2006 Shelburne Falls 200K Brevet
I drove up to Westfield with Randy from my club. We met Coleman and Doug at the start at New Horizons Sports in Westfield. Due to a long line for the bathroom I missed the 7:00 am start by a few minutes.
Randy and I set a pretty fast pace for the start of the ride and we caught up to a big group about 10 miles down the road that included Doug and Coleman. We hung with that group for a while. Randy took off about the time we got to route 116, a long gradual climb before a turnoff to Shelburne Falls.
I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go after him, and I set a pretty good pace up the climb. The big pack kind of strung out there, and one guy caught me and we rode together over the top. I could see Randy just ahead, but after the fast descent, I didn’t see him. I made a turn toward Shelburne Falls, and backed off the pace a little. I though Randy may have missed the turn, but he was at the Coffee Shop checkpoint when I got there 45 miles into the ride. I ran into the bathroom and filled my water bottle and bought a big chocolate chip cookie.
When I came out of the coffee shop Randy had taken off, and Doug and Coleman were just pulling in. I added some Cyctomax mix to my bottles that I had with me, took off my wind breaker and stuffed it into my seat pack since it was starting to warm up.
I waited and started of with Doug, Coleman, and one other rider who looked like he was an experienced Brevet rider. I figured it was better to hang back at a more moderate pace that try to chase after Randy and end up riding on my own the whole time.
The next section of the ride was the best part. It made a loop into Vermont. The roads was a lot better, and there were some good hills, and great views along the way. There was a great downhill section on a narrow winding road that passed a covered bridge at the bottom.
I took a couple of long pulls as we rode along a river heading back to Shelburne Falls. The second checkpoint was at McCloskey’s General Store in Shelburne Falls. It was a great store. They had a deli area, and a lot of natural and organic foods. I bought a large bottle of water and a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. I also bought some sunscreen because my face was starting to get red.
The ride back to Westfield had some bumpy roads with a lot of potholes to look out for, but the route was a little different than the ride out. With about 5 miles to go I pushed the pace a little and finished alone. I felt great for a 125 mile ride this early in the year.
I could have gone faster, but it is more fun to ride with friends and enjoy the scenery than to go hard an bonk with 25 miles to go. My goal was to get in a good endurance ride and feel good at the end, and that is what I did.
