Dirty Dozen Pits Bicyclists Against City's Toughest Hills

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It was quite literally an uphill battle as bicyclists tackled some of the steepest, most grueling hills in all of Pittsburgh.

There is no doubt that the 33rd Annual Dirty Dozen is a real test for even the most experienced cyclists.

"Basically, it's something to work up to throughout the season, something to really look forward to, set a goal for yourself and just being able to say you've done the Dirty Dozen, since it's actually a pretty respected race around the area," Kyle Irwin said.

The event has earned quite the reputation.

It started back 1983 and for 33 years, cyclists have been climbing Pittsburgh's steepest hills.

Some of the streets are cobblestone, which is not exactly ideal for biking. The total trip is 50 miles, but it takes about five hours.

This year, the weather presented another challenge. However, it wasn't quite as bad as the first race when it was 27 degrees with snow flurries.

"It's just something fun to do. It's kind of crazy, don't know why we would do it in the rain, but we came all the way out here so we wanted to do it," Irwin said.

It also gets pretty competitive.

The riders are scored on a point system in the order they make it up each hill. The top three men and top three women win cash prizes and of course, big time bragging rights.

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