I’m sure I saw 17-percent at multiple places, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was steeper. I didn’t have enough energy or the clarity of mind to look down at my Garmin to gather all of the steepness data. Reeds Gap is the road that takes resort-goers to Wintergreen and eventually climbs to meet the Blue Ridge Parkway. The climb is known as Reeds Gap - a six-mile effort that is rated only as a Category 2 climb. This graph from Strava shows the course profile for the Devils Backbone Metric Century – including the immediate climb to Reeds Gap. It’s the kind of effort where a 10-percent grade feels like a relief. In other words, the gradual part disappears and for the remainder of the 5.5-mile climb, it’s a sufferfest. Then the road turns up like the graph of a shifted paradigm. So for about the first mile, you can get some blood in your legs. To be fair, the road tips up gradually at first. The happy sense that comes from starting at the Devils Backbone Brewery at Wintergreen disappears pretty quickly after you leave the parking lot. Climb 1 on the Devils Backbone Metric Century Rest stops were well placed and people were cheerful and enthusiastic. We rode by farms where we saw people picking their own apples along country lanes. Vistas are so beautiful they hurt your eyes. This is a gorgeous ride that takes you in and around Wintergreen and the surrounding area. Now, two days later, if my legs would feel the same. There are two climbs on this ride that suck. An uphill pass while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Devils Backbone metric century.
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