The Pittsfield Ramble

This ride is a fixed-base or semi-fixed-base ride, please read the ride description for more details.

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW: The schedule of this ride will allow for 5 days of riding before connecting to the Ride Leader Seminar that starts on Friday morning, October 25, 2019. The trip is designed as a late Fall Foliage Tour. (However, in 2018, this week was near peak in western Mass.)   We offer a total of 10 routes/maps, all starting directly from the hotel. There will be a featured ride each day. At the happy hour the day before, participants will be able to discuss ride choices, start times, and other details. Although the focus of the tour is the longer daily proposed ride, all rides are optional and participants are welcome to choose whichever courses they want to cycle and at their own speed and pace. Participants are welcome to come for all five days or fewer, if they choose.

RIDE RATING: Although this ride is rated 2B, routes can be chosen that would rate a 4C. Riders will be provided gpx tracks with cue sheets. Because this is a fixed base ride, you are free to choose any of the rides, including the famous Mt. Greylock ride, with 55 miles with 4500 ft. of climbing. If the climbing is a bit much for you, you could bypass the mountain and do a 2,000' ride that could meet the climbers in North Adams for lunch. Another ride is a 40 mile loop down to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, also with 2,000' of climbing. Although much of the ride mileage will be on quiet paved roads, the way in and out of town includes a mile of cycling on urban streets with bike lanes and moderate traffic.

WEATHER: Expect daytime temperatures in the 50's and nighttime temperatures in the 30’s. Historic average rain fall is 4 inches for the month of October.

LODGING & MEALS: The tour will be based in the Hotel on North, a boutique hotel located at 297 North St., Pittsfield, MA (https://hotelonnorth.com/). No meals are included, but there is a good restaurant in the hotel and many others within walking distance.

Participants need to make their own hotel reservations by contacting the Hotel on North, 413-358-4741. We have arranged a rate of $135 per night, plus 11.7% tax. We recommend you contact the hotel as soon as possible, as the rooms are only blocked until September 15. Be sure to mention "BAC" to get our group rates.

LOGISTICS: This fixed-base ride begins on Sunday, October 20, 2019 with a Happy Hour-route wrap meeting at 5 pm and finishes on the afternoon of Friday, October 25 after a group ride.  Nearby airports and tapproximate driving times to Pittsfield are: Albany NY Int'l (ALB) 1 hour, Bradley Int'l Hartford (BDL) 1:20, NY Steward Int'l (SWF) 2:00, NY White Plains (HPN) 2:15 and Boston Logan (BOS) 2:45. There are limited schedule bus and/or shuttle services from Boston and Albany. Parking is free for those who arrive by car. Rental road, hybrid, tandem and e-bikes can be reserved online from Berkshire Bike and Board. Arrangements for rental bikes are between the member and the bike rental business.

COST & ADMINISTRATION: The $200 deposit, which is paid online by credit card, is the only payment made to the Ride Director. This deposit covers organizational costs, cue sheets, Garmin GPS files, route maps and evening happy hours with appetizers, wine, beer, juices, and soft drinks. (Beverages not included during the Sunday night Happy Hour, as our meeting room is adjacent to the hotel bar.) In addition, there is a $50 non-refundable BAC fee (also paid online). No group meals are included. Remember participants need to make their own hotel reservations and those fees are paid directly to the hotel.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY: Singles and solos are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you are seeking a roommate to share hotel costs, contact the ride director who will maintain a list of singles looking for roommates. Once matched, you and your roommate will still be required to reserve and pay for your hotel room directly as noted above. There is no Solo option, however the participant is free to pay the full cost of a room, making it effectively a Solo.: 

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time.  If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed.  If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the canceling roommate may also be liable for half of the room cost.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support. Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles. All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour. We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader. While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up. Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions. GPX tracks will be provided, but it is up to the rider to know how to use his/her GPS device before the trip begins.

SIGN-UP: To submit a request to join this ride use the "link" displayed above this Ride Description. After you are accepted, the Ride Leader will move you from the Wait list to the Pending List. At this time you will receive an email notification to login to the BAC website to sign the release of liability form and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee and the tour deposit $200 by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. To contact the Ride Leader, "click" the name at the top of this Ride Description.
 

Remember: Make your own hotel reservations as soon as possible, but no later than September 15, 2019. Reservations made after that date will be subject to hotel availability and the current hotel room rates.