Old fart here who raced the Maine hills between Jackman and Waterville twice. As a very fit animal that loved to climb, I did it on a 42-19. Second time was also the hardest thing I have ever done. Now, I wold ride those hills on a triple, 50-38-24. (I;m late 60s.) After racing I took my 53-42 racing crankset and turned it into a 53-42-28 triple that I used for decades with the freewheel/cassette going cog by cog from a 13-19 5-speed to a 12-23,25 or 28 9-speed.

I am totally sold on triples. Now, the new bikes and crankset options are making them harder to do. Once this 1X fad plays out, I'm guessing there will be a new breakthrough in gearing. Smaller, lighter, better shifting cogs with much smaller and better looking rear derailleurs, all enabled by a new system of three chainrings in front that allow big gearing changes with one shift. (Very, very useful for the radical grade changes of the Maine landscape.)

We will see. Ben