D2R2 2010 coming up soon!

I am going to do this ride or Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee for the 4th time now, it's not a race, but timed at check points. One of the most fun and in multiple special ways one of the most demanding rides I have seen.

Here is some of the latest 2010 infos. Very well supported on the way, before and after.

FROM: D2R2 - Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee 2010
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Some notes on the food supplies.

Our style is in the spirit of old-school randonneuring - a tendency to keep moving, but no shyness when it's time to eat.

Randonneurs typically ride an opening chunk of miles before making their first stop, and thus D2R2 (except the 40 mile) does not offer a lot of food until about 35 miles in. 180K riders thus won't see a lot of food until Heath; 100K and 40-mile riders won't see a lot of food until lunch. We will have tons of water on the course, and different crystalized drinks.

All riders will be offered continental breakfast at the start, lunch at the halfway, and dinner at the finish. The exact menu is on our website. At lunch, our caterers will offer you one plate of 'sophisticated' stuff, but then we will also have the usual PB&J, cookies, fruit, etc for you to fill up with. There will be lemonade and ice tea in addition to water and energy drinks.

In different places there will be things for your jersey pockets - at the start, a Hammer gel and Endurolyte pack; elsewhere we put out bananas, energy bars, Fig Newtons, and small ziplock bags for gorp and other stuff. The finish tent will have cold sodas and salty stuff as soon as you get there, before you even head to dinner.

The general intent of the ride is to keep you moving along until lunch, where you take a break and eat up. Then, on the return leg, you will find extra goodies, mostly sugary and salty, to fight bonk and cramps on the way home. We tend to offer a variety of things so you don't get sick of something. Other than the lunch station, here are the rest-stop offerings. Please read carefully and plan accordingly.

40-mile: You will find a table set up halfway up Green River Rd (miles 16 and 26) with drinks and snacks. Lunch is mile 23. You will also cross Route 2A in Greenfield on both your outbound and return legs (miles 6 and 36), at which point there are several convenience stores should you need something unexpected.

100K: The Patten Hill checkpoint at mile 13 will offer water and Gatorade to top off your bottles. Last year riders inexplicably swarmed this stop like locusts, so I will be clear: THIS STOP WILL NOT OFFER FOOD, just drinks. It's 13 miles in, keep it moving .... At mile 24 (0.5 mile after the hairpins) there will be a serve-yourself table with water jugs. Lunch is mile 37. 5 miles after lunch there will be a table with water, Gatorade, and snacks. 7 miles later, at the top of East Colrain Rd, the Bart's Homemade Ice Cream truck will be stationed (you will need three bucks for a 5-oz cone of homemade ice cream). 4 miles later you reach Apex Orchards, which will offer its usual array of fruit and other sweets and salts to get you home.

180K: At mile 21, Steady Lane Farm will host a table with water and light snacks; nothing major. Passing through Charlemont at mile 33 you will find a couple of convenience stores. The Heath control at mile 37 will offer water, Hammer HEED, energy bars, bagels, and other snacks. There will be a serve-yourself area with water jugs at mile 52, near the VT line. Lunch is mile 65. After lunch, you will not see anything until you drop down to Green River Road at mile 79, a table with drinks and light snacks. 7 miles later, at the top of Nelson Rd, the ice cream truck will be waiting (you will need 3 bucks for a 5-oz cone). At mile 91, the cue sheet notes the Colrain Supergas store if you're bonking. At the top of Patten, there will be a generous spread of fruits, candy, salty stuff, and drinks to get you home.

Hopefully this list helps. Our general experience has been that many riders end up bringing something else along for themselves like a preferred powdered drink, energy bar, etc.

Sandy

FROM: D2R2 - Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee 2010
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Riders -

We will be sending you three emails with final event information. D2R2 is a unique event with a lot of quirky elements, so read carefully.

Route sheets:

Cue sheets and GPS files have been posted at www.franklinlandtrust.org/randonnee.html We will inform you of any last-minute road constructions or whatever. The GPS files have outbound and return segments so they don't get crossed up. The routes are basically the same as last year with some optional additions for those who want something new.

Course conditions:

The word this year is DRY. We had some rain on Sunday, but the warm summer and lack of rain means that the wooded sections are not muddy. However, the open sections of the course are quite dusty. The road surface tends to be loose and gravelly. You will see washboarding in many places. Some of the climbs will be a grind, and some of the downhills will be choppy. This is a good year for roadies to up their tire size - 25c's are prone to pinch flats because of all the loose spots.

Weather is predicted to have a low of 55 at dawn Saturday, and a high of 85 under party cloudy skies. The early starters will leave Deerfield in fog; the early stretches in the woods will be hard to see if you wear sunglasses.

Route additions:

40-milers: Near the start you have a new 1-mile dirt section behind Old Deerfield. You will also have an optional 8-mile loop at lunch if you wish. You then take a slightly different route home from Greenfield last year - about a mile longer, but quieter. However, we offer a shortcut home from Greenfield that is 2.5 miles quicker.

100K riders: You will have options of one shortcut and three added loops. The start of each option is noted in the cue sheet, with route instructions on the last page. If you're tired before lunch, you can drop directly down Jacksonville Stage Rd to the covered bridge, skipping the Deer Park section. On the other hand, you can tack on a 9.5-mile loop before lunch, or you can leave lunch on the 180K loop for an extra 10 miles. And, then, at the finish, there is an optional 5-mile loop through corn fields behind Old Deerfield that is unique to say the least.

180K riders: You will also have the 5-mile finishing loop option. This was actually the original course in 2005. It's a bit weird to pass the finish area with 5 miles to go, but once you ride the "corn maze," you will understand why we finish our personal rides with this loop. Plus, how often do you ride roads that are older than any Bach composition?

Starting times:

Our goal is to spread people out more this year. We suggest that you do not plan on starting at an exact time, but rather check out the starting area and line up when things look reasonable. Ideally we would like to see it take at least an hour for the 300 riders in each event to trickle out.

First, there will be a starting corral in the meadow - no gathering in the roadway. The corral will funnel into a one-way chute with a sign-in area. All riders will sign their name, rider number and departure time. Friends who wish to ride together may assemble in the chute before rolling out. Small groups are OK - just no big packs of riders. At the end of the starting chute is a stop sign, and then you will enter the roadway. I will be stationed here if you have any last-minute questions.

Riders looking for bragging rights will start first: if you want your time published, 180K riders must start between 6 and 6:30 AM, and 100K riders must start between 9 and 9:30 AM. No exceptions. Those of you looking for a more leisurely ride should start once the initial rush has headed down the road.

40-mile riders are welcome to start any time after 9:30.

The lunch checkpoint will be expanded this year.

A hundred yards before the covered bridge, there will be an official; stop and show your number. Just after that will be tables with basic refreshments like drinks, fruit, PB&J, and sweet stuff. Riders in a hurry can treat this like an "express lane." If there is a line for the main lunch service, you can at least hydrate right away here and relax on one of the lawn areas.

On the other side of the bridge, the little park by the dam will be arranged for the catered lunches. In this area, each rider will receive a plate with one "sophisticated" sandwich and whatever sides they want. Riders can then go to the other tables for as much of whatever else they want to eat.

Please do not park your bike on the bridge, and keep the roadways clear.

Bail-out cue sheets will be available at lunch: 18 flat miles home. 180K riders who bail out here can still get credit for a 100K if they wish - just report to the check-in official.

At the finish:

PLEASE check in at the finish, whether or not you completed the course, so that we're not out there looking for you. When you check in at the finish, you will receive your commemorative pint glass for dinner. No check in, no beer for you.

Our dinner service starts earlier this year - 2:30 PM - and we will serve food at least until 9 for the late finishers.

Showers:

We have to apologize about the shower situation this year. We are using the high school in South Deerfield, 3.5 miles away. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience - free shuttle buses will run continuously, and riders will be welcome to show up at the high school in their personal vehicles as well.

Directions to showers: head south from registration on Mill Village Rd. 2.5 miles later, cross US Route 5 onto North Main St. Frontier Regional High School is 1 mile later on your right.

In my next note I will outline the food services in greater detail.

Sandy