“I’ve done a number of triathlons since then, including some ocean swims, and while they’re very enjoyable, I’m still working at it.”Ĭycling is where he makes his moves during races. “I couldn’t do a full swim for my first race so I had to backstroke,” he explained. He went to Greenfield’s Steve and Becky Shattuck for running help, but the swimming aspect took a bit longer. Welsh had long been a cyclist, but admitted he needed some direction in the other two disciplines. “I’d bike with them and then they’d go off and do Iron Man races, triathlons, crazy things. “When I retired, I hung around a whole bunch of people who do these things,” he began. The 77-year-old Buckland resident is nationally-ranked in his age category with USA Triathlon, a considerable feat considering Welsh only got into the competitions less than 10 years ago. While the swim portion has never been his expertise, he’s more than made up for it with stellar performances in the other two legs of a triathlon. When he first tried to swim competitively, Bob Welsh admits he couldn’t last the length of a pool. Here’s Volume 17, where we tackle the thrilling but challenging world of triathlons with a nationally-ranked triathlete. We had proof of concept of what grew to become a 1,000-person ride that sold out in minutes, and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity each year.As a reminder, we’re always looking for suggestions and recommendations on people/stories we should be featuring in our series, Running Club Franklin County.ĭo you have any tips? Send us your running stories to and they may be included in this space. The day went off beautifully, though I recall there was very heavy rain for an hour or two that stressed me out, but to the riders, just made things more “epic”. Among them were Carmen Monks, Karen Smyers and Skip Thomas riders who would become central figures in the B2B and – in time – the B2VT. The first year, 24 riders departed from the Boston brewery early one Saturday in June. Indeed, Team Psycho’s response to a one day, 150-mile, 9,000 ft elevation ride was: will there be enough beer at the finish?Īnd so, the Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride (the “B2B”) was born. The distance presented an interesting predicament: organize the ride as a two-day event with all the challenges of supporting riders over two days and one night? Or, a more bare bones, one day ride that presented a daunting trial of endurance? Harpoon’s partnership with an elite triathlon team, Team Psycho, tipped the scale towards the one-day ride. But it seemed worth the try.ĭepending on the route, the breweries were separated by around 150 miles. Would it be possible to recreate a fraction of that good by connecting Harpoon’s Boston and Windsor breweries with a bike ride? Easier said than done. Enjoying a fresh Harpoon with friends after a group ride captured what Harpoon stood for: great beer, great beer drinking experiences, and giving back to the community. Anyone who has a direct or indirect connection to the PMC can attest to its awesome power for all things good. This theme of a journey seemed embedded in the brewery’s history.Ģ) Harpoon’s involvement in cycling, and in particular, the Pan Mass Challenge. The idea of a point to point cycling event came from two things:ġ) When Catamount had outgrown its original location in White River Junction and moved to Windsor, they commemorated the move by transporting the yeast by canoe down the Connecticut River from White River Junction to its new Windsor location. To commemorate this occasion, we were looking for ways to connect the new brewery with Harpoon’s Boston brewery. In 2000, Harpoon was expanding and purchased the former Catamount Brewery in Windsor, VT to add brewing capacity. So bear with me on this quick recounting of the ride, and apologies for any and all omissions and inaccuracies. Like most good things, the precise history is a bit fuzzy. It is personally gratifying for me, since I was closely involved in creating and managing the ride for its initial 14 years. It is wonderful to see the B2VT Ride celebrate its 20 th anniversary, a testimony to the excellent work of its leadership team and all the volunteers, riders, and other stakeholders that have contributed to its success. A Look Back 20 years on the Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride, by Harpoon President Charlie Storey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |