Northeast - Great River Ride Century/170k Populaire

Your Close. It Is The Next Road After Clark Rd. On Your Right If Your Heading North On 63 Or Your Left On 63 South Before Clark Rd

Horton Hill Road ???

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=11531

yes ,that's the one. have fun climbing it and with all due respect to guitar wizard if your really interested in replicating the east river hill climb climb then do rt 322. since you live in oxford, i assume, you don't need to travel to southington to find a legbreaker like shuttle meadow rd. blackberry hill in beacon falls will suffice for that. the graph makes it look daunting but the gradient is steady. that hill is 10% for 1.2 miles and it is a true 10% .the pitch never changes

Sorry to chime in so late....

Loved the GRR. As far as climbs go, it had some good ones, though none the scale of the passes on the Mountain Mama Road Bike Challenge. However, East River is sinister as you can see the top from fairly far down the hill - psychological warfare.

I want to extend a big "thank you" to the gentleman who gave me his spare tire after I blew my front tire out around mile 32 (the homestead). He never told me who he was, but he saved my ride that day.

Not my fastest century by a long shot (being stuck waiting for a spare tire will do that), but I rode the rest of the ride fairly quickly (over 18 mph average from mile 32 to the finish). And the weather and foliage couldn't be beat!

I was just re-reading this post and it's funny you mention Blackberry Hill Road. I drive that road from time to time and I've alway thought it would make a good hill climb. I never notice the actual road name and when I read your post I Mapquested Blackberry Hill Road and there was the same road I drive all the time. :)

So whereabouts do you live ??


yes ,that's the one. have fun climbing it and with all due respect to guitar wizard if your really interested in replicating the east river hill climb climb then do rt 322. since you live in oxford, i assume, you don't need to travel to southington to find a legbreaker like shuttle meadow rd. blackberry hill in beacon falls will suffice for that. the graph makes it look daunting but the gradient is steady. that hill is 10% for 1.2 miles and it is a true 10% .the pitch never changes

Hey Joe....I posted this up earlier, but since you're not real far from Southington, if you like climbing you should hit this up sometime. You'll probably have to go around the concrete blocks on Shuttle Meadow road, but since it's dry out it's passable. Just park the car at William Strong School (where I went to Elementary School back in the day, actually), and follow the route.

I'll do that ride next year with ya if you want....when it's warmer out, and I'm not in base season :). Would make for a great 7 a.m. ride on a Sunday morning. If it's not long enough, we can always extend it through Berlin, Meriden and then Cheshire.

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=673

Hey Joe....I posted this up earlier, but since you're not real far from Southington, if you like climbing you should hit this up sometime. You'll probably have to go around the concrete blocks on Shuttle Meadow road, but since it's dry out it's passable. Just park the car at William Strong School (where I went to Elementary School back in the day, actually), and follow the route.

I'll do that ride next year with ya if you want....when it's warmer out, and I'm not in base season :). Would make for a great 7 a.m. ride on a Sunday morning. If it's not long enough, we can always extend it through Berlin, Meriden and then Cheshire.

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=673

I'm there...we'll have to coordinate some but next year I definitely want to join a club and do some club rides, meet some more local folks to ride with, and also a few more centuries.

The wife & I drove to Pilgrim Furniture today to look for beds for the older daugthers. As we drove through Southington on I-84 I thought of you...

Did you get a ride in today ??

Nah, I'm still battling sinus and upper chest congestion. Kinda hoping for an easy spin perhaps on the trainer today - have to see how I'm doing. I don't want to rush back too soon, and then end up sick again next month.

Sorry To Respond So Late. Better Late Than Never I Guess. Anyway I Live In Hamden. Wondering If You Have Tried Rt 322 Yet Think I'll Drive Out Tommorrow And Check Out Shuttle Meadow Rd From Guitar Wizard's Route Map It Sounds Like It's Roughly 20% Over 100ft In Less Than .1 Miles Rt. 322 Goes Up About 540 Ft In 1.2 Miles. Did You Ever Try Horton Hill Rd In Naugatuck For A 200lber Like Me I'm Gonna Pass And I Never Do That But On That One I Will. I Didn't Like Descending It. If You Get This Let Me Know. Thanks

Shuttle Meadow will be closed to cars this time of year....although you can get around the barriers on a bike :)

It's been a couple years but I'm thinking of getting back to this ride this year..

You can see my ride report from 2006 at the bottom of the first page of this thread.....
I still think of East River Hill when I think of this ride.....granted I got off course and hit this hill with close to 80 miles in my legs but.....anyways, great ride, cold in the morning, gorgeous roads.....

Anyway, who's in ?? :D

J.

It's been a couple years but I'm thinking of getting back to this ride this year..

You can see my ride report from 2006 at the bottom of the first page of this thread.....
I still think of East River Hill when I think of this ride.....granted I got off course and hit this hill with close to 80 miles in my legs but.....anyways, great ride, cold in the morning, gorgeous roads.....

Anyway, who's in ?? :D

J.

I've been thinking about that one, but I'm kinda waiting to see how I do at the COVAC on Sept. 13th. COVAC will be my first full century....figured I'd try out that distance for the first time on a relatively flat course. I'll probably head out to the GRR either way, but maybe on the metric course.

Hi Steve, I'm doing Day Two of the Charter Oak Challenge in Cornwall, CT. that weekend....70 miles, 5.2K elevation gain......that will be my gauge for the GRR.

Link to Day 2 Route:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/2009-Charter-Oak-Day-2

You doing the full 100 miles @ COVAC ?

You doing the full 100 miles @ COVAC ?

I'm planning to do the full 100, or at least try. I was looking at the route information on their website and it looked like around the 45 mile point you can make a decision to do the full thing, or turn off onto the 75 mile route.

I did a fairly hilly metric century on a hot/humid day a couple of weeks ago without any problem (the Steeple Chase out in eastern CT), so I'm thinking I'll be good to go for the full course at the COVAC. Especially since the weather forcast for the week looks beautiful to get some riding time in. :thumb:

FWIW, COVAC is a great first full century. I have literally ridden hundreds of centuries and my fastest ride time was at COVAC. Easy to get to the start -right off the highway, rest stops for refueling, great food and baked potatos wrapped in foil roasting away on the hot coals with all the fixins await for your return.

In comparison, I have ridden the steeplechase many times and COVAC is a much better pick for a first full century (Steeplechase is a great route, but probably not the best for first timers).

Good luck!!

Hey Cheryl,

Will you be doing the GRR this year ?
I'm hoping to be in enough shape to tackle the fully 108 mile route.....
My riding slacked way off from early Summer til about 3 weeks ago.....got sucked into projects around the house...:(
Since then I've been getting miles in whenever I can and so far so good....did a 46 miler on Sunday and felt good afterwards. Hoping to get a 50-60 miler in this weekend to put me on target for the 70 miler next weekend as part of the Charter Oak Challenge. That ride originates in West Cornwall and goes into NY. state and will having 5.3K of climbing. If I feel good after that I'll have almost a month to build for the GRR. East River Hill, here I come....:twitchy:

Joe, ALOT will depend on the weather. I am not a fan of getting hypothermic during the climbing up to Peru. It seems to sleet every time I am in those hills!! I actually like East River Road ... I remember that they had taken it out of the route one year and I was anxious the whole time wondering when it was coming up ;) (Or wait a minute, maybe that was during the Mt Greylock Century ...all of these rides a becoming a big blur).

Since we have only had about two weeks of summer this year.... fair is fair... and I am expecting to only have two weeks of winter!