4th of July Century

I met Scott at the Newtown Flagpole on the Fourth of July for a ride down to the coast. We did the usual route by riding first down to Westport to Long Shore, then by the Minute Man and then to Compo Beach.

New Shoe Day!

My new cycling shoe dilemma is over. Earlier this spring I bought a pair a Pearl Izumi road shoes but when ever I wore them my feet would go numb.  I tried everything: thin socks, no socks, super loose, and nothing worked so I took them back.

A month ago, I went to my local bike shop, Brookfield Bicycle Center, and they ordered me a pair of Shimano Road Shoes. I was told that Pearl Izumi's run narrow and Shimano's, that they ordered for me were generally wider.

CT Challenge #3

This is our third CT Challenge. Rich (r) is our company CFO and a cancer survivor. 

There were some changes this year. The fund raising minimum for the Fondo (Century Ride) was lowered and with the help of the company I was able to hit for once, in fact I exceeded it.  Another change to the event was that they were sending us off at 6:30 AM, which for this distance is much better.

We left in waves. Rich and I were on the first one and the temperature was perfect. We aren't fast but we are steady.  This time around I brought nothing to eat with me, just water in my bottles because there is always feast at the first rest stop.

From the start I had a lot of energy and I got a little ahead of Rich so backed down on North Street so that he could catch up.

The first climb was on Valley Road in Weston and Rich hung in impressively. We stuck together the rest of the way up Rt 53. After turning north again at the top of the reservoir I passed a guy a in USMES kit. I have seen this same guy riding in Army kit on Hopewell Road but when I checked Strava Flyby later, he wasn't one there.  I recently joined USMES and I want to set up a weekly ride in our area and looking for other members.

But the first hill was on Rt 107 in Redding and this time I attacked the climb.  I was able to shave off almost two minutes from the last time I rode it and I got a PR this time, too.  However, the first rest stop wasn't even open yet. Apparently, someone had locked the keys in the truck and were still on the way, probably following the same route as all the cyclists and stuck behind them.

I was able to fill a bottle from the hose and then we were off again towards Bethel with Rich pulling. In fact, he pulled most of the way until we got to the big descent into the center of town. On the descent down Chestnut Hill Road is fast and being heavier than most gravity makes me really fast. Riding up Plumtrees got a little hairy. The driver of a silver sedan didn't like the fact that he had to share the road with a bunch of cyclists. Clearly, he doesn't know what the laws are in this state. At one point he stopped short of the riders in front of me nearly causing an accident. The license place was CT 968-UFV.

Rich continued to pull through Brookfield. There was Black Butter on Pocono Road which made riding through here really smooth. The night before I had studied the course and had it loaded on my Garmin but didn't have the routing running since I regularly ride these roads.  One thing I couldn't fathom was why they didn't route us up Ironworks Hill. Instead the route continued down Old Middle Road and in the middle of the descent turned a hard right onto Baldwin Hill. There was only a 75 mile Route sign indicating the turn so if you were on the 100 mile ride you would obviously ignore it and continue towards Erikson Road in New Milford. Only, now one knew, except for myself that Erikson Road was currently under construction.  I turned back and when I got back to the turn Rich caught up and we climbed up Baldwin Hill, which was another 12% climb!

The descent down Pumpkin Hill was refreshing and finally the second rest stop at Lover's Leap, where I ran into a friend of mine, Tom O'Brien who was volunteering at the rest stop.  It was great to finally get some food into me because by this time I was starving. I probably ate a little too much because when we got going again I felt really full.

The ride through New Milford along Grove Street never changes. It's a bike route with Sharrows and Share the Road signs and cars are still whizzing by you and some drivers still honk, too.  Once on 202, however, there is a nice shoulder and it's a shallow ascent to New Preston.

We rode with this couple from Rhode Island for a bit but them dropped them on the first hill.  There are two pretty good hills on Rt 202 on the way to New Preston but they are not insane.

While climbing up Rt 45 to Lake Waramug, Paul Mayer, a Newtown Lunartic, passed me going the other direction. He didn't recognize me, though and I kept going with Rich hot on my tail.

Since West Shore Road is so flat I took off and thought Rich was behind me but it turned out it was someone in similar kit that I mistook for him. We were hammering! We passed everyone in front of us. It was like a sprint to the finish! Only in this case, it was just lunch.

Lunch was at the State Park and Rich's wife, Kristin, was there to greet us as she was working the rest stop. It was like a family reunion for Rich because a little bit later, Rich's parents who live in Warren also showed up. Rich and I split a wrap. I couldn't eat a whole one and everything and once again I think I over ate again.

The biggest climb of the day was next, Rt 47 from Washington Depot up to the center of Washington.  Another class 4 hill, 7% average grade for about a mile but I was feeling great and just went right up with Rich right behind me.  Instead of running down Rt 199 to Roxbury the route continued down Rt 47 and then turned onto Painter Ridge. I was really impressed with this change. I think the change came out of necessity because the rest top in Roxbury was moved from the Town Hall to the church on Rt 317. 

I love riding Painter Ridge because of all the great views.  Initially it's the Shepaug River Valley and then over by Topland Farms you are looking south towards Southbury and Newtown. The cows were no where to be seen today, however.  As I mentioned before, the Roxbury rest stop was on Rt 317 at the church before the intersection with Rt 67 but Rich and I didn't stop because we were still full from lunch so we continued south towards the next and last big climb on the route, to me at least.

The climb up Brown Brook is another class 4 hill with a 6% average grade for 1.12 miles and once again Rich was out front leading the way!  Brown Brook was still gravelly after recently been chip sealed but when we got into Southbury there was an extra coating of tar on top of the chips.

It the surface is shiny and I wonder if it will be slippery if it gets wet.  That wasn't happening today, though. The weather, today, was perfect.

After descending down Purchase Brook the on River Road and seeing the water makes you want to jump right in. However, those clouds appeared to be a little threatening.

Even more so by the time we got to Sandy Hook Center. We stopped at the rest stop on Oak View and I recognized most of the girls working there from my daughter's high school dance team.  We were told that there was rain moving towards us from Monroe.

Back on the road and riding through Newtown we did get a little spritz and it felt really good but it never amounted to anything.  Apparently the last rest stop, on Rt 58 in Redding had pizza but we didn't stop.

By the time we got to Fairfield, however, we noticed that it rained hard down here and we were glad we missed it.

Just shy of the end of the ride we broke 100 miles

Our team captured our finish!

These guys went down nicely .
Another 100 mile ride with another happy ending!

Relive 'CT Challenge Grand Fondo'

CT Challenge Double Metric Training Ride with Happy Ending

Since last year, I have been providing input on the CT Challenge Century Ride or what they are now calling the Grand Fondo.  I noticed this year they appeared to be using last year's route so I decided a couple of weeks before the event to recon the route to make sure there weren't any surprises.

I headed out early Saturday and instead of riding Boggs Hill, I ride Boggs all the time so I knew there would be nothing unusual there, I headed down Rt 302 and stopped off to say hi to the cows at the Creamy. I think it's Karma that when a ride has cows it will be a great ride.

Lunch Ride

I was planning on a dirt century this weekend in preparation for the The Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo but then Gavin wanted to know if I wanted to do a road century with him instead. I said sure but it would have to be Sunday. He got the all clear from his better half and then I suggested that we ride to Great Barrington via Route 7 and get some lunch at the Barrington Brewery.

Kent Falls

The route I planned left from the Bicycle Center in Brookfield and skirted Rt 7 where it could and where it could not then we were on Route 7. I have always wanted to ride it up this way so this was a perfect opportunity.

Starting out was cool but by the time we got to New Milford the jackets came off. We brought jackets because there was a threat of rain in the afternoon but despite a little drizzle in the afternoon the jackets never came back on. Between Cornwall and Kent I recognized Terry Burke's car and waved to him but I don't think he recognized me. Terry rides all over the Northwest Corner of Connecticut. Later on, Gavin stopped for something to eat and Terry drove up to us and stopped to have a little chat. How ironic it was to pass him further south and then run into him again in Canaan.

 

We crossed into Massachusetts on Route 7A but had to head back to Rt 7 again because the bridge over the Housatonic River was finally being rebuilt and couldn't ride across it like we did on the Big Elm Ride last year.

We stopped at the Barrington Brewery for lunch and we both had the Black and Tan, but all it was black. Still, it tasted great.

I had the Chick Cordon Bleu for lunch but that was a mistake because it sat in my stomach the whole way back to Brookfield slowly digesting. I should have just had a big bowl of the Chili.

On the ride up to Great Barrington we had a head wind. On the ride back, the wind changed direction and we had a head wind, again! The ride back was slower probably due to the headwind and other factors, e.g. exhaustion.  There was one little scary moment on Rt 7 between Covered Bridge and Housatonic Meadows when an 18 wheeler wanted to pass on a curve and there was no shoulder.  He left us about 3 feet of room as the law dictates but he drove past us slowly which made the encounter a little unnerving to say the least.

This could have become my biggest ride to date if we had tacked a little something on. However, it was the longest ride for Voodoo Bondeye.

Breakfast with the Newtown Lunartics and Lunch with the Knuckleheads

To get ready for D2R2 I set out on a Sunday to do a big ride that started out with a few Newtown Lunartics and breakfast at our favorite French Bakery in Woodbury, CT.

Of course it wouldn't be a good ride if there weren't cows to look at

2017 CT Challenge

Team HomeServe:

Rich, Me, Bill, Lucy, Bob

Rich and I were doing the Century while the rest of the team were riding the 25 mile course

CT Challenge Training Ride (Reverse)

My company decided to participate in the CT Challenge this year and put a team together.  The CT Challenge is a local charity for people fighting cancer and those that have survived by offering wellness and nutrition programs, as well as opportunities for Cancer Survivors to go on trips to experience a variety of outdoor activities that they normally wouldn't have the opportunity to do so. Since I signed up for the Century ride I figured I might as well try the course out but decided to ride it in reverse for some gastronomic reasons.  

The first leg of the trip started out with almost everyone from the Newtown Lunartics Cycling Club and since we were riding to Lake Waramug via Woodbury we just had to stop at OOF (aka Ovens of France).

D2R2 180K: A Long Day on Dirt

Will and I spent the night before in Amherst because if you are going to spend 10+ hours on a bike you need to get an early start.  We got to the starting point at 6 AM and the sun was still below the horizon but the activity at Mill Village Road was in high gear! 

D2R2 is the biggest and best Gravel Event in the Northeastern United States by my recollection.  But don't take my word for it, here is the testimonial from thousands of riders over the years:

The Deerfield Dirt-Road Randonnee was conceived in the 1990's as just a favorite dirt-road loop in the hilltowns of Franklin County, Massachusetts. Since its birth as an organized event in 2005, many have hailed D2R2 as the hardest, most beautiful, most fun, most traffic-free, most unique, and overall best ride that they have ever done.  

And the Date has been set for next year and I already have it on my calendar!

D2R2 - THE DEERFIELD DIRT ROAD RANDONNÉE:  AUGUST 20, 2016

Here is my ride report:

After registering and picking up swag it was time to get to pedaling.  Will and I rolled through the starting gate a little after 6:30 and you couldn't ask for a more perfect morning.  Just warm enough so that arm warmers were unnecessary and not really foggy either.

First Dirt

It seemed for ever until we hit some dirt, however, riding on the pavement made for a nice warm up. With the exception of one big climb up to Steady Lane Farm and the first rest stop, the first 30 miles felt like a gradual climb in elevation.

Along the way we met other groups of riders and rode with them for bit and further in to the course we found others that were more our speed and hung together a bit, too. I met one guy from Brattleboro named Bernd and it turned out that we has originally from Germany. Knowing a little German myself I think I was able to hold a pretty good conversation with him.  We crossed paths many times throughout the entire ride.

The first 30 miles of the 180K is the Honeymoon

Following the first rest stop did it start get really interesting.  We were still climbing gradually into Hawley knowing full well that the first major descent would be E Road. One the reasons Will and I decided to do the 180K Route was because we already road up E Road on the Greylock Gravel Grinder in June and going up that hill once in one year suited me just fine. Descending E Road down into Charlemont was a blast.  I don't think I have ever descended in the dirt that fast before.

Steady Lane Farm

The first signature climb on the 180K route is Harris Mountain Road heading up into Heath from Charlemont. Pedaling up that will was incredible and I felt guilty saying to myself that I was thankful that it was paved.  In some sections the grade hit 19% but it was the sustained length at these extreme grades that made it so painful.  At the top was the second rest stop and we caught up with some of Will's friends from the NYC cycling club that I had met the week prior on my own solo Dirt Century training ride in Dutchess County, NY. 

Heading into Archambo Road

The real fun began with the Archambo Road climb, which is nicknamed The Wall. Although minuscule in terms of elevation the fact it has a max grade of 27% was an eye opener. There was a big group of riders ahead of us and by the time we hit the steepest part it was total debauchery. People were tacking side to side really slowly and others were jumping off their bikes and walking. 

Will salmoned his way through the tackers and walkers and tore up the hill.  I dropped to my lowest gear, scrunched up in the saddle to keep my center of gravity between the wheels and slowly but surely, ground my way up. At various times I was pedaling along side some people walking just as fast. I made it without walking.  Now I need to head back to North Kent Rd No. 1 and try that hill again! 

At the top of Hillman Road

The next big climb was Hillman Road. According to the cue sheet it is purported to be the hardest climb course on 180K and I think I would agree.  Again, Will powered his way up and I did what worked for me and got it done but it was indeed brutal, Some say it's the hardest climb on the 180K course but others contend its Patten Hill.

Will at the border with Vermont

The last climb before lunch is Franklin Hill and it's a climb that I have done before when I did my first D2R2 two years ago. After 50 miles, its the first time you start seeing riders from another course. According to Strava, the first part of the climb tops out with a max grade of 17% but after the switchback, which provides a brief respite in the middle of the hill there is another insanely steep section with a max grade of 19%.  Then, it's a long 6 mile descent down to the Green River Covered Bridge and lunch! 

The lunch line was huge! Apparently, there were individually made wraps which was slowing things down quite a bit.  There were no pickles to be had at this point and the pickle brine jug was almost empty but I did get a cupful which hit the spot.  Next time I bringing my own pickles! You were able to jump ahead to get sodas and other self serve items but if you really wanted a wrap, you had to wait.  

I think it would be been better served if the wraps were made ahead of time and there should have been a separate line for special orders and such. I did run into Andy Engle, who I have crossed paths with before riding around my neck of the woods in Newtown, Roxbury and New Milford, he was on the 180K course, as well and like me had GPS issues later down the road.  There were quite a few people riding today that I knew through various social media venues, including a guy that lives around the corner from me and holds just about all the KOMs in my area.  I think I saw Chris heading out around 6 AM.  I also saw some of the Rad & Gnar riding team from the Vision Quest Gravel Grinder I rode in Eastern Connecticut earlier this year.  They were riding the 100K route. After lunch, there is a really steep climb up from the Covered Bridge and with a full belly and a lot warmer temperatures made for a really slow grind.

The route after lunch took us on a reverse of course of what we rode last year on the 150K and when we turned right onto Simon Keets I was immediately reminded of the descent on that Jeep Trail down to the road in which it was mountain biking 101 where you just have to hang your fourth point of contact off the back of the saddle and roll it.  Only, we passed by and climbed Alexander Road. 

We met up with the group of riders at the covered bridge on Lyonsville Road that passed us right after lunch.  Someone in their group had to change a flat.  We found that nearly all the water that was left was almost gone but if it was out I am sure someone along the road would let us fill our bottles. Will and I drank and ate up knowing full well what lie ahead, the last big climb of the day, Patten Hill Road.

Mike Robinson

The first 100 meters of Patten Hill was newly paved but it was still really steep and the higher you went, the steeper it got, upwards of 13 to 14%.  Looking at Strava it averages out to 8% over the segment distance and while Hillman Road, on average is steeper, Patten Hill is almost twice as long and I can see why some think it's the toughest climb of D2R2.  While I was grinding my way up the hill I recognized Mike Robinson from Bethel, CT with whom I have communicated before through various social media outlets but never face to face.  Of course it had to be on Patten Hill after nearly 100 miles of cycling that we meet!

Scott Misage

What an irony it was to meet two readers of my blog on one the toughest climbs in Massachusetts. At the top of Patten Hill was the last rest stop and the water was cold, the M&Ms were outstanding, I passed on the watermelon due to food allergies but dove into the Pickle Brine! 

After the rest stop the route seemed to follow the reverse of the 100K route from 2013 when I did my first ride at D2R2.  At the bottom of Cooper Lane is when my Garmin died!  No low battery warning this time, it just up and died on me.  I turned on my Strava and continued riding but all of sudden realized that I was riding blind, so to speak.  That's why I always bring the cue sheet, however, without knowing the distance I had to rely on signs and read ahead for the turns.  Fortunately, Will's Garmin was still working and had the route in it.  

I vividly remembered Hawks Hill Road and it was just as rough as it was 3 years ago but with my 700x40c Schwalbe Land Cruiser tires I was still able to bomb through it.  Finally we were on Upper Road and picked up the pace and finished the ride in 12 hours and 12 minutes!  That was a long day on dirt!