Grampians – Mt William and Reeds Lookout
I was looking through my photo album and I found a set of shots taken from a solo ride back in November. It’s a fantastic ride if you’re ever around the region as it gives you an excellent glimpse of what the Grampians offers. There were two climbs that I took on for this ride, Mt William and Reeds Lookout. As the climbing cyclist has already covered Reeds Lookout, I won’t digress too much on it. Here’s a link for the lazy;
The Climbing Cyclist – Reeds Lookout
Mt Wlliam is pretty much the same as Reeds Lookout, except the views improve as you go up higher. It starts as soon as you turn left from Grampians Rd and continues on for 9.5km. The average gradient is between 4-6% and climbs 585m over the distance.
It’s definitely challenging, but far from punishing. There is a false flat at around the 5.5km mark where the gradient drops to 2%, providing some respite halfway through. There are two sections were it can end and mostly depends on your level of fitness. The first is the car park and if you’re up for the challenge (and fun), continue past the boomgates to the summit towers. It’s another 231 metres of climbing, averaging at 12% for 2km on a narrower bitumen road.
Here are some links –
Strava – Mt William summit – Strava – Mt William carpark – cycle2max
Below are a few shots I took whilst descending Mt William. Forgive me for the quality, all shots were taken form my phone.
Photos of Reeds Lookout –
If you’re after another climb around the region, I would also recommend going up Boroka Lookout. Below is a shot of what awaits once you’re up there. I won’t do a write up on it due to a couple of reasons, I didn’t ride up it and the climbing cyclist has already done the job for me.
VVMCC 