Northeast - Harpoon Brewery B2B - 2008

Today was the sign up for this event. Is anyone else from BF doing it? I was surprised how quick it sold out. I am traveling up from SC for the event. Planning on coming in on Thursday to take in a Sox game before hand. Any tips from past B2B's? I went ahead and book a bed & breakfast in Vermont so I didn't have to take the bus ride back afterwards.

Hello Porter20

there are 5 of us here debating on this ride. we've never done one and i think we're afraid of the "speed limit" as some of us are speed challenged.
The b&B sounds like a good idea. i might look into that myself.

myself and a friend signed up for this years addition. We put ourselves in the 18pmh group. I wouldn't worry too much about the different groups. if you are worried just start in the 16pmh group and stay together. 16mph is a bit easier when you can trade pulls with a few people. This is my first B2B and looking at the course at MapMyRide and through Google Earth it looks to me like the hardest portion will be from about mile 90-110...there are some short punchy climbs that will probably hurt after 90 miles or so. My plan is to try and stay with a group at least to that point and then if those climbs kick my butt I can limp in the last 20-30 miles by myself.

I am worried because my friend is a bit faster than me and I might lose him a bit on the climbs, but I might try and bribe him with one of my free beers at the finish to wait for me on the descents...

see you in June!

I went with the 20 mph group figuring that I can at least hold that pace to the 50 mile mark. If I find that I am struggling to hang on, I hope at the point I can find some riding my pace then. I still may switch to the 19 mph group by the time I start, but I figure it will give me some motivation to get faster this year!

I agree that the 90 & 110 are going to hurt, especially after the big climb at 50. Probably the worst will be the uphill finish.

Look forward to meeting some BF's in June!

Iam signed up.. the registration went fast!! coming in from Philly

I signed-up last year, but was too poor to fly across the country (from Cali) and bringing my own bike was a logistical PIA.

I've been drinking Harpoon since the early 90's & it's just about the only thing I miss about the east coast (I live in Colorado now). I signed up again this year & I'm doing this --- no more f'ing lame excuses.

Linky?

Linky?

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28553

However, the ride is currently sold out. I believe it sold out less than an hour after registration opened.

However, Harpoon does allow for transfers. Keep an eye on this thread in case someone here w/ a registration can't make it.

.
I've been drinking Harpoon since the early 90's & it's just about the only thing I miss about the east coast

But you do have Fat Tire! Which I would love to get in South Carolina!

Yeah, Harpoon is going to raise their quarterly earnings. Ever since I got into this ride, I have switched my beer to Harpoon (when available down here). It is very good!

I'm in, with a bunch of riders from our local club.

But you do have Fat Tire! Which I would love to get in South Carolina!

Yeah, Harpoon is going to raise their quarterly earnings. Ever since I got into this ride, I have switched my beer to Harpoon (when available down here). It is very good!

Yeah, Fat Tire is pretty good too. It's reached pretty far into the west and midwest, so maybe it's just a matter of time before it hits your neck of the woods.


I'm in, with a bunch of riders from our local club.

Nice.

50 MORE SPOTS OPEN ON THURSDAY (3/20)

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28553

My friend has some back issues, so he's looking for someone to sell his spot to. PM me if you're interested and I'll hook you two up.

My friend has some back issues, so he's looking for someone to sell his spot to. PM me if you're interested and I'll hook you two up.

gone

So, anybody who rode this year's edition want to share their post-ride impressions from this event?

I rode in this event & I will tell you I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have ridden several big rides this year, (the Assault on Mt. Mitchell, Brasstown Bald Century & Tour de Orlando) and I would say this was epic. I flew up from SC, took in a Red Sox game and rode this event.

The course was great; long but fair. The ride out of Boston was great. Riding through some of the historic sections of town and then over some bridges, past Harvard and through some small towns. The first 50 miles were flat and fast;. I left with the 20 mph group and we avg almost 23.8 at the first stop. The next 60 miles were much tougher. Probably around 6000 ft of climbing and no rest stops until mile 110. There were gas stations that I saw a lot of riders stop at; but as far as supported stops, you were riding a full metric century to get to the next one. After that the final 36 were very scenic and fast. There were 4 climbs, but nothing major. You got to ride next to some pretty rivers & through a really cool covered bridge. The rest stops were well stocked with gatorade, water, fruit & plenty of Clif products - bars, gel bites & gel packets. Although, by the last stop the were really low on water. I like the staggered start because you didn't feel like you were riding in large groups, although by the 100 mile mark you started catching the other groups & the other groups caught you. At the end, the party was great; complete with a lot of tired riders, warm showers, free beer, a pretty good band & outstanding cookout. Cudos to the Windsor Fire Department for preparing some of the best chicken I have ever had! The showers were warmed from the boilers in the brewery, so plenty of hot water. Several buses going back so you could leave when you want.

All the riders were really cool. Several we just happy to finish (and quite excited) others were disappointed in their times. The weather was perfect. Nice and cool (82 degrees) with a brief shower. However, at 6:00 p.m a huge t-storm hit but they had a huge tent, so no worries.

Overall, this was an outstanding ride that I would do again in a heartbeat & right now plan to do next year. Even with the pain in the rear of boxing up a bike & shipping it, plus hotels etc. it was a great weekend. Total miles were around 146.5 & my total ride time was 7 hrs 22 mins. Although the course was long, I never felt exhausted. Although my last 2 100 mile rides have included over 12,000 ft of climbing so this was much easier.

I would be happy to answer any questions that are out there.

I signed up and cannot ride now. I am looking to transfer my spot. The deadline is May 15th to transfer. If your interested email me at baschwart@comast.net