Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif: May 6, 2012

 

The start, and finish

325 riders, 2 courses: 130K (82 miles) with about 6,050 feet climbing and 100K (64 miles) with about 4580 feet of climbing. Both rides had a 6.5 hour time limit to finish successfully and both were open to recreational riders and licensed amateurs.  The ride is the Berkshire Cycling Classic Sportif, a first-ever event this year, that started and finished in Lenox, MA. In between it followed a beautiful, challenging, course on mostly small rural roads through central and southern Berkshire County, MA. It was the only US qualifier for the UCI World Cycling Tour Finals, to be held in South Africa (the top 3 riders in each category riding the 130 K qualified.) For more info, race results, other good stats, visit their website.

The routes merge

Event organizer Sparta Cycling and its promoters in the Berkshires did a good job of organizing support. The 12 or so towns involved all had police directing traffic and giving cyclists the right of way at virtually every intersection. Volunteers were there too, helping to manage traffic. Signage was clear and thorough, and cracks and potholes in road surfaces outlined in bright spray paint. The rest stops were good (and we cyclists managed to sort it out whether the behind-the-shed open air facilities were a men's room or women's room at any given moment. The lack of restrooms needs attention next year.) Actually, I only stopped at the first, mid-way rest stop, because the second on the 100K course was immediately before the last hard climb and I didn't want to stop. The 130K had a 3rd rest stop, while the routes had diverged. It was super hearing the clapping, bells, whistles, horns and encouragement of local residents! I believe the ride was organized in about 5 months, something of a miracle, so kudos, good job, chapeau, thank you and hooray to all involved.

Erik Zabel

And I get to say that I rode in an event with Erik Zabel, 6-time green jersey winner in the Tour de France. And with Ann Marie Miller, Cat 1 racer and 11-time US National Masters' Champion. And with the other "Cycling Ambassadors," all with amazing racing credentials. Note: I said rode in an event with them, I certainly did not say rode with them! And with cyclists from as far away as South Africa, Europe, Brazil, Panama and Canada. Not to mention all the wonderful local cyclists from the Berkshires, the rest of Massachusetts, and beyond, a few of whom I was lucky to get to meet, and ride with from time to time.



I won't describe the route here, I've done that here in 100K Route, here in On and Off the Route and here in Route 57.





There were some very minor changes to the 100K after my first post, perhaps I'll note them there later. Today, when the road crossed the Appalachian Trail, (hiking route, Maine to Georgia, long) out popped two hikers. Wonder what they thought. Also, It was very cool when the two routes merged back together. Just as I came to that intersection, a bunch from the 130K went by. Sorry for the lousy photo, it was the best I could do to actually get the camera out in time. In all, I didn't take many photos, no surprise there.

Ann Marie Miller

So, how did I do? Well, I am tickled. Finished the 100K in 5 hours, 24 minutes, first in my age group. 4580 feet is a lot of climbing for me, I'm a slow climber, and there were some steep grades. I don't know what sites list grades accurately, so will make do with steep, no percentages. I wanted to break 6 hours, so I'm pleased. Oh yes, truth in advertising, I was also last in my age group. Yes, an age group of one, and the oldest of the 37 women to finish either route. I don't know why more women don't ride this kind of event, but we don't. I could inflict more statistics on you, but won't.  It was a very satisfying day. And I'm not going to ride it again tomorrow.



Next year, if you like beautiful, hilly courses, come join the ride!

Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif: 100K Route

64 miles          Challenging         Paved Roads

Start: Lenox
Towns: Lenox, Stockbridge, Lee, Tyringham, Monterey, New Marlboro, Sheffield, Egremont, Alford, West Stockbridge






View to south from behind Tanglewood

Wind intimidates me. I don't like even to listen to it from snug inside my house. Don't like it when I'm hiking outside, or gardening, or cycling. Duly noted. Today I didn't actively dislike it, tried to note it and then let it go, but struggled with it almost the entire route of the 100K Berkshire Cyclosportif, coming up on May 6. The weather reporters tell me it was a fairly steady 20mph; I only know that I was working pretty hard to hold a cadence of 70 and it was energy-sapping.





South County landscape

The route itself is fabulous, very beautiful virtually all the time. It rolls from Lenox south, winding around the smaller towns of southern Berkshire County, passing through varied geography and offering the rider a fair sampling of the rural southern Berkshires. This is pretty terrain, frequently fairly manicured, in a prosperous New England kind of way. Further north, and in the hilltowns, there are wilder, less developed parts of the county, but this is the best known area.

Lenox, the start of the route, is home to Tanglewood, summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which plays a big role in driving our tourist-based economy. Though it is  the most prominent of many cultural institutions in the area, there are many more,  mostly seasonal, and the economy and population are radically different summer to winter. Right now towns and roads are still quiet, and will be until June.

View of Stockbridge Bowl from near end of ride

After passing through Stockbridge, where there are plenty of stops for food or water, the route follows the beautiful Tyringham Valley before turning south and climbing over the hill to Monterey. There is a busy section of road on Rt. 23, but it isn't long, and I quickly turned south on Corashire Road, a beautiful short link to Route 57. From there it travels west to Sheffield, before turning back north on Route 41. It is generally flat and rural most of the way, with the only two real climbs: the first  between Tyringham and Monterey, and the second at the very end, from West Stockbridge into Lenox. That one goes past two Berkshire Natural Resources Council properties. You'll see if you click the route map below.

Old barn

In the end I finished with plenty of time to spare, and a new, more specific, goal for the May 6 event. Oh yes, when I learned about the 7-hour time limit to successfully complete the course, I changed my registration from the 138K to the 100K. There is no possibility that I will ride the 138K within that time limit. The 100K, about 64 miles, about 3700 feet climbing is doable for me. Perhaps more gracefully if there's less wind on the day of the event.

Shadbush is blooming, spring is here

Sportif or not, this route is another good addition to my list of County rides, one that I will be glad to ride again. To see a map of the route and cuesheet, click here to visit Ride with GPS.



Back to Berkshire County Rides list

Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif: a ride on and off the route

55 miles         Challenging        Paved Roads

Start: Lee

Towns: Lee, Tyringham, Monterey, New Marlboro, Otis


 

Tyringham Valley

Today my car needed some work done, so I left it at Chuck Larson's shop, Larson Automotive. If you're visiting for the cyclosportif and for some reason need an auto mechanic, there's my suggestion. He's fabulous. But I digress. I mention that because  I rode south from there, using parts of the upcoming cyclosportif route. I'll tell you where I was on, and off, that route. As I understand it, the route includes a few sections of  roads that I have never ridden, and I wanted to try them. Today's discoveries were lovely rural roads perfect for cycling.

Tyringham Cobble

After leaving busy Route 20 and 102, my route first took me up pretty Tyringham Valley, which both the 100K and 138K will use. Immediately to the south  of the village itself is Tyringham Cobble, a Trustees of Reservations property, whose 2-mile hiking trail loops to the summit, with its spectacular views of the valley, then returns to the parking lot. The Trustees are a Massachusetts land conservancy organization, with beautiful sites all across the state. If you're visiting look for their properties. The road surface was good in Tyringham, less so in South Lee.

Lake Garfield in Monterey

I decided to follow the 100K route, turning south towards Monterey on Tyringham- Monterey Road, where the 138K continues straight. As best I remember, the road climbs for about 600 feet. I have ridden the other direction too, straight ahead on Tyringham Road. Both routes climb; my sense is that the 138K route is steeper, though I'm not sure. Today I'll return that way. But if you are following the 100K route, when you see the sign "Lake Garfield Watershed," you're at the top.




In Monterey, a pretty village, the route turns right onto Rt. 23 for several miles. There is occasionally a bit of shoulder, not much, on Rt. 23. This can be a busy road, particularly in the summer, when our seasonal residents have returned. Probably in early May it will be fairly quiet. Within less than 3 miles the cyclosportif route turns south onto Corashire  Road and so did I.

Corashire Road

New to me, Corashire was a pretty, if short, section of the ride. It descends gradually from Route 23 to Route 57, linking these two major east-west thoroughfares. But keep in mind, a major road here might be far quieter than in more developed parts of the US. To those of us accustomed to March in this part of the world something is missing in this photo: maple syrup buckets. The winter has been so abnormally warm that there has been essentially no syrup season.






 

Intersection of County and GB-Mill River Road

A couple quick turns brought me to Great Barrington-Mill River Road. At the intersection with County Road I left the cyclosportif route (or at least my understanding of it.) I believe the route, which both the shorter and longer versions will ride, follows County Road, either going straight, or bearing right, depending on how you think about it. But I wanted to continue south to Mill River, so I took the left fork. From Mill River I continued to Southfield, where I turned back north to Rt.57 east, which I rode last week (for details in the proper direction see the post Route 57.) This put me back on the 138K route, although riding in the opposite direction. See Route 57 post for a description of the ride in the proper direction.

Farmington River next to Route 8

After crossing Rt. 57 from west to east, with (in this direction) a delightful long descent, I turned north on Rt. 8 to Cold Spring Rd. The 138K ride will use this road but travelling south on Rt. 8. The road follows the Farmington River, but riding it today was a drag, because the road was milled in preparation for resurfacing. However, the new surface should make a good ride in May, and the ride in that direction is a long gentle downhill.









 

Fence

I turned left onto Cold Spring Road, which I've never ridden before. It was pretty, very rural, with virtually no traffic. Next to the road was the oddest fence I've ever seen, made of sections that looked like mattress innersprings, but shorter. The fence was long, looked old, and I wondered about its history.

Beaver lodge.

The road is flat on the top, higher than both Rt. 8 and Rt. 23, which it links, and passes through extensive swampland, created by the beaver population. For the first time ever, I saw one sunning itself, I guess, on top of a smallish lodge. If you look very carefully you'll see it. Today there were a pair of common mergansers swimming nearby on the beaver pond. This is also good moose habitat, I see them from time to time.

Before descending to Rt. 23, I passed Lower Spectacle Pond, a lovely small lake that Mass Audubon was key to protecting. The acres protected around the pond contain rare old growth forest, particularly hemlock, some of which is said to predate European settlers arrival.

Lower Spectacle Pond

Descending to Rt. 23, I turned left, then immediately right onto Tyringham-Monterey Road, still following the 138K route backwards. Throughout the Berkshires, and on today's ride, road surface quality varies greatly from town to town. When you see a sign marking town boundaries, watch for changes in the road surfaces. This part of the route has a great hill, which today I was riding down, and the road surface was smooth and fast. It was fun, partly because I more frequently ride up this hill.  I continued straight back down the Tyringham valley, retracing my pedals.

Cold Spring Road

My brand new bike computer records altitude and temperature, as well as cadence, distance, etc. It confirmed that it was cold, which my numb fingers had told me, particularly at the start of the day...30F. We have had a stretch of very warm weather, and somehow I no longer expect it to be cold, though it usually is this time of year. By May, it should be considerably warmer, with trees and bushes in bloom. I finished the ride back at Larson's, with an even 55 miles and 4283 feet of climbing. All in all, this is a good addition to my collection of Berkshires cycling routes.





Other Berkshire Classic Cyclosportif posts include:

• Route 57
• Berkshire Classic Cyclosportif 
• 100K Route

Back to Berkshire County Rides list

Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif: Route 57

Swamp on Rt. 57

Styles change, one thing leads to another, and before you know what happened, your situation is quite different. But this time, I know just what happened. After my September 2011 Pyrenees tour, it was wildly difficult getting back into the swing of things here. The Pyrenees are a cyclist's paradise. But I won't go back into that now. Clearly, goals here at home were called for.

Sandisfield Bridge

I signed up for the St. Patrick's Day 100K, a RUSA event. Added the 59-mile VASA ride in Washington DC before that event, since I was going to be there anyway. A few weeks ago I learned of an inaugural cyclosportif here in the Berkshires, named the Berkshire Cycling Classic Cylosportif.

Wanting to ride further, I signed up for the 138K which, by the way, includes over 6000 feet of climbing and winds its way around the rural landscape of the Berkshires. My biggest weakness is hill climbing. I would be a happier rider if I become a stronger climber.



Now to get to the point. Many of my outdoor rides will cover a part of the Berkshire Cyclosportif course. Today I rode the Rt. 57 section of the course, from New Boston on Rt. 8 to New Marlboro. It is a pretty ride, entirely rural and includes two climbs. The first comes shortly after the turn off Rt. 8 onto Rt. 57 and was definitely the easier. The second was harder, but not too intense or steep. That doesn't mean I was fast. I was slow. Note: Added after the official map and cue sheet were published. The route does not follow Rt. 57 all the way to New Marlboro, it turns south part way across the road.

The road is a state route, and the surface was generally pretty good, for this part of New England after the winter. Never terribly broken up, no huge long lengthwise fissures, and only a few serious holes that I noticed. One of the bridges had a surface I rarely see, pretty but bumpy. I doubt the roads will be closed to car traffic on the day of the ride; it would be nice to be surprised. There is no shoulder on Rt. 57 to speak of, but also not much traffic.

The Old Inn on the Green

The road follows a stream that feeds the Farmington River for a while, which was pleasant.  Once reaching The Old Inn on the Green, the climbing is done, and the ride runs downhill into New Marlboro. If anyone visiting for the cyclosportif wants to treat themselves to an absolutely fantastic, though not inexpensive, dinner, this is the place.

If this is a race with a maximum time limit, my time wasn't good enough; it isn't on the registration but in one of the other tabs on their site it says it is a 7-hour ride. Also, it would be terrific if the organizers would post a readable version of their two route maps. I imagine they are pretty hard to follow if you're not familiar with our local roads.

Hepatica

In New Marlboro, I turned around and retraced the route, taking photos along the way. It is a pretty ride either direction. Spring is here, witness the hepatica blooming.

Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif

Note, written later. To see photographs and specific information about the route itself click on these links. I'll update the list as I ride and post:

• Route 57
• On and Off the Route

Yes, sentences that start with I are problematic. Ditto posts lacking photos. Here we go.

I don't ride fast. I'm not competitive. I love to tour. Tour solo, loaded. I'm pretty solitary, don't much like crowds. I stop, visit historic sites. I take lots of photos. I linger over French lunches. I might have a glass of wine. I smell the world around me when I ride. I notice the details.

Next.

I just signed up for the Berkshire Cycling Classic Cyclosportif. Another way to say that, a gran fondo. I just signed up for the 130K route, not the 100k route. The route promises 1909 meters of climbing.That's a pretty specific number. It is not a little bit of climbing. But my head thinks in feet, maybe I don't get it.  I don't think that I want to understand that number in feet. Now where am I going to go with this post if I don't look it up. OK. Write it down, face up to it. Say it out loud. That is 6,263.1233596 feet of climbing. I didn't really need to go out to7 digits to be intimidated. Rounding would have done it.

It is on May 6.

Organizer and former pro John Eustice describes it as: "It is a very challenging route, reminiscent of a Tour de France stage in the Vosges Mountains of Eastern France." That's something, they didn't tell me the Pyrenees or Alps. But I knew that, I live here. These are hills, not mountains.

Cyclosportives rank riders in their age and gender categories. Just what are those age categories, anyway? It is a race. Maybe a mellow race, but a race. Not a randonnée. In this country, you don't need a medical certificate, which you do in France. You do get a chip and a number, though.

I do have some advantages. It starts closer to my home than my job is. Specifically in Lenox, just to the west of home. No need to travel to get here. No need to find lodging. No need to get up at an unhumanly early hour.

It is the inaugural, first-ever year for this particular event. That should be fun. I have assigned my husband the task of turning local Berkshire County, MA residents into the equivalent of TDF fans. Though they can scream and be silly in English.

I know there are readers out who know a lot about training. A way lot. Much more than me. And I know that most of you are much faster than me. I need to climb faster. Hints?

I could train more, though quitting my job is a really bad idea. Or at least unfeasible. I could lose some weight, though dieting and training don't sit very happily together. My BMI is pretty low on the charts as it is. I could buy a faster bike, though that would no doubt eat up my cash for the next air ticket to France and I won't do that.

So, you more skilled, faster, more competitive happy hill riders ... hints? 

The route and elevation for the 130K.