Revisiting Devil's Kitchen in Vive Velo

A few years ago, I was in the Catskills supporting my wife’s cycling team. While I was there, I rode Devil’s Kitchen.

The scenery and the difficulty are what stayed with me. It was a beautiful place to ride, and a very challenging climb. When I started thinking about a road I wanted to revisit in Vive Velo, that combination brought me back to it.

I’m Eric, the developer of Vive Velo. This is a first look at that route in the app.

Back to Platte Clove

If you know the climb but haven’t looked for it on a map, the road name to look for is Platte Clove Road, in the West Saugerties and Hunter area of New York. The Village of Tannersville identifies that road as the Devil’s Kitchen climb in its Tour of the Catskills notice.

That distinction is useful when you’re trying to find a remembered ride. The name cyclists use for a climb may be different from the name on the map.

Route source: View the route on Ride with GPS.

Ride with GPS map showing the 42.8-mile Catskills loop containing the Devil's Kitchen climb, with the route traced in red and its elevation profile below.

The full 42.8-mile route containing the Devil’s Kitchen climb, with its elevation profile. Map: Ride with GPS.

The map shows the larger loop through the Catskills. The stretch I wanted to revisit was the climb on Platte Clove Road, shown below in Vive Velo.

A red-jersey rider on a wooded section of Platte Clove Road rendered in Vive Velo, with a steep hillside and rock faces beside the road.

A wooded section of Platte Clove Road in Vive Velo.

Vive Velo builds its 3D scenes from road and terrain data.

A red-jersey rider on the West Saugerties approach in Vive Velo, with buildings beside the road and a route map in the upper right.

The West Saugerties approach in Vive Velo.

Start with a road you remember

For anyone thinking about revisiting a route indoors, this is a useful place to start: choose a road you have a reason to return to.

Then find its mapped road name, check the direction you originally rode, and decide which stretch you want to revisit. A larger loop can include the climb you’re interested in, so check the actual route rather than relying on its title or total distance.

For me, Devil’s Kitchen comes with the memory of that trip, the scenery, and the challenge of the climb. That’s what makes me want to bring it up again.

You can read more about Vive Velo or download the app if you’d like to explore a road of your own.

Which climb would you revisit—and what do you remember about it?