Lime Rock Park Epic
Date: Sunday, October 9, 2022
Location: Lakeville, CT
Based from the legendary Lime Rock Park in Connecticut’s Litchfield County, this gravel fondo promises to become an autumn classic in the Berkshires. Riders will be offered three distances:
The Epic: 68-mile course with 5,700 feet of elevation and 13 gravel sectors, five of which will be timed.
The Explorer: 44-mile course with 3,700 feet in elevation and 10 gravel sectors, four of which will be timed.
The Express: 18-mile route with 2 gentle dirt road sectors perfect for those new to gravel.
The Epic and Explorer will feature enduro-style timing; cumulative times across multiple segments will be compared for podium places. All riders will receive meal and drink tickets for the post-ride celebration.
The Epic
68 miles, 5700 ft of elevation
The Epic loops north into the southwestern corner of Massachusetts before retuning to Lakeville and heading south for its second half. After a fairly flat 20 miles, the route reaches its northernmost point and the paved road turns upward. A 1,000 climb turns to gravel at the top. After a little more pavement two more small climbs you are on to eight miles of gravel, reaching the highest point of the day and then descending all the back down into Salisbury. You’ll return to Lakeville before heading south on the second loop of the day, ten miles with a gradual incline, a long descent, a couple more steep climbs that will test tired legs, one last descent, then six flat miles, half them comprising the final unpaved sector of the day.
The Epic will feature 13 unpaved sectors; slightly less than half the route is unpaved. There will be 5 timed segments and 2 rest stops.
The Explorer
44 miles, 3300 ft of elevation
The Explorer is comprised of the northern loop of the Epic route. The first half is fairly flat and features five gravel sectors. The second half features the biggest climbs and longest sector for the Epic route, finishing with an extended unpaved descent followed by flat pavement to the finish. This route provides riders a good taste of the Epic without committing to the full challenge.
The Explorer will feature 8 unpaved sectors; a little more than half the route is unpaved. There will be 3 timed segments and 2 rest stops.
The Express
18.5 miles, 1000 ft of elevation
The Express offers an approachable route for riders looking for a less grueling day on the bike. With only four miles of the route unpaved, it is an excellent opportunity for those new to gravel.
The Express starts out heading southwest and gets the bulk of its climbing out of the way early, with several uphill miles plateauing at the first of two flat gravel sectors. After some undulating, paved terrain you will descend down to the picturesque West Cornwall Covered Bridge. There the route turns north to traverse the second unpaved sector of the ride, a flat three miles along the Housatonic River. Five miles of rolling roads will bring you back to Lime Rock Park.
The Express will feature two unpaved sectors; approximately one fifth of the route is unpaved. There will be no no rest stops and no timed segments.
