Today is June 20, that means 2.5 weeks until Greylock century. So far the training this year has been great. After King's Tour double metric, I felt great and my legs feel good. The cardio is in good shape, so it's really just a matter of training properly and not peaking too soon.
I know I can finish greylock century, but I'd like to improve my average. Last year it took me 8:43 minutes with a ride time of 7:17 averaging 13.72mph. I hope to average 15mph this year and finish with a ride time under 7 hours. Given there's over 9000 feet of climbing on the century, that would be impressive to me. The latest elevation map says it's over 11,000 feet of climbing.
http://bcacycling.blogspot.com/p/greylock-century-ride.html
Of the three big climbs, the second climb up route 2 is the easiest. The grade up to Whitcomb summit is steady the entire way, so once you get into a nice rhythm it's autopilot. According to the berkshire cycling association, the first climb up to Greylock summit is a CAT 1 climb. Mapmyride and other apps call it 2 separate CAT 2 climbs. In the middle, there is a "flat-ish" section, which lets you recover. The road was repaved a few years ago, so it's smoothe and clean from the visitor center to the summit.
By far the hardest climb is up East Hawley road. The grade changes from 6% to 15% several times, so it's tough to get in a nice rhythm. Last year I trained on the hill several times and found myself getting out of the saddle on the steepest grades.
After Hawley, the rest of the climbs are only cat 4 or 5. I look forward to riding it again.
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