Finally made it out for a decent ride this afternoon. With the recent ice and snow, I figured the back roads to the west would be a bit dodgy, so I took the easy option and just rode over to the east side and did some loops on Blackstone. Just when it was becoming unbearable, I remembered that I had been meaning to try out Anglewood, a hill just off 44 in Smithfield (or maybe it’s Johnston at that point). It’s right next to Pine Hill Road, and is a dead end street. I see it every time I drive to Target in Smithfield, and it always looks steep but short. I wasn’t sure if it might keep going past what is visible from 44, so I always had it in the back of my head to try it sometime. (For future reference, riding out 44 duing rush hour when there is sand, snow and ice on the side of the road isn’t really a pleasant experience.) Today seemed like a good day, since I’d already gotten my workout and was looking for something else to do before heading home. So…the hill does not really keep going after the initial section. It flattens out for a while and then there is one more bump, but not really enough to make it seem like a continuation of the first part. The first part, however, is STEEP. The veloroutes elevation data was screwy, so I’m not bothering posting a gradient map. I’m guessing 15-17% sustained, but only for about a tenth of a mile. That makes it on par with the second part of Jenckes (which has a few sections of higher gradient, but a lower average) or George St. in Worcester. It felt really hard, and I was mashing the lowest gear I was willing to use. (I had the Gazelle, so that was 36-26, since I wasn’t going to let myself shift into the 24). Unfortunately, because the hill is in a pretty awkward spot, and a dead-end street, it probably isn’t going to become a regular fixture on my riding routes. The descent is a little frightening as well, since the hill ends right at 44, so you have to come to a dead stop on a 17% slope or run into traffic.