D2R2 2015 - you gotta earn those views

The Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee was a really pretty ride--pretty long, pretty hilly, pretty hard, pretty chilly--but very scenic! Saturday may have been the most most amazingly beautiful ride I have ever been on, but I really had to work for it--116 miles with 15,666 feet of climbing--mostly on dirt roads, starting at sunrise and finishing an hour-and-a-half after sunset.

The scenery was spectacular. I only rode 24 miles in the first 3 hours, mostly because I kept stopping to take photos (well, that and the 4000 feet of climbing). I took over 125 photos and passed up twice that many because I wanted to finish before last call at The People's Pint. I hope you enjoy the 50 photos below which I think best capture this exceptional day. But first a bit more about the ride itself.

Here's the description from the D2R2 web site: "The Deerfield Dirt-Road Randonnee was conceived in the 1990's as just a favorite dirt-road loop in the hilltowns of Franklin County, Massachusetts. Since its birth as an organized event in 2005, many have hailed D2R2 as the hardest, most beautiful, most fun, most traffic-free, most unique, and overall best ride that they have ever done. The courses will use the narrowest, oldest, twistiest, quietest, and most-scenic roads available."

Note that I didn't do the official event; I just rode the course on my own. It was a long day. I woke up at 4:30 AM to drive to Deerfield, then rode for twelve-and-a-half hours, relaxed over Borscht and beer, and got back home and unpacked just before midnight. Walked once, up 27% Archambo Rd. Crashed once, going down a jeep track in the dark.

The ride itself had a little bit of everything, as reflected in these excerpts from the cue sheet...

Difficult climbs

• Stage 1: Deerfield to Heath--36.5 miles, 6000' total climbing. This section is hard, but it is just a warm-up. Pace yourself accordingly.
• Shelburne Falls Rd (climb)
• Main Poland Rd--begin steep climb; Summit, through cut in bedrock, "Poland Gate"
• Mountain Rd - 15% climb next 3/4 mile
• South Heath Rd - super steep
• Stage 2: Heath to Green River Covered Bridge--28.7 miles, 3500' total climbing. This section has three long, steep hills, a 27% wall, and almost no flat road until three miles from the checkpoint.
• Archambo Rd - 27% grade
• Hillman Rd (some say the hardest climb on the course)
• Stage 3: Green River Covered Bridge to Patten Hill--32.8 miles, 5000' total climbing. This section has four hard climbs and then a monster, but there are flat stretches in between.
• Patten Hill Rd - very steep pavement
• Stage 4: Patten Hill to Deeerfield--13.9 miles, 1400' total climbing. This section has a long down, then four smaller up-downs, then a long gnarly downhill to the finish.

Challenging descents

• Pavement: CAUTION, entering "The Bobsled Run"
• CAUTION: wicked downhill next mile - steep, rutted, narrow, stony
• Pavement at bottom of long descent
• T-intersection at bottom of steep hill
• CAUTION, gnarly descent, stones, washouts next mile
• Bottom of sharp hill, RIGHT onto Upper Rd

Quizical cues

• LEFT onto Pine Hill Rd - dirt, ignore Road Closed sign; Caution for pigs in road
• Heads up! RIGHT turn at phone pole onto little jeep track - this is actually East Rd
• Continue straight - road becomes gnarly
• Hairpins
• Caution, livestock often in road next 0.5 mile

Divers roads

• Hoosac Rd (which soon turns to dirt)
• Boyden Rd (tiny driveway-sized road)
• Murray Rd (little grassy lane)
• Bear left past rock walls (straight ahead is jeep track)
• Brattleboro Rd (pavement)
• Square Lot Rd (tiny tree-lined lane, no sign)

Covered bridges

• Burkeville Covered Bridge
• Bissell Covered Bridge
• Green River Covered Bridge
• Colrain Covered Bridge

In addition, I encountered varied weather--from sunny, blue skies with puffy white clouds to gray and windy with sleet or drizzle--though the temperature was consistently cold (low around 30 and high in the mid-40s) so I was only warm during the long climbs.

The roads were mostly deserted except for the occasional hunter passing me in his pickup truck. The remoteness made for great riding, but also made it impossible to find food or water. There was a coffee shop at mile 15, and Charlemont at mile 35 had a few food options, but that was it until the end of the ride. The few places listed on the cue sheet or found via Google search were out of business or closed when I rode past, so I carried sandwiches and 2 liters of water in my Viscacha saddle bag.

And now, on to the photos...

Pine Hill Rd - "Caution for pigs in road"

Pages Coffee Bar and Used Bookstore in Conway.

Serving the world's best lemon scones (according to me).

I almost didn't stop because Google says they don't open until 9 AM on Saturday.

They actually open at 8 AM, in plenty of time for my visit at 8:30.

Burkeville Covered Bridge

Poland Gate marks to summit of the steep climb from Burkeville Covered Bridge up Main Poland Rd.

There are no restaurants or convenience stores after Charlemont.

But there are plenty of places like this that sell maple syrup--perfect energy food for cycling???

Bug Hill Rd

Bissell Covered Bridge

Suit of armor on Franklin Hill Rd, just shy of the VT border.

Green River Covered Bridge

Franklin Farm Store in Guilford, VT.

Put your money in the box for maple syrup, eggs, ground beef and stew meat.

If we call ahead, they would probably put out water and sandwiches for hungry bikers.

Colrain Covered Bridge

Sunset came too early.

I was looking forward to warming up over dinner at Gould's Sugar House Restaurant. Their web page said they closed at 6 PM, but I didn't get there until 6:30. Not that it mattered, because the sign outside the restaurant said Hours 8:30 - 6:00 with the 6 crossed out and updated with 2 PM. So I sat on a rock outside the restaurant and ate my ham and cheese sandwich in the cold and dark, like it says in the Ripper motto.

I parked in the public lot across from the Deerfield Inn. They weren't serving breakfast yet when I left at 7 AM, but the place was hopping when I returned at 7:30 PM.

I packed my bike into the Mini, changed into warm clothes, and headed to The People's Pint. The owner/brewer is a cyclist and offers bar credits for bike commuters.
I had a flite of IPAs including Training Wheels (a session IPA) an Hub & Spoke. I ended my amazing day with an amazing bowl of Borscht with beef soup. It was mostly amazing that I liked it, since I am not a big beet booster.