Originally Posted by
autonomy
Ah, congratulations on hitting some of the notorious roads/climbs of D2R2...Hawks Rd too gets rowdy but would've been a better choice.
Thanks, though given I was worn out in last weekends and walking the steep parts I don't think I deserve it (I will claim this Saturday's though)
And yes, I noticed D2DR routes via Hawk, will probably try that if I go back, at least if I'm planning to return directly south.
I did the classic 100K D2R2 a month ago and all climbs were kind of on par - long and grueling - but Peckville Rd up to Apex Orchards was somehow worst of them all. If you really want to punish yourself! But the view from up there is great plus you can get some cider (and other things) from the orchard store.
Tempting, maybe I should get a smaller wheel for lower gearing vs. range. Looking at stuff I've made it up, 6-7 % seems to be my power limit, and then there's the endurance question. I've done 6.5% for a half mile. That looks to be effectively 10% for a mile (er, 500 feet in just over a mile). But there's always training. Until this spring I was a creature of rail trails and couldn't climb worth beans.
On the other side of the spectrum I found 112 heading north into VT from Colrain to be a very nice, mostly flat picturesque road with a generous shoulder and would like to return at some point to do a road loop.
May have to consider that. I'm kind of looking for a VT-directed century route as a change from the CT directed ones I rode this past summer. the D2DR "Green River Ride" with its "family" targeting seems to have some promise as a route, coupled with whatever the easiest route up that way from Hamp ultimately is (probably either rt 5 or through Hatfield to river road crossing at 116 to the Montague side for the northern portion). Or I might just drive up there and do it with family.