Sunday saw the end to all area commercial skiing except at Killington, but most sports people were already involved in biking, tennis, golf and boating.
And turkey hunting is on the horizon, with the Vermont Youth Weekend April 26 and 27, followed by the opening of the Massachusetts season April 28 and the regular Vermont season starts May 1, ending May 31. The Bay State hunting ends April 28, with the turkeys safe each Sunday.
Biking got off to a furious start Saturday with the annual Williams College Criterium drawing nearly 100 racers from a dozen institutions, including West Point Military Academy. The short course was bounded by Southworth and Park Streets, with the pack zooming past the college tennis complex where the Williams Women were fighting it out with Tufts for the New England Small College Athletic Association Championship, as the other eight teams aimed for third place.
The Berkshires’ most significant road competition, the 20th annual Shawn Thornton Memorial/Jiminy Peak Cycling Race, will be held May 3. The event is dedicated to the memory of Thornton, one of the most promising area racers, who died in 1993 at the age of 22.
There will be competition in eight different divisions, including a 150 kilometer event, which will begin at 11 a.m. The first action will be the 60-kilometer Women’s 4 class, beginning at 10:30.
Last year’s memorial drew more than 200 competitors, with the pro champions, Matt Svatek and Laura Van Gilder both repeating their 2001 triumphs.
The 30-kilometer course forms a triangle, starting and finishing on Brodie Mountain Road before heading up Route 43 to Steele’s Corners in South Williamstown and then down Route 7 past Waubeeka Golf Links and Brodie Mountain Resort to connect again with Brodie Mountain Road.
For more information, contact Kathleen Halpin at 499-0879 or The Spoke in Williamstown at 458-3456.
Paul Rinehart, co-owner with Dave Lucznyski of The Spoke, can answer almost every possible question about bike racing, having spent most of his 43 years pedaling. He was in his first national championship in 1989 in Albany and has also worked as a race official, mechanic for top teams and a coach for the past 15 years.
This week Rinehart is working on the Tour de Georgia for MAVIC, a division of Salomon. The French firm supplies rims for all types of racing bikes. Three weeks ago, Rinehart worked the Sea Otter Classic on the Monterey Peninsula.
During the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta, Rinehart was on the BMW support team.
“Basically, MAVIC provides a rolling pit stop service, and I ride a motorcycle, bike or car to stay right behind the racers and give them rims or whatever is necessary for completion of the race,†Rinehart said.
The Spoke is the leading supplier of racing bikes in the area, while also selling most other types of cycles. The Spoke also puts on the annual Road Race to the Greylock Summit each fall.
Group rides depart from The Spoke each Tuesday and Wednesday evening and all riders are welcome.
The Mountain Goat, also in Williamstown, (458-8445) also offers group tours each Tuesday evening.
Co-owner John Bryan said that The Mountain Goat’s most popular bike is the hybrid, offering the features of a road bike while performing comfortably on mountain bike terrain.
“The hybrids have larger wheels than a mountain bike, bigger tires than a road bike, and a larger, softer saddle,†said Bryan, who features telemark skis and skiing during winter months.
The Berkshire Outfitters in Cheshire (743-5900) opened a larger bike shop last year to augment its long-established canoe and cross country ski divisions.
Owner Steve Blazejewski said the shop will offer rentals and repairs and that business should increase when the northern section of the Ashuwillticook Trail officially opens. Nearing completion the new section connects with the original trail leading from the Berkshire Mall entrance road past Cheshire Reservoir, currently ending at the Route 8 crossing. The new section will end in the middle of Adams at the new Berkshire Visitors Bureau Building.
The trail is also popular with runners, walkers and in-line skaters or roller skiers, which are also sold at The Outfitters.
Of course there are numerous good bike shops throughout Southern Vermont and the Berkshires, and all operators can provide full information on their respective areas.
The biggest bike race in the Berkshires is the opening leg of the annual Great Josh Billings RunAground held each September. As many as 500 bikers have a mass start in Great Barrington and pedal some 29 miles to the Stockbridge Bowl, where canoeists are waiting. The final leg is a 6-mile run to the Tanglewood parking lot.
Mountain bike races are held weekly at Holiday Farms in Dalton and the most overwhelming event takes place each June at Mount Snow Resort for the NORBA Mountain Bike Week.
Mount Snow was the first ski resort in the East to open a mountain bike trail network and school, with a varied program through the fall foliage season.
Mountain biking is also offered at Killington Resort, but skiing will prevail through May.
And it is possible to ski in the morning and golf at the afternoon at the foot of the slopes as soon as the 18-hole course opens.
Dave Pfannenstein, Killington’s director of golf, said the course has opened as early as May 2, while the Super Star Ski Slope has been open as late as June 6.
Many of the lower elevation Vermont courses are already open, including the venerable Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington.
Waubeeka Golf Links opened Friday and Manager Mike Mills said work is progressing on the paving of the new golf cart paths, which will provide cart access to all 18 holes.
In the meantime PGA Pro Erik Tiele said conditions should be perfect for the Waubeeka Open Two Ball Tourney May 2, 3 and 4. Call 458-8355.
At Taconic Golf Course, PGA Pro Rick Pohle said the Williams College Spring Challenge, scheduled for last Sunday, was canceled as the 107-year-old course will not open until today (Wednesday). But Pohle said the District One Shoot Out Tournament will be held this weekend, with 12 college teams entered.
Jeff Polucci, better known to many people more interested in good meals than in golf when he was the operator of The Captain’s Table, is now assistant coach of the Eph team.
The coming tourney will be the only local appearance of Williams golfers, who will play in the Little III Championship April 30 at Wesleyan and then head to Delaware, Ohio for the NCAA Division 3 Championships May 12 - 15.
In fact, this week will be the final time to see any Williams regular spring season competition, with final exams taking preference.
The biggest event will be the NESCAC Track and Field Championships Sunday (April 27).
John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Snow, 'Freezing Drizzle' Forecast for Berkshires
Staff Reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The day before the day before Christmas is shaping up to be a messy mix of rain and snow.
A winter weather advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y., through 7 a.m. on Wednesday for Berkshire County, and eastern Rensselaer County in New York.
Patchy snowfall was expected to begin Tuesday morning over the region and through the afternoon, before turning to freezing drizzle in the evening. The region could see total accumulations of 2 to 5 inches of snow and a glaze of ice.
WTEN Channel 10 in Albany has North County and Southern Vermont getting up to 6 inches.
Heavier snow is forecast beginning after midnight along with gusty northwesterly winds. According to NWS, "The combination of gusty winds and falling snow will likely reduce visibility and lead to difficult travel."
Christmas Eve will be cold and breezy and Christmas Day cloudy with highs in the upper 30s, but turning frostier in the evening. Friday will be in the 20s with a chance of snow.
Most schools are either already out this week for the holiday vacation or have half-days Tuesday or Wednesday.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more
The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation. click for more
