Mount Greylock - My Birthday Present

[1centaur]

To celebrate my birthday, I decided some months ago to climb a real mountain for the first time in my cycling life. Not a monster to be sure, but the highest point in Massachusetts, and from the reputedly tougher side, the north. Until this point, I have only climbed rolling hills in real life and mountains on the Computrainer. As I would discover, the real world is different.

The maps say the summit is 2100 feet higher than the north gate altitude. I had read on line that the average gradient is 6.9% and the peak gradient is 13.9%. Altitude is 1300 feet up to 3400 feet. I have never pedaled anywhere but sea level.

I was going to take the Z5 to use my lightest bike, but packing the SUV up I discovered a flat in the rear. Plan B, the Colnago CX-1. Reason number 343 for having more than one bike :)

I enlisted my wife to take pictures coming and going from various preplanned spots along the route. My thanks to her for a job well done.

Impressions of a neophyte: Not having driven the mountain, on purpose, the "not knowing" what's around the next bend takes its toll. I was thinking my biggest risk was sore legs so I geared way down and found my biggest problem was my heart rate. I had seen from the park map that the first third was the hardest, but I was not expecting what I got right from the start: 10%, 12%, 18%, 10%, 11%, 13%. What was coming around the next curve? Was I pacing it right? I thought I was in bad shape when what felt like 10% was winding me, so I was "happy" to see that was 18%, but that did not mean I was not breathing hard, going around the next blind corner hoping for a decline in pitch. Each time my worry grew that I would run out of breath, the slope eased, I used my Computrainer skills to settle my heart rate and get some rhythm, and then on round the next curve and another ramp of unknown duration. That's pretty much how the first 2+ miles go. My legs were fine, my bike was stiff, light and smooth, but my heart rate got into the high 160s when about 173 is about as high as I want to let it go. My fear was I would get there and could not ease off enough to get it down. Luckily, the grade eased more about 3 miles in. There were some flattish sections and I shifted up once, and then again by several gears. Not knowing the mountain, I did not want to go to a big gear; I wanted to be sure I was recovered in case it pitched up again. My HR went quickly to the low 140s, I was ready for more.

Came to a stop sign I was not expecting. Took the left to the summit, thought "I'm there already?" saw my wife and thought I'd made it since we'd agreed her next stop was the summit, but no, she'd stopped an extra time and there was more work to do. At this point the pitch was far more reasonable and I was in good shape. A little farther and I was really there. No stopping (even at the Stop sign...ssshhh), 6.6 miles, 2,000 feet of ascent on the Garmin, but more on the map.

Lesson: "Learning" a mountain makes a lot of difference. On the Computrainer I see the profile and can adjust my attack. If I rode Greylock 5 times I would know to put more leg into the lower slopes to spare my heart rate with the knowledge that my legs could rest on the second half of the climb. We drove down the south side which is much longer and more gradual, but steeper towards the top. That would be an interesting ride. Too far from my house so I'll probably not do it, but I recommend it to others. I'll ride the Computrainer a little more intently from now on - I've become too accustomed to the local easy hills.

Here are the pictures:

The beginning of the ride, the North Gate, the dark forest awaits:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0401.jpg

Into the maw of the beast:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0405.jpg

I emerge from the worst of it (though I don't know that yet) with a thumb's up at my wife's first stopping point:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0410.jpg

I pass her by; there's more work to do:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0412.jpg

Waypoint # 2 - Where's My Husband?

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0416.jpg

Here I Am Honey. I'm Looking Through My Suitcase of Courage:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0419.jpg

And there I go, turn the page:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0421.jpg

I'm coming up the hill from the stop sign in the distance; am I there yet?

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0428.jpg

Around the curve, the end is not in sight:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0432.jpg

[1centaur]

I can see the tower, I know I'm there:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0433.jpg

The relaxation is evident as I pass my wife:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0434.jpg

I ascend the last 20 feet to the heavens:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0435.jpg

And roll around the circle to get the obligatory shot:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0438.jpg

And as long as I'm up there, they have a nice monument, and good views:

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0453.jpg

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab137/1centaur/Mount%20Greylock%202010/IMG_0449.jpg

[Climb01742]

a) congratulations! sustained climbing is both a physical and mental challenge of a high order. well done.

2) what gearing did you use/have?

3) how is the road surface? in the photos it looks quite good. i believe i've read that the road wasn't so good. is the south road worse?

4) it would seem you have a few new bikes. (surprise, surprise) how is the 'nago? and how is the Z5? the Z5 is an intriguing bike.

5) i hope you're rewarding yourself tonight with some well-earned calories!

6) hey, mt. washington was yesterday. would you ever want to try MW now?

[1centaur]

a) congratulations! sustained climbing is both a physical and mental challenge of a high order. well done.

*Thank you.

2) what gearing did you use/have?

*34/50, 12-25, I planned to and did use the 34 all the way though if I did it again I'd use the 50 for the flatter sections. I may have hit the 25 near the 18% pitch; generally 1 or 2 up from there. I was undergeared in retrospect, but worried about my legs. Happy to have that gearing in the toughest sections but would have been 1 or 2 higher if I'd known the slope would ease when it did.

3) how is the road surface? in the photos it looks quite good. i believe i've read that the road wasn't so good. is the south road worse?

*Road surface is absolutely perfect on both sides. I believe the north was resurfaced 2 years ago.


4) it would seem you have a few new bikes. (surprise, surprise) how is the 'nago? and how is the Z5? the Z5 is an intriguing bike.

*CX-1 is stiff in the Asian way with a little bit of edge taken off by Ernesto. Very nice climbing bike. Z5 is a great bike - genuinely as light as advertised, smooth, just slightly less stiff than fully stiff under major effort.

5) i hope you're rewarding yourself tonight with some well-earned calories!

6) hey, mt. washington was yesterday. would you ever want to try MW now?

*No. When I was riding those early slopes I was thinking "what have I done? Never again." I actually thought of you riding Mount Washington while I was laboring up and sent you chapeau. But then having done it, I wanted to live around more hills. But no MW. Too much, not fun. Greylock was 68-72 degrees with a light wind, low traffic (passed by maybe 5 vehicles on the way up), that foresty shadow for the first quarter - I like that whole visual. MW is just brutal. I don't want that.

[Pete Serotta]

Thanks for sharing with us and the pictures are really nice.

Pete

[SEABREEZE]

Happy Birthday

Congradulations

Thanks for the pictures

[firerescuefin]

At first, I thought the peloton made the mistake of letting Pereiro get off the front again ;)

You look good and happy on the bike (not mutually exclusive). Happy B-day. Love the bike by the way.

[AngryScientist]

good work, beautiful bike, thanks for the nice photos.

[AngryScientist]

good work, beautiful bike, thanks for the nice photos.

[hammerdocnomo]

Happy Birthday!! Which one BTW?

That area of Western Mass is great and has been my vacation riding territory for 28 years. I married a girl from Lee! Thanks for the ride report.

Cheers

[Peter P.]

Epic adventure; thanks for sharing it.

And thanks to your wife for the photos; it brought the ride to life!

[PaMtbRider]

Thanks for sharing. It brought back some good memories from riding Mt. Greylock last summer while we were on vacation in Mass.

[93legendti]

Great stuff. Happy birthday.

[MattTuck]

I was going to take the Z5 to use my lightest bike, but packing the SUV up I discovered a flat in the rear. Plan B, the Colnago CX-1. Reason number 343 for having more than one bike :)



Also a good reason to ride clinchers, so a flat doesn't require you to have an extra bike just in case ;)

Seriously, thanks for the report and pics.

Love doing long climbs like that, nothing better than being at the top and knowing that you single handedly earned all that altitude. That's the kind of truth that is rare today....


Did you ask your wife if she'd like a dance? Since you were dancing on the pedals? ;)

[Bruce K]

Nice work.

It looks like all those Gordon College hill repeats finally paid off !!! ;) :D

BK

[mvanhorn]

Happy birthday, great work, and nice photos. I was in Massachusetts this spring for several weeks and pedaled up Greylock 3 times. It is a wonderful climb with a new road surface and great views. After all that work, I hope you rode down. The long descent is a blast after all the effort to get to the top.

Mark

[1centaur]

No riding down. Descending does not really interest me because it's all about speed and risk and I'm not wired that way. Climbing interests me for the challenge, accomplishment and workout. My ideal tour of the Alps would probably include jumping in the van for the descents then warming back up on the valley floor. Maybe if the slope was 3% for miles I'd enjoy that, but 7-10% and I'm going to be hitting the brakes too much and thinking about squirrels :)

Funny, as I was going up a mountain biker was coming down, and he flew by me on a big radius bend with the sound from his tires whirring loudly. I thought he was a major dare devil. Later on, my wife told me that when he passed her his brakes were howling in protest as he tried to stay under control.

That said, given that road surface, Greylock looks pretty inviting to those who really like descending.

[jblande]

great photos, and congratulations on the climb.

descending frightened me at first (after moving from chicago to the foot of the alps), and i still brake sometimes when i wish i hadn't.

on the other hand, i have discovered that it is a skill like many others in cycling: it can be learned.

glad you enjoyed the experience.

[Benjamin]

congrats on the ride, and awesome photos.

I went to high school and college around there, and i've ridden greylock maybe 25-30 times. it remains one of my favorite rides, even though i haven't done it in about 6 or 7 years.

the grade at some of the switchbacks is nuts, feels like you're going straight up. next time, you should try the southern approach from rt. 7 in lanesboro, ma. it's a longer, more rolling, gradual climb with a lot of great views and easy access to overlook points.

heading up one side and down the other is also a great ride. not a long ride mileage-wise, but a hell of a climb.

the road surface is nice now (just drove up a few weeks ago), but has not always been so great. it was repaved a few years ago, but i've had a few hairy descents there over the years.

[Karin Kirk]

Thanks for the thoughtful report and excellent pictures!
That looks like a terrific ride and I like how you took on the challenge and expanded your horizons, especially on your birthday. (My Swiss Alps trip was also a birthday present.)

So what's next? Did you like it enough to want to go again? Or do you have other climbs in mind? Or have you satisfied the curiosity and don't feel the need to repeat the exercise?

[Len J]

Sweet report....congratulations on both the goal setting and the goal getting.

len

[1centaur]

So what's next? Did you like it enough to want to go again? Or do you have other climbs in mind? Or have you satisfied the curiosity and don't feel the need to repeat the exercise?

Thanks to all for the nice words.

Karin, I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I lived there, but it's more than a three hour drive from home. Timing and family arrangements make that a special occasion rarity, not a frequent or spur of the moment potential. I kind of like having my not so neutral support there too. I'm not stoked at the idea of a solo vacation. So, I guess I'll try to work something into a vacation for both of us - any great shopping near a nice mountain in the US? :rolleyes:

[beungood]

Great post, you inspired me! Me and a buddy rode our motorcycles out there from Braintree and while riding up I was thinking it might be fun to try and ride my Hors Cat up the access road. Would your ride be much different if you had a triple? Ive been doing alot of riding and have from time to time thought of riding out there. Did you do anything out of the ordinary to get ready for it or did you just show up and go fo it? I threw a Campy triple on my bike last year as it was the onloy thing I had left and Ive yet to remove it as I like training in the 42 early on. Did you ride back down on it? I got a rush reading this post!

[1centaur]

I had more than enough gear range on the compact. I think of the legs and the heart as a team that shares the load; because I was worried about my legs I made the gear too easy and that put too much load on the heart. Knowing how much the grade eased after 2-3 miles, I would have found a better balance by riding a harder gear early. The fact that I got to the top and my legs did not feel like they had done much tells me the balance was off.

I rode Italian Alps all winter on an Elite RealPower to get used to sustained climbs. Unfortunately, most of those climbs don't have ramp after ramp the way Greylock does so I was thrown off by that. If it had been 8 or 9% steadily I would have been much more prepared. Once the weather got good, I rode my usual 50-mile routes twice a weekend, and the week before I emphasized seated climbs on the little mounds I have around here (140 feet of climbing is a lot here). I made sure to be at the low end of my weight range. And that's it.

Honestly, I think if your heart's up for it then your legs just need to find the gear that works. It's not a race, it's a challenge, so the speed does not matter. Doing the north side, it's best to warm up before you hit the slope, but the trouble is the approach road (I came from Williamstown) is pretty rough and has a fair amount of ascent in it - I did not want to use up energy for the warm up, so I only went 1/4 mile away from the gate and then back, which is not a great warm up. On line on northeastclimbs the guy uses an approach from North Adams and said the approach to the north gate is really steep.

If you have anything where you live that you can climb that takes 15 minutes, that would be a great way to train for the first hard part of Greylock - just push the right gear to make your breathing ragged.

[mvanhorn]

Just FYI: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ma/north-adams/223495225

[Karin Kirk]

Karin, I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I lived there, but it's more than a three hour drive from home. Timing and family arrangements make that a special occasion rarity, not a frequent or spur of the moment potential. I kind of like having my not so neutral support there too. I'm not stoked at the idea of a solo vacation. So, I guess I'll try to work something into a vacation for both of us - any great shopping near a nice mountain in the US? :rolleyes:

I hear you on all counts. Shopping near a US mountain, hmmm...that's a tough one. I'd have to say Boulder.
Really, Gstaad Switzerland fits the bill perfectly (just ask GeorgeK how many pairs of shoes he bought there last spring) aside from the tiny detail that it is not in the US. Maybe we need to organize a forum Alps trip after all. :)

[Johny]

Happy Birthday.

FYI, Whiteface mountain: 8 miles, 8%, 3,500' up scenic Veterans Memorial Highway. Ride it in the early morning or evening as bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed during operating hours (8-5?) if I recall correctly. The most difficult yet most fun mountain I've done. I met a french guy at the top (in a thunderstorm with gusty winds) and said it's very similar to Alpe d'Huez.

If you do it in the early morning, your wife could pick you up at the top after 8 if you don't like descending.

[Karin Kirk]

FYI, Whiteface mountain: 8 miles, 8%, 3,500' up scenic Veterans Memorial Highway.

Ah, great recommendation! Excellent climb, nice road, cool views, and Lake Placid makes a great little vacation spot too. Shopping is decent, iirc. ;)

[Blue Jays]

Congratulations on this effort.
Whiteface Mountain, Mount Mansfield, and Mount Washington are all great climbs within easy driving distance.

[rice rocket]

Also a good reason to ride clinchers, so a flat doesn't require you to have an extra bike just in case ;)
:fight:

I wasn't gonna go there, but well played. :D

Sounds like you enjoyed it either way. :) Pics of the Parlee for curiousity sake?

[1centaur]

Whiteface even farther from home than Greylock, though it sounds nice.

One mountain that's drivable for a one-day trip is Mount Kearsarge.

Mount Kearsarge, Warner, NH

"Mt. Kearsarge is located in central NH, just off I-89. I park in the car pool lot right off Exit 9. Ride towards Warner center, follow signs to Rollins State Park. Stay on main road to toll gate. You will ride 6.0 miles, gaining several hundred feet, before hitting the toll booth. Depending on time of day/who is there, you will probably have to pay a $4 day use fee since the auto road is in a state park. The climb gets down to serious business once you pass the toll booth. The grade nearly matches that of Washington for the next mile before easing a little. The road has been resurfaced in June 2008. The new pavement is narrower than the old, so great care must be exercised on the descent. There is barely enough room for a bicycle to pass a car coming up. I have ridden my MTB up a few times. This way I can also ride/carry the last 0.5 miles on the trail to the summit. The view at the very top is spectacular and worth the extra off-road riding/hiking."

Source: http://www.northeastcycling.com/Mtn_Climbs.html

For rice rocket, the Parlee is halfway down this page:

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f11/parlee-cycles-4409-6.html

[merlinmurph]

Greylock is on my list. I was hoping to do it this year, but am now dealing with an achilles issue, so it's deferred 'til next year. The roads look a lot nicer than the last time I was there. ;-)

[ludedude]

Congratulations and thanks for the ride report/photos. This brings back memories of me doing the Greylock century just 3 months into cycling back in 2001! :)