The Boston 300k was a success! We had 36 starters and 26 finishers on one of the hottest days of the year. Full results are posted on the 300k event page.
This was a hard ride, weather aside. In 193 miles riders were expected to climb 13,000+ feet with only a short section of flat terrain to give a break. This is 5m/11k further then 300k and that doesn’t include the bonus miles some riders managed to find. The weather was hot and humid without a cloud in sight. It got as hot as 94F/34.5C according to my thermometer. This extreme weather is especially notable as the previous weekend it was freezing and raining — riders living in northern VT and NH even had snow.
The cause of most DNFs were digestion issues as riders unaccustomed to the temperatures struggled to find the right things to eat in the heat and humidity. A few riders suffered from unexpected mechanical failures (derailleur failure and broken spokes) but to their credit they managed to find replacement hardware and finished the ride or continued for as long as they could.
I want to give an extended THANK YOU to the excellent volunteers on the event: Walter Page (Sunderland), Bruce Ingle (Petersham) and first time volunteer Ashley Lanoue (Petersham). It is thanks to the dedication of these people that the ride was such a success and I can’t thank them enough for tirelessly helping exhausted riders during the day and even shuttling riders back to the finish who were unable to continue on their own. You guys rock!
This was a mostly new route which used the first two legs of last year’s 300k (thanks Pamela) with the new western points of Northfield and Sunderland and a slightly easier return on Rt. 62 and back roads. The response so far has been very favorable but I’m eager to hear what riders liked and what they’d like to see changed. Keep in mind the only alternative to Blackington Rd (dirt) is Rt 202/140 which is a higher speed state road. Some prefer major roads and some prefer minor dirt roads but only one route can be offered.
Thanks again to everyone who came out. I hope to see you all next year.
Jake Kassen
Boston 300k Ride Organizer