About the B2B

10th Annual Harpoon B2B

Because of the challenging and somewhat grueling nature of the ride (this is for serious well trained cyclists and triathletes only), for the first three years, the B2B ride was held within a close knit group of about 80 cyclists by invitation only.  In 2005, the ride doubled in size to 300 cyclists, in 2009, 850 cyclists participated in the B2B.

Date: Saturday, June 19, 2010

What: A 148 mile single day, point to point ride from Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA to the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT

Cost: $200 fee including:

• Pre-ride breakfast
• Ride support
• Food and beverages at rest stops
• Mechanical support
• Post ride party at Harpoon Brewery in VT
• 2010 commemorative bike jersey
• Finisher’s T-shirt
• Transportation back to Boston for you and your bike/gear 

Who: Event Limited to 800 experienced cyclists that can handle 150 miles in one day at a absolute bare minimum pace of 16 MPH. Riders must be able to fix their own flats and basic bike problems and finish the entire ride, including rest stops in 10 hours or less. Any riders still on the course at 4:00 PM will be picked up by the sag wagon.

Where: Ride leaves from Harpoon Brewery in Boston. Parking is available at the brewery and is not included with your registration. A bag with your personal effects will be delivered to Vermont. See the Post Ride section for more details.

When: Groups will begin departure at 5:15 AM. On-site check-in will begin at 4:45 AM.

The 16 MPH riders will begin departing at 5:15 AM and riders will leave in pelotons of 25 riders every 5 minutes. The 22+ MPH riders will depart at 8:00 AM.

Signing up for a particular peleton is for our planning purposes. If you decide to change to a different peleton prior to the ride, it’s OK! On the day of the ride, you may switch to any peleton you like. We just want to make sure we send groups out in safe, manageable numbers, so please do your best in choosing which speed you think you will ride that day. Departure times will be announced closer to the ride date.

Why: The B2B ride will once again benefit several local New England charitable organizations including:

• Harpoon Helps
• Team Psycho Elite Development Program
• Windsor, VT Fire Department
• Dana Farber Cancer Institute
• Learn more about how Harpoon B2B donates here

Rest/Refreshment Stops:
There are 3 planned food/aid stations to stretch your legs, eat, refill water bottles with water or isotonic beverage, grab some Clif ShotBloks, or perform simple bike mechanics. Food and drink will be provided at each planned stop to include Clif Bars, fruit, cola, ice water and POWERADE.

Portable toilets will be available for your use at each stop. Please respect land owners and neighborhoods at these stops. Please use the portable toilets!

In addition there are several convenient stores on the route.

Additional Support:
Vehicles will be on course in the form of Harpoon vans/sag wagons, Mavic vehicles and Cycle Loft Mechanics to help with any support along the way. As mentioned, an experienced bike mechanic will be in the van and available at some of the rest stops but may not be able to get to you right away if there is a problem. You should be able to do your own basic repairs.  Thank you Cycle Loft and Mavic!

What to bring on the B2B

Plenty of support but be prepared
The spirit of the ride is that you should act like you are riding on your own. Though support is provided, each rider is responsible for him/herself and should bring everything necessary to complete the ride with little or no support.

List of items:
Each person has his or her own needs but at a minimum each person should bring:

• 2 spare tires/tubes
• Frame pump
• Portable multi-tool
• Money
• License and Credit card
• Cell phone
• 2 full water bottles
• 2-3 Clif bars