UP AND OVER, TWICE

Well, after recovering from Sunday's 60-mile Tour De Heifer Challenge, I was inspired to have more fun on my cyclocross bike.  I am really enjoying riding this bike on dirt roads and woods trails, since I equipped it with a compact 50/34 crankset, an 11/34 cassette and tubular cyclocross tires (32C wide with 40psi).  Headed out at 6PM with a loose plan to get up to the Putney Mountain rigdeline.  Gained the ridge via Burnett Road, the Crocker sugar bush, Windmill Hill Class-4 road, and then up the washed-out remains of Holden Road.  Once to 5-Corners, I seemed to have the time, so I dropped down the Dodd Trail into Brookline.  This descent was mostly about going as fast as possible to keep ahead of the mosquitoes, which given the washouts involved a lot of running with my bike.  At the bottom, Grassy Brook Road was a pleasant 4 miles of smooth pavement before ascending back up via Putney Mountain Road.  Over the top, I wound my way back home just past 8PM, for a total of 20 miles and 2600 feet of climbing.  Maybe more fun than mountain biking!

Take the Heat

We've been waiting, and it is finally here.  After a very prolonged winter with snow falling well into April, and then a rainy and cool (and flood prone) May, June has brought on 90F temperatures.  No complaints though.  The riding (dirt road, pavement, woods) could not be better.  West Hill was one of many sponsors of the inaugural Tour-de-Heifer ride this past Sunday, and Putney/West Hill riders were out for both the 16- and 60-mile rides.  Wow, Malcolm Moore of Marlboro put together an incredible "loop" of southwestern Windham county, mostly on dirt roads with a few Class-4 roads thrown in to keep it interesting.  You know that when the fastest riders were out there cranking for over 5 hours, calling it the Tour-de-Heifer Challenge may be an understatement.  I know I had a great time, enjoying the hours of ups and downs with only 5 cars seen all day.  I love riding in Vermont, but I really love riding Vermont's dirt roads.