Tour de Peace - Advanced - Hill Ride!

Fr. Michael will lead this advanced ride, climbing some of the gnarliest hill in Pittsburgh! This will be a group ride. Since riders will be climbing the hills at different paces, we will stop at the top of each hill, waiting for everyone to catch up and reform the group before moving on to the next hill. Giving credit where it is due, this ride is a slight modification of a ride created by Chris from Thick Bikes in the South Side that he named “Tour de South Side.” It is a tour of the South Side slopes, with the inclusion of one hill on Mt. Washington. This ride includes 3 hills ridden in the infamous Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen bike race, as well as two other hill that are equally difficult. If you have never ridden any of these hill, please attempt one or two prior to signing up! They are monstrous climbs with average grades of 11 - 15% with some sections over 20%.  The ride is 11.5 miles long, with 1,800 ft of climbing. It will be about 1 1/2 hours long, including the stops at the top of every hill.   

START- Mary, Queen of Peace Administration Center - 81 S. 13th St. Pittsburgh, PA 15203

• Start at the parking lot at 81 S. 13th St. Pittsburgh, PA 15203.
• Turn right on 13th street across Carson.
• Make first left in Bingham St.
• Go around the Southside Market House and continue on Bingham until it ends near Station Square
• Turn Right on Carson and a quick hard left up Arlington Avenue.

HILL #1

• Take Arlington Ave for a short distance and make a right and start up East Sycamore Street.
• At the top of Sycamore turn right on Wyoming which is bumpy cobblestones but very short.

Stop at St. Mary of the Mount Church to experience it's beauty and offer any personal prayer

Down

• At the top of Wyoming Street turn left on Grandview and catch your breath while admiring a grand view.

• Take your first right and fly down PJ Mcardle road. Stop at the light for the liberty tunnel, then cross in front of the tubes, cross Arlington Avenue and continue down PJ Mcardle Roadway.
• At the bottom of PJ Mcardle go right on 10th street and left on Freyburg Street.
• Take Freyburg over two blocks

HILL #2 -

• Turn right up 12th street.
• 12th street is the first part of the second hill section as it crosses above the railroad tracks and meets Brosville and Welsh Way.
• Turn right up Welsh Way which dead ends in a parking lot at the top.

Down

• Go back down Welsh Way to Brosville

HILL #3

• Turn right up Brosville
• Where Brosville meets Pius Street keep to the right and stay on Brosville.
• Take a left up Monastery Street.
• Take your first right up a really steep hill called St Thomas Street.
• Take your third right up East Warrington Ave.
• Take your first left onto Mt. Oliver Street and realize you are at the top again.

Down

• Turn left down 18th street at the Sunoco.
• Towards the bottom of 18th Street apply brakes and make a hard right on to Josephine Street.

HILL #4

• Take your second right turn up Greely Street.
• Near the top of Greely take a left turn onto a street called Gomer Street that zig zags up to Mission Street.
• Cross Mission Street and pedal up the killer Sterling Street all the way up to Wellington.
• Turn Left on Wellington and cross over to Eleanor Street.
• Turn right and go up Eleanor all the way to the top.
• Turn left on Arlington Avenue. Try and breathe.

Down 

• Follow Arlington a short distance and turn left on Josephine for nice downhill.
• Use brakes and switch gears at the bottom because you need to immediately turn at the bottom

HILL #5

• Left and go up Barry St
• Barry goes up for a while until eventually you may or may not realize that you are going the wrong way on a one way street and the name has changed to Holt Street.
• From Holt turn left and go up Eleanor St.
• Turn right on Salisbury St and go up a slightly easier hill past the Arlington Playground.

Down

• Turn Left on Fernleaf St and go a block or two.
• Turn right down an alley called Esop Way and follow it down to the end where it turns left at the ball field and connects to Arlington Ave.
• Turn right on Arlington for about 50 feet and immediately turn right down St. Patrick Street.
• Enjoy the final descent as you wind down St. Patrick to the bottom where it briefly goes back up to 18th Street.
• Turn right on 18th Street and glide all the way down into the South Side and Carson street.

Home

• Take Carson to 14th St. and make a left on 14th.
• Go one block and turn Left on Sarah
• Go one more block then turn Right on 15th St.  

• Go all the way to the end of 15h around St. in Adalbert church and turn right on Breed St.
• Take this 2 blocks and Turn right on 13th St. and make your way back to the administrative center parking lot.

THE END