Scratch that off the D2R2 Bucket List

I had to get up at 4:30 AM because my shift at the Registration Tent started at 5:00 AM.  Bob, pictured below sitting down, told me what to do and at 5 on the nose, people started flooding in.  However, it appeared that half the riders had checked in the night before.

At one point we had 5 people working and we finally shut down at 10:30 and yet there were still a few stragglers!

It was amazing to be at the fest tent and not see a single bike

There were some threatening clouds coming our way.

But we didn't get any rain.

I took a short nap on Jason's hammock.

For lunch, I headed over to Berkshire Brewing Company.  They now have a Tap Room but you have to bring in your own food, which I did.  

I had the Kolsch Shandy. It was light and lemony and perfect for Saturday

While I was on the tour, I got a call from Rob saying that needed SAG support as he broke a spoke on his rear wheel and couldn't ride anymore.  I left the brewery tour and headed out to the location he sent me. I stopped in at the registration tent to see if they needed any more help and it turns out there was crash near the covered bridge and someone might be needed to drive up to Brattleboro to pick them up once they were discharged.

The hospital was only 25 miles away and I offered to go.  I got some dinner and met Will as he returned from his ride and he told me about the course.  At 4:30 I headed north and picked up a woman, who was the one who crashed and broke her clavicle in two places. She was in a lot of pain so I drove slow.  

When I got back to the camp the weather was heading in a nasty direction and when the wind whipped up we decided to lower the canopy and get underneath in our chairs and hold on to so it didn't blow away.

After the wind then came the rain but with the canopy lowered we resumed our party

We stayed this way until the rain subsided

And finished the night with some Karls Sausage!

Faux Spring and Cold AF

My new favorite #rideafterwork area is Easton , Connecticut.  It's about 15 to 20 minutes from the office and in the direction of home so it makes perfect sense to stop off and get a few miles in.

I expanded the route a bit to push it over 20 miles and it included some new roads that I have never been on like Wilson Ave, Beers Road, and Morehouse Highway.

It was simply COLD AF!  I brought my lobsters but went with gloves with overmits and my hands didn't warm up until 6 miles into the ride.  By the time my hands were warm my chest cooled off considerably.  That's when I checked the temperature and it said 30 degrees!

My legs got cold 5 miles out from Aspetuck Park where I started.  Temperature on the Garmin read 28 degrees when I got back to the car.

A little Shabadoo from Berkshire Brewing Company helped take the edge off!

RAW on the Spring Equinox

I met Gavin for a quick Ride After Work starting from Aspetuck Park and heading up to the top of Sport Hill and back.  It seems that Old Man Winter is not giving into the coming of spring to easily.

Temperatures today were in the 50s but as the sun set the mercury began to fall and by the end of the ride is was 37 degrees!

There is still quite a bit of snow on the ground but hopefully the warmer temperatures this week will cause this to melt.  The snow and the warm air cause some really interesting temperature inversions.

Once at the top of Sport Hill we rode over to North Park Ave on Stepney Road.  Not my favorite because it has two blind curves but its your only choice.  What I love about the route is how straight both Sport Hill and North Park Ave are.

By the time we neared the Easton Library it was time for lights but the spectacular sunset and clouds off in the distance made for some breath taking views.

After words I enjoyed a nice Berkshire Brewing Company Cabin Fever Ale.

Berkshire Brewing Company Goes Warm?

I was at the Big Y in Newtown, CT on Saturday and found all this Berkshire Brewing Company Beer on display and not refrigerated?  Nowhere else have I seen this before.  The Big Y in Deerfield, MA was selling it cold and everywhere else around my neck of the woods sells it cold, too, and you never see it out on the shelves like this.  Is this an example of a Beer Failure?

If the cans say Best Kept Cool does that mean you have to keep it cool or it is OK not to?  I have tweeted this and Instagrammed it to Berkshire Brewing Company but that haven't gotten back to me yet.  Of course, it could be the Big Y here not knowing.  I bought my six pack of Lost Sailor Pale Ale that day where it was stored cold.

Update:  According to the company, they don't pasteurize their beer, therefore the recommendation to Best Kept Cool but apparently it can be sold this way, it's just recommended to Best Kept Cool. Personally, I will not buy BBC unless it's cold.

2014 D2R2, The 10th Anniversary!

This was it, what Will and I have been training for all year.  Originally, we were just going to ride the 115K but around a month ago Will suggested that we should go for the 160K. Initially, I was a little nervous about trying to ride that distance but knew I could hang after doing an 88 and 92 mile rides in the spring, and my 103 mile gravel grinder the week before sealed the deal!

It was a beautiful morning with a slight chill in the air because there was no sun

The 160K went north through Historic Deerfield and up to Greenfield, which was flat and allowed for some good speed. We got in behind the Firefly Adventure Cycling Team on Route 5 for a bit before someone in their group had a mechanical which forced them off the route.  They passed us later, of course.

Will and I just riding a long in anticipation of a long day in the saddle climbing dirt roads

A couple of shopping carts were on the bikeway, nice!

Then the fun began

At the 16.8 mile mark on East Hill Rd the dirt road ends and becomes a mountain bike trail that had one particularly hairy descent that I rolled like I was riding my mountain bike.  Many people walked it and I don't blame them.

Climbing up Sweet Pond before breaking off for our adventure in Brattleboro

Since the 160K course was really 94 miles and I wanted to make this year's D2R2 ride a Century I suggested that we ride the option loop from last year's 100K ride.  Only, the mistake I made was not programming it into the Garmin.  I had the map of the course blown up but I missed an important turn and we ended up in Brattleboro!  Oops.  When I realized the mistake I whipped out my iPhone and went to the map I created on the Google Maps Engine and that enabled us navigate back to the course and to the first rest stop where we met up with Dan.

We were planning on riding with Dan, whom I rode with last weekend on a self supported Century Gravel Grinder, but as we were getting ready at the cars Dan headed off in the other direction.  So I texted him and told him he was going to the wrong direction.  I figured by the time he caught up to us Will and I would have completed our Extra Credit loop and not 5 minutes after we got there, Dan rolled in! 

About 15 miles from the Lunch Stop in Charlemont, MA, we stopped for a break to fuel up.  Dan shared with us some beef jerky he brought with him and OMG, that was the best tasting thing I had a had after breakfast and 65 miles of riding!  I will never ride long distance without bringing beef jerky!  At the lunch stop I had the pasta salad and drank pickle juice because all the pickles were gone.  Still that juice, like the Beef Jerky, was another god send!

There were few climbs on this route that were simply insane.  The first one at the 20 mile mark is called "The Wall" which was really just a nasty single track climb which I made without stopping but the most memorable climb was E Road behind the Berkshire East Ski Area.  For one mile, it just kept going up and up!  Will hammered that climb while Dan and I made, too.

My Surly Cross Check at the last rest stop with 17 miles to go to the end

One of the last climbs and I felt like I was puttering!

I rode the entire 107 miles with this can of Berkshire Brewing Company (BBC) can of Lost Sailor IPA in my trunk bag with the sole purpose of opening it at the finish line.  It was still a little chilled and didn't foam up that much, either.

My #CanMe picture for +BerkshireBrewingCompany 

It tasted like Victory!

Dan (l), Will (center) and your's truly with our BBC's behind their beer truck!  That was the best tasting beer in the world!  A job well done boys!

The Ride Profile

Hoppy Bike Commute

Heading out Friday morning to work was a mixed bag of nerves and jubilation.  The rear tire was working but every bump and jiggle had me checking it.  It's funny how you come to rely on something so much but when it let's you down you never seem to trust it again.