ZIPP2001

Well we finally have some warmer temps moving in, at least for a few days. So why not go drag my old Clydesdale butt up a few climbs on a nice warm day. I've been putting off doing a tune up on my bike and it caught up to me today as I dropped the chain right before the real climbing started. So after the ride it was down to the bike cave to fix that issue. It's just great to get some nice warm weather and enjoy some fun road miles.

Bmach

I thought you were going to be going to Wachuestts. Still a nice ride .

SurferCyclist

How many feet elevation did you climb as from the video can't tell at all how steep any of it is. Some numbers on grade % and length of climb would help. For example my ride yesterday was 31 miles with total elevation gained 2400ft. Max elevation 14%. Where I live this is a pretty usual ride.

canklecat

I have a friend whose job moved him from the California mountains and vineyards paradise to Massachusetts. He's been there a year and still mostly hides in the basement pain cave until the temperature is higher than 50 degrees. Can't say I blame him, as a Texan I'm not crazy about winter.

I can usually get in 1,400-3,000 feet of elevation gain over distances of 30-60 miles here. Lots of roller coaster terrain but few real continuous climbs. No mountains, and most long climbs are rollers that vary from 1% to double digits, but only for 50-100 yards at a whack, then flat or a little downhill. If I head about 20-30 miles west of here there's one or two continuous climbs of maybe 1-2% over a mile or so.

So I've been tackling repeats on every sorta-climbing roller segment I can find nearby. Did not-quite back to back rides 4 or 5 days in a row. Felt stronger than usual Tuesday, a few PRs.

Wednesday my glutes felt every inch of those climbs. Soaked in a hot tub of Epsom salts, napped all day, stretched. Might ride Thursday, but probably not until Friday.

And that's on my old steel road bike, which weighs about 30 lbs by the time I've loaded up two water bottles, etc. I have a couple of carbon fiber frames in various stages of disassembly. I really need to finish those up but all I've wanted to do through the pandemic slowdown is ride my bike. I know it was hard on some friends, but I kinda enjoyed having the streets to myself for several weeks before businesses reopened.

rumrunn6

good points about sun/shade & road surface imperfections! nasty surprises await us! looks like that's a popular route for cycles. nice that roads are generally quieter these days. but now that you have week days off, how do you find the traffic, as opposed to say weekends? in & out of deep shade on a bright sunny day, w drivers wearing sunglasses is why I use strobes front & rear. cuz I think regardless of what I'm wearing, in that shade, I disappear. surprised you didn't get into the drops when descending. that water looked tempting. our condo pool isn't opening this year due to the covid :/

BobbyG

So very different from the mud, snow and ice of the trails.

ZIPP2001

Got out later than expected and Wachuestts is about a 45 mile round trip, so stayed near by for a 31 mile ride.

ZIPP2001

Well we did the same amount of miles, this climb has a max of 12% at the start and averages out at 5%, it's 1.2 miles long. I did two other climbs that are over a mile long, one tougher and one easier than the first. Lots of what I call rollers thrown in, because where I live you don't have many long flat sections.
What made the first climb tougher on me is I just didn't give the legs anytime to wake up before climbing.

ZIPP2001

I did just miss a few little potholes that I just didn't see soon enough going from sun to shade. With my bad back it's almost impossible for me to get into my drops. The camping area is thinking about opening but only to self contain camping, because they aren't going to open the restrooms and shower. I expect it to be a ghost town because most camping done there is with pop-up tents, and with them not allowed it will be rare to see many campers this year.

ZIPP2001

Massachusetts weather can be rather fun, and the traffic hasn't slowed to much in my area even with businesses being shutdown.

ZIPP2001

As we know the road offer a whole different kind of challenge.

rumrunn6

oh interesting, cuz I was wondering about camping on the Cape cuz my Daughter was thinking of going w/ boyfriend. guess they'll have to shack up in a motel, which isn't so bad

79pmooney

Thanks! Brings back a lot of memories. Massachusetts roads on spring. Massachusetts road surfaces in spring. That last footage of the smaller road reminds me of coming down Blue Hill south of Boston, (I grew up 2 moles from it. Know the road to the weather station really well.

Only rode near Winchendon once and paid zero attention. (I lived in Cambridge my racing days. That day was one long ride! Now Wachustetts was a regular for me. The long ride with climbing. Lunch at the top. Both Winchendon and Wachusetts were of my pre-head injury days. After, I no longer knew the route and that following year I had to keep things simple, My later climbing adventures all took place out west.

Oh, that Winchendon day - Cambridge, out 119, headed north on small roads to NH 101 west of Nashua (getting lost and adding 25 miles), and west on 101. As I approached the divide between the east side and Peterborough, I saw the entrance to Pack Monadnock! (I'd hiked Monadnock with my dad and seen Pack many times. Here it was!) Being a mountain goat, I had no choice but climb it. On my racing 42-19. Then down the screaming descent to Peterborough, a quick visit with my cousins, south toward Winchendon, then east to 119 and home. 14 hours, 175 miles and enough climbing to be real. (1977, when I was a crazy strong goat and on the race course, not much smarter.) I do recall stopping, perhaps in Winchendon, at a fast foods and drinking a black coffee with sugar, tow foods I never touched. The drug rush got me the 50 miles home.

Just remembered, I must have ridden through Winchendon in 1973 when I rode to Michigan to start my college year. Like most of my tours, day one was kind of a blur. And another memorable long day, again that big racing years, when I rode out to watch the Longsjo Classic in Fitchberg. 2 flats. On sewups with one spare and a patchkit.

Again, thanks. And fun to hear the accent I've misplaced with my decades out west.

Ben

Thomas15

Nice ride ZIPP

ZIPP2001

I know all those roads quite well and Pack Monadnock is a fun thigh burner I played on many moons ago. Raced the Longsjo back in the day and I still work right next to the crit course in the center of Fitchburg. I still go out and play on the thigh burners that make up most of Fitchburg. I'm older and heavier and don't quite float up them like I remember I used to. What accent !

wthensler 

I miss the Minuteman Trail.......I worked in Cambridge for an extended period of time, and brought my bicycle. Used to go out at lunch for a 28 mile round trip out to the end (Bedford?) and back. Not much climbing, but many scenic spots along the way, and the far end of the trail really thins out in terms of people.

In FL we have the GNV-Hawthorne Trail. Splendid! It goes through some beautiful estuaries and is a great ride as well. And again, the farther you go, the fewer peeps you will see (although I've seen water moccasins and a gator on the trail!