Bike: Hakkalugi
After last year’s rainy and cold 300k, I was redeemed this year with beautiful weather, starting off ~48° and eventually hitting 80°. No rain, and relatively light wind especially compared to what I’m used to on Long Island. I opted for a long-sleeve layer, but arm warmers would’ve made more sense. The temperatures in this area have typically proved cooler than I anticipate.
The ride started at 6 a.m., and there were ~20 of us at the start. I had managed to get decent sleep the night before, and was feeling pretty good, but planned to conserve energy and take my time for the first 100k.
We rode through a few familiar towns on the way to the first control, like Becket, where I’d swam in the quarry a few years back. (The weather was still quite cool, but later in the day I would have dreamed of diving in.) Jacobs Ladder was a nice wake-up. I was probably a bit too excited and ended up riding relatively fast to the first control in Great Barrington. There I saw some familiar faces and briefly chatted with some new ones. By then, the sun had started kicking in, so I took off my long sleeve, put UV sleeves on my arms and legs, applied some sunscreen to my face and neck, refilled my water, and hit the road.
The next stretch from Great Barrington down to Kent had some lovely moments and some pretty dicey sections. It was great cruising down past the West Cornwall covered bridge, where my family had stayed just up the hill for a week about a year and a half ago. Along here we hit some headwinds, but it wasn’t too bad.
At the control in Kent, two riders who I’d been leapfrogging with since the first control were already there, catching some shade out front of the Mobil. I kept it pretty brief and chugged along. There were some nice views in the next stretch along farm roads with gentle hills.
Eventually, I made it to Bash Bish Falls, which I probably should have been more prepared for, it was grueling! It’s a 4.5 mile long climb, with two short sections of steep, 18% grades. I was just inching up, and as soon as I thought I’d get some relief, it became more treacherous. Several groups of riders were coming from the other direction, which I was somewhat envious of, but once I reached the top I felt great.
Afterwards, there were some great descents, but a section was under construction and was really rough with large chunks of gravel mixed in. There were two spots where the two lanes merged into one with temporary traffic lights. Fortunately, there wasn’t much car traffic—maybe five cars total. I had to hold on real tight and was glad to have 32mm tires.
I thought I had been doing an okay job hydrating, but I started to overheat in the afternoon, and the ride became a real slog around mile 140. I was starting to move real slow, and my overall average speed dropped from .5 mph pretty quickly.
Eventually, I found a market, grabbed some cold drinks, and found a nice dogwood in front of the public library to catch 15 minutes of relief. In hindsight, I should have taken an actual lunch break during the peak heat in the afternoon, as even that short 15-minute break left me substantially refreshed and energized, and I was able to push for the remainder of the ride. On a 200k, I can typically get away without a break or substantial meal, but for a 300k, I’ve learned I need to take a 30-minute break, likely around the 200k mark to reset.
Finally, I made it back to New Horizon Bikes, where Mary had some cold beverages and took my brevet card. From my understanding, her parents had started hosting the Berkshire Brevets in the late ’80s. It was tough, but I had a great time and will find a way to get up there once a year and slowly try each of the events they offer.
I’ve only ever ridden one 300k previously, and while I had made good time, I wasn’t sure how long it would take this time around. This year’s had around 3k fewer feet of elevation and my moving time was 12 hours and 50 minutes, this time it took 10 hours and 37 minutes. I attribute this to a few things, primarily the weather, but this past year I rode significantly more than the previous year and had a few more longer rides under my belt.
Here is the route.
