525 takes the journey back into the land of big lumps: just less of them. But the good news is that it’s a downhiller. The first half runs north east following the Rancheria River then the road hangs a big right to head east for the rest of the stage, leaving the river to go on its merry way heading further north and north east.
The first few miles hug the ridge beneath mountains to the north and as the hill spreads itself to the river below, so the road undulates up and down. The rollout is downhill but by the time the road has reached two miles, all the elevation has been regained. However once the highway deviates away from the ridge at three miles, it begins a lumpy descent back down to the river, scooting between the river and a small lake at four miles before eventually bottoming out at eight miles after negotiating the right hand bend that swings the Alaska Highway eastwards, and finally crossing the Rancheria River. From thereonin, the river continues flowing north east while the road travels east.
With no water course to calm the elevation, and the road heading away from water, the slope quickly goes upwards, projecting itself as two separate climbs: the first one, starting at nine miles, gains two hundred feet in a mile before descending back down to the fourteen mile mark. The second one, starting as soon as the descent from the first has finished, is longer and higher, cresting the summit at the highest elevation of the stage, just under three thousand feet, at sixteen miles.
Over the top of that one, you can relax, strap yourself in and enjoy the rest of the stage because the road descends four hundred feet over the last four miles and the finish, in the middle of nowhere, is actually the lowest elevation of the whole stage.
Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres
Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres
Ascent: 719 feet / 219 metres
RGT Magic Road: 0WI97MDipETh
Max elevation: 2960 ft
Min elevation: 2607 ft
Total climbing: 602 ft
Total descent: -939 ft
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