As Williams College cyclists, Mount Greylock is our Matterhorn, the proving ground where we must cast aside our fears and confront the awful truth: it’s a big-ass climb.
The only thing more grueling than training on MG is racing up the mountain. The annual Mount Greylock Time Trial is hosted by the Northampton Cycling Club and part of a summer hillclimb series, which features many other predominant pitches, such as Mount Equinox, Whiteface, and the granddaddy of them all, Mount Washington. In comparison to these beasts, many would quickly denounce Greylock as at most a little sibling to these well-known soul crushers. They ridicule our stomping grounds in ignorance. The route up the mountain features constantly changing gradients, sharp switchbacks, and the occasional bear in the middle of the road (really). This is the real thing.
Thus, we came to the race without any illusions regarding the difficulty of our task. To make things more difficult, the weather was temperamental: heavy fog, strong gusts of wind, and moist roads. Far from ideal.
Needless to say, despite the many challenges, the Williams College Cycling Team made a big statement this weekend: we own this mountain.
Results can be found here.
– First off was Elliot Chester ’14, who put up an awesome time and broke the hour mark despite less-than-ideal gearing, back pain, and a summer that didn’t allow very much training time. The most important part of racing is heart and giving your all, and Elliot absolutely did just that.
– Next was Gabi Azevedo ’14, who is becoming a hillclimb beast after climbing the sheer cliff of Mount Equinox earlier this summer. Gabi’s a great example of a racer who took up cycling on a whim and has become a force to be reckoned with. Gabi won her age group handily, showing that she’s definitely on track to have a great season.
– I went off next. I’ve been waiting for this race for quite some time, and was happy to have some residue fitness from summer racing. It took every ounce of my being, but I was able to win the overall and set an overall course record to boot! I was turning myself inside-out to break 40 minutes, and was able to do just that. I hope I can come back next year to continue to set the mark on the mountain.
– Amy Levine ’13 did this race for the first time last season and her debut ride turned out to set a course record for her age group. Those of us who know Amy are hardly surprised. Amy has been perhaps the single most aggressive racer on the team for the last two years, attacking whenever possible, leaving her competitors in the dust. Amy won her age group this year and continues to chip away at her time. I have no doubt that Amy will break the hour mark next year. A champion if there ever was one.
– Ben Dalzell ’14 exploded onto the scene last year as an improbably strong newbie bike racer. After tackling Mount Mitchell down in Asheville, NC and riding at home in New Hampshire, Ben has set his sights on next year’s summer hillclimb series. Based on his sheer talent, dedication, and determination, I’m putting my money on him to bring home the bacon with a lot of those races. He’s certainly off to a great start already, putting down a solid sub-50 minute time on Greylock despite having done no formal training for months. Many cyclists can train for months and not even approach that time. Like I said, he’s a talented guy. (NB: he’s also a super nice, chill, and good-looking dude).
In addition to all these amazing performances, a quick shout out to Todd Holland (staff at the Zilkha Center) and Matthew Cheung (a Williamstown local who is just about to go pro on the triathlon– you heard it first here!) who both raced fantastically and helped to deliver the message that Williamstown and Williams College are home to the best cyclists in the Berkshires.
Long story short: we’re pretty dang good.
Proud to be your
– Coach