mountain face or off a cliff into the ocean.

 

Hwy 131...backside of St. Helens. Don't remember which one...there was a few nasty one...luckily I was taking it easy.

Heavy forested so you are in and out of sunlight constantly which makes it hard to see, damp with wet leaves stuck to the ground, random gravel (but not too bad), and tiny landslides all along the road which have been paved over kind of half-ass (read large bump down then back up as you go through the slide portion).

No cops though...and fun! [thumbsup]

 

nasty set of turns where i ate it is route 146 in branford connecticut bad ass rte lots of twisties and when you least expect it no signs no warnings hard hard right hand 90* to an immediate left hand 140-160* or so turn. If you miss the right hand 90 you slam directly into a stone wall that is a rail road support ochie, i thankfully didnt hit the wall head on but i slid into it after hitting gravel, oh yeah forgot to mention that its close to the shore sand and gravel are present on parts of this rte nice i think so [thumbsup]

 

Exit 6a, Highway 295 in Portland, ME.

Decreasing radius offramp. I usually take it around 55, no drama.

One day there was massive diesel fuel spill from the top of the ramp all the way past the delayed apex that made me slide both tires... from about 2/3 from the top of the ramp there was about a half-inch of sand or kitty litter that had been pushed around and down all over the ramp past the apex.

I really don't know how I didn't bite it, but somehow...

 

I fell on the nastiest turn I have encountered ... at least that is my definition :-X

 

I fell on the nastiest turn I have encountered ... at least that is my definition :-X

lol, ditto that...and I have yet to return out of either fear of the turn or fear of more embarrassment ;D

 

Lockwood Valley Road has at least one dropaway righthander that dumps you into a water/sand crossing, which is still bending right, and continues right as you come up out of the crossing.
So if you blow the entry, you're pretty well screwed.

+1 this is a nastie little bugger and many people would crash here on group rides if the experienced ride leaders didn't take the time to flag you down going into the corner.

Don't forget the 33 on the way there, there is a left coming out of the tunnel that perpetually has water coming across it which grows slime on the road. The water it self ranges from this wet slime to seval inches deep. Plus you can't see anything coming out of that dark tunnel until it is too late.

 

Damn. I shouda had my camera tonight. I was on the nastiest turn I know on my bicycle. Some of you Balto area guys may know it since its 1/2 mile from Speeds Cycle. Its the left turn off Levering onto Lawyers Hill. It's 10x worse if your coming down Laywers Hill to make a right onto Levering because your literally comming down a 10% or steeper grade into thei tightest 180 deg hairpin you've ever seen. The only way i can get around it is to brake hard after a 90 bend and trail brake the rear brake around the corner. Any touch of front brake could put you down, its that tight. I'll get a picture soon. Its nasty!