The Deerfield Dirt-Road Randonnee
On Saturday, August 25, 2007, the Third Annual Deerfield Dirt-Road Randonnee (D2R2) will start at 6 AM at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The ride will benefit the Franklin Land Trust. This RUSA populaire is breathtaking in both senses of the word: 107 miles, 70% on dirt roads, with 11,300 feet of climbing. There is a 12 hour time limit. The route is not marked, but a map, cue sheet, and checkpoint cards are provided, and food and fluids are provided at the checkpoints -- part of the challenge is not only the distance and climbing, but staying on course. Some of the cues from last year's ride: "Right at phone pole onto East Rd. (looks like Jeep track)." "Ignore Road Closed sign." "Very fast, twisty descent." "Road gets extremely rough." "Nasty climb next .75 miles." "Cows often in road next .5 miles." "Caution, begin gnarly descent - large stones and washouts next mile." I completed the ride with a cross bike. You can register on BikeReg.com. Link describing ride: http://newhorizonsbikes.com/page.cfm?PageID=347
Highly recommended. There are shorter options available too.
