May 19, 2025
Day 8 - Conway to Lincoln
First big mountain climb
Average speed: 8.7 mph
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Today was the first real mountain climb of the trip. Up until now, it has been rolling hills, sometimes pretty steep, but generally less than a mile, maybe some just above. The grades on these hills can get pretty steep and you hit 13% often. The shorter stretch of these hills makes them more tolerable because after 10-15 minutes you get a rest. The challenge though is that there can be lots of them in a row, which happened on prior legs and is very common in Vermont (which also have mountain climbs)
Today I got moving at about 7 am. A great stay at the Scenic Inn last night, and had breakfast across the street at the convenience store. The first 9ish miles were back roads - deep woods with almost no traffic (I don’t think I saw one car). It really felt like NH. To me, each New England state has a different feel. NH’s feel is mountains.
After this 9 mile stretch I hit the Kancamagus Highway. I was anticipating something steeper at first (ignorance is bliss) and Garmin said up for 11 miles. Due to my poor research yesterday, I thought that would be the peak. Of course I was wrong. n the back of mind, I thought it should be longer, but chose to ignore logic. The 11 miles were relatively easy. I was stopping to reach historical sites and just enjoying the gradual 1-6% grade of even slight declines. Then, after 11 miles, the real climb begins. That made more sense.
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The history of this area follows a similar theme from all of the early settlers. Passaconaway led the Pennacook tribe in the 1600s. His descendants, led by his grandson Kancamagus, were forced out by early settlers and the tribe moved to northern NE and Canada. The settlers then struggled to grow crops, eventually leaving because of harsh conditions and others came. They discovered more money in logging and horse drawn Teamsters, carried the logs (that’s where the name comes from!! - this was pre-Hoffa). And then railroads made things easier. But life was still hard and the industrial centers (Lowell, Manchester, Worcester) offered an easier way of living (but not easy) so the rural mountain lifestyle faded. (Read below and correct me if I got it wrong).
There were plenty of camping, rest areas and overlooks along the way
After this 11 mile initial stretch it was a 5 mile climb, longer than any to date, and the grades ranged from 6% to 13% or more. I think the average was probably above 9%. That made it a long ride at sub-4 mph for the most part. I took it a mile at a time, then a brief rest for the first 3 miles. Trying to estimate where in the distance would be a particular distance, e.g. quarter or half mile - you inevitably overestimate how far a point in the distance is. What looks like a half mile is a quarter mile, a quarter mile an eighth, etc. Now I’m estimating and then halving it to manage expectations. The traffic was light and when it did come by, they kept a respectful distance. The shoulder width decreased as you climbed so you had to travel in the lane, so that politeness helped a lot.
Then I moved in 0.5 mile tranches and brief rests for the remainder. Making it to the top felt triumphant.
Then came the downhill. Normally a joyful thing to just coast. But the rain started and the temperature was 42 degrees, so it was cold. The wind did not help, big gusts from the side pushing me into the gravel. I put on the balaclava (why do they call it this) and headed down, slowly! It was cold and the rain just made it more uncomfortable. After 8 miles or so, it flattened out. Right after Loon Mountain (forgot it was in Lincoln), I found a coffee shop / thrift store with couches to relax in that was perfect. I hung out there from noon to 2pm, then headed to the Hampton Inn which let me check in early (thanks Rickalia!).
Tomorrow, more climbs. Tough grades, but shorter in distance. And it will be cold!!
Also, today Ellie got news that she got into the Creative Writing program she applied for. Great job honey.
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 356 miles (573 km)
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1 month ago