Cycling Mountain Road
Ride 4 miles gaining 948’ at 4.2% average grade (5% climb only).
This climb ranks #10 on the Connecticut Top 10 list.
Climb summary by PJAMM ambassador Dan Razum.
Start of climb.
The climb starts at the intersection of Mountain Road and Rte 189. To the right Rte 189 is Granville Rd, to the left it is North Granby Rd. And directly behind us, the road is called East St, not Mountain Rd. Road names are confusing in these parts!
The climb starts out steep and hits double digit gradients right away. Luckily, the steep section only lasts a little more than half a mile and then the gradient is more gentle the rest of the way, including a few short sections that are flat or even downhill.
The road condition is good and there is a decent shoulder most of the way. There are a few areas where the shoulder almost disappears, but these areas are short and not really a concern since traffic is light and there are good sightlines. Since road is mostly straight, it is easy to see cars in either direction.
Near the end of the climb we turn left onto Hartland Blvd, where Mountain Rd ends, and have an almost flat ride into the town of Hartland, where the climb finishes. There is a quaint little church in the town center, which is essentially the end of the climb.