ESCONDIDO -- It's all about the mountain. The selection of North County as the final stage of the largest cycling race in America may have come as a pleasant surprise to many people, but not to local cyclists who have braved the steep climb to the summit of Palomar Mountain over the years.

Palomar Mountain's reputation as a challenging, heart-pounding ride for cyclists helped lure the prestigious Amgen Tour of California to North County, said Cami Mattson, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"When they first were looking at San Diego, they were looking at everything," she said, recalling how organizers were also considering the coast and downtown San Diego. Mattson said that bringing up Palomar Mountain helped persuade organizers that North County would be a good host for the final stage of the nine-day race.

"It is the steepest climb of the race, and it will be a determining factor of who places in the race," she said. "That does not always happen on a final day, so it makes it all the more exciting."

Palomar Mountain's 7 percent grade is not the steepest in the county, however. A bicycle lane on Texas Street in San Diego, for instance, has a blood-pumping 15 percent grade on its uphill trek from Mission Valley to University Heights.

But the Texas Street bike lane is only a half mile long. Palomar Mountain is legendary because it is relentless, with no plateau to give riders a break over 11 miles, cyclists say.

"You can go into higher elevations, like in Colorado, but there's always breaks," said cyclist John Thess, event coordinator at Mother's Kitchen restaurant at Palomar's summit. "Palomar is the premier one. The only other climb that comes close is Mount Hamilton in San Jose."

Thess said the climb up Palomar Mountain has been renowned in cycling circles for years. Murrieta resident Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory after a drug test, has been training for his Tour of California comeback with rides up Palomar Mountain a few days a week, Thess said.

"He'll stop in, have a bowl of tomato vegetable soup, and go back down again," Thess said about Landis' frequent appearances at Mother's Kitchen.

Thess, who said he has been in the bike industry 20 years, said he has seen Lance Armstrong and various European cycling teams training on the mountain in the last 15 years.

"The thing that makes Palomar unique is there's over 20 switchbacks," he said. "The classic climb it gets compared to is the Alpe d'Huez, the scene of a number of classic Tour de France finishes."

Alpe d'Huez, in the central French Alps, is often is mentioned when cyclists talk about Palomar Mountain, and Trek Bicycle Superstore in Vista has even created a Web page calling Palomar "San Diego's own Alpe d'Huez."

According to the site, Palomar ascends 4,325 feet over 11.8 miles at an average grade of 6.5 percent. Alpe d'Huez ascends 3,708 feet over 8.6 miles at an average grade of 7.7 percent.

A closer look at how those averages are determined shows Palomar has grades as high as 8.2 percent and as low as 2.6 percent. Alpe d'Huez has grades greater than 10 percent at the start and is mostly at 7 or 8 percent after that.

"Alpe d'Huez is actually steeper and higher, but after you've climbed Palomar, who's counting?" the Web site reads.

Cyclist David Martinez, who works at the Trek Bicycle Superstore in Vista, said he enjoys the challenge of riding up Palomar Mountain.

"It's pretty epic," he said. "It's exactly like what the pros race up in the Tour de France."

Weekend cyclists may not understand, but Martinez said he'd rather ride uphill than coast downhill.

"My friends know me as a climber," he said. "It's what gets you more fit. It gets you stronger. It's all about the pain and suffering."

Cyclist Brent Smith, who also works at the Trek store in Vista, said Palomar Mountain is the most challenging ride in the county.

"We have no shortage of hills in San Diego, but Palomar Mountain is special because it's a fairly consistent grade over 11 or so miles," he said.

Smith said climbs in the Tour de France are categorized by numbers, according to their difficulty. Palomar qualifies as a Hors Category climb, meaning it is the hardest and beyond the conventional numbering system.

There's no official race up the mountain, but local cyclists clock themselves from "store to store," meaning a store at the foot of the mountain and Mother's Kitchen at the summit, Smith said. While riders usually take between one and two hours, Smith said he has heard that three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond holds the unofficial record of 49 minutes.

"It's going to be a great thing on Sunday to see how fast they can do it," he said.

"I grew up out here, and I've probably done it 30 times," he added about cycling up Palomar. "Sometimes it felt great, sometimes it was a real struggle, but you always have a sense of satisfaction when you get to the top."

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.

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