Tokeneke Classic Road Race

New England Regional Championship Road Race

Race Details

BREAKING NEWS ON THE ROADS (July 7th)

We rode the course yesterday - and it is beautiful. Most important Beach Rock Road (the first climb, right after crossing the dam) has been completely re-surfaced. Those of you who have raced in the past will remember that section as the worst road surface on the whole course, and some of the worst in any local race. The only blessing has been that it is uphill.

Well, the town of Barkhamsted has resurfaced the whole half-mile plus, including both the climb and the flats running to the intersection with route 181. There are a couple pictures of the new road here.

Moreover, the CT Deptartment of Transportation has resurfaced many of the roads along the Tokeneke race course over the past two years. The finishing climb on Route 20 was done last fall, and so the roads are in as good shape now as we could ever hope for.

Course

The Barkhamsted Reservoir is an ideal location for a challenging and beautiful bike race. The course loops around the reservoir in a clockwise direction, for a 22-mile loop with 2000 feet of climbing per loop. It is a hilly course, and this is a climber's race, but there are no really steep climbs. (View Race Profile) The finishing climb, unlike the Longsjo/Fitchburg or the former Unionvale or Housatonic finishes, is part of the loop and all fields except Cat. 4/5 will traverse it one to three times before the finish. The finishing climb itself is a wonderful consistent pitch - about 2.2mi at a 5% grade. See table for a comparision with other local races. Gear recommendation: 39/23 or 25

Route (Turn-by-Turn) Description

The racers start in front of the East Hartland elementary school and then proceed south on 179, in a clockwise direction around the reservoir. At the junction of Routes 179 and 219 (about 4.3mi), the racers will bear right onto 219 South. The race will move in a clockwise direction so that at intersections the racers turn right, thus avoiding having to cross other lanes of traffic. At the intersection of 219 and 318 (about 6.9mi), the race will bear right onto 318 West and will go over the Saville Dam. Just past the dam at about 7.7mi, the race will turn right onto Beach Rock Road and begin the first climb. At the corner of Beach Rock and 181 (about 8.6mi), the racers will turn right and travel north on Route 181. In West Hartland (about 15.9mi), the race will proceed east on Route 20. There is a fast and long (more than 2 miles) descent starting about mile 17 which is immediatley followed by the climb to the finish line. For the first loop of the course races continue past the start line by turning right at the corner of Routes 20 and 179 in East Hartland.

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Race Profile

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