SUMMARY: Meet on Tuesday, Sept 7, 2010 and ride back into Windsor Locks, Connecticut on Saturday, September 19, 2010. Departure day is Sunday, September 20, 2010. Min17, Max 23. We have rated this ride a +2B. The long option averages 50 miles and 2,700 feet of climbing as measured by barometric altimeter. A typical long day has one or more sustained climbs of 3-10 miles with grades averaging 5%. Short options and shuttling are possibilities. Talk to the leaders about this.

DESCRIPTION: The name of the tour is derived from the mountains of that name, located in Northwestern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. On this tour we’ll cruise along winding-wooded back roads, riding the gaps and valleys of Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills and Massachusetts’s Berkshire Mountains. Towns with a “green” and quaint colonial-era inns contrast with the decidedly contemporary cuisine they offer. Country fairs, apple festivals and the occasional splash of color are all part of the September calendar. From the first hotel near the Bradley (Hartford, CT) Airport, we head west on a sometimes hilly and surprisingly rural route around the Barkhamsted Reservoir to Riverton, CT, once home to the Hitchcock Chair Company. We continue in CT to Litchfield, an architect’s dream of Victorian-style mansions bordered by pristine horse farms nestled in the “Litchfield Hills”. From there we travel west and south circumnavigating Litchfield County’s two largest lakes and concluding at the Cornwall Inn. The next day’s loop ride takes us through Kent and into Duchess County NY, as we enjoy portions of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Next, we cycle on quiet country roads to arrive at the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, CT. From there we head toward the Berkshires where a 2-night stay in Stockbridge offers alternatives to a loop-ride like a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum or the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. The next day provides the option to climb Mt Greylock (or not) on the way to N. Adams, where influence of the industrial revolution cannot be missed at our next destination, the Porches. This hotel is a series of restored Victorian row houses near the town’s mill. In N. Adams you can visit the railroad museum and learn how the Hoosac Tunnel was constructed. Next we loop up to the southern edge of Vermont on a pretty ride to Greenfield, MA, where we have a two-night stay. There is a nice loop ride, again up to Vermont and back. Then we work our way back to Windsor Locks for the end of the tour.

LOGISTICS: Windsor Locks (greater Hartford) has airport service and the Holiday Inn Express offers free shuttle service. Long term car parking and bike box storage are also available.

COSTS: Estimated tour costs are $1,500 which includes: 12 nights lodging with all breakfasts and 5 dinners, luggage van & driver, maps and route sheets. A deposit of $500 assures your place on the tour. Final payment of $1,000 is due by May 1, 2010. Single riders will be accepted who are willing to share a room and we will assist with finding a room mate. A single supplement would cost $860, but it is very doubtful that it will be available.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Any refunds are dependent on our finding a replacement from the wait list. If we can fill your position immediately you will get your refund less the $50 BAC ride fee and a $50 administrative fee. If we are not able to fill your position, any refund will be based on the principle that costs not be increased for those who are completing the tour (singles will need to have an agreement with their roommate on how the single supplement will be handled in case of a cancellation). Your share of fixed costs like the luggage van, leader and van driver expenses will be deducted from your eventual refund. Whatever we can recover, you will get back after the tour is completed and the final accounting takes place.

To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just below the Ride Description. Following your acceptance, you will receive an email message requesting you to submit your initial deposit of $500 (which includes the $50 non-refundable BAC fee and $50 administration fee) made out to the Ride Director, Tom Leever (not BAC). When your deposit is received, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.