Cafeteros Cycling Club and Team Mossman / Tokeneke Racing are staging a professional and amateur bicycle race around the Barkhamsted Reservoir in Connecticut on Sunday August 9th.
The Tokeneke Classic is a popular fixture on the local racing calendar with last year’s edition attracting over 450 participants. This is a race organized by and for racers and has been designated the New England Regional Championship Road Race by USA Cycling. We think it is one of the best courses in the Northeast, chosen for its spectacular beauty and challenging terrain.
The course consists of multiple loops around a hilly 22-mile circuit with about 2000 feet of climbing per lap. The field often splits before the finish, and the final 2.2 miles at a consistent 5% grade ensures a thrilling finale for both contestants and spectators.
- Races start in East Hartland CT (20 miles west of Windsor Locks) and head south, looping around the Barkhamsted Reservoir in a clockwise direction.
- Racing starts at 9am with four groups heading out, and then again after noon with another four groups. Racing should be finished by about 4pm.
- At any time there will be four races on the course. Each race will consist of a "race caravan", led by state police, then racers, and two follow cars (race officials and support vehicle).
| Race | Start Time | Distance | Expected Finish |
| Cat 4 men | 9:00 am | 44 miles | 10:55-11:05 |
| Masters 45+ (cat 1-4) | 9:08 am | 44 miles | 11:00-11:10 |
| Women | 9:18 am | 44 miles | 11:25-11:30 |
| Cat 4/5 Men | 9:25 am | 22 miles | 10:20-10:25 |
| Pro/1/2 | 12:45 pm | 66 miles | 3:30-3:40 |
| Cat 3 men | 12:51 pm | 66 miles | 3:50-3:55 |
| Masters 35+ (cat 1-4) | 12:57 pm | 66 miles | 3:55-4:10 |
| Masters 55+ / Juniors | 1:05 pm | 44 miles | 3:10-3:15 |
Spectating is actively encouraged. The finish is towards the top of Rt 20 / N Hollow Rd. shortly before the intersection with Rt 179 / Glenville Rd. in E. Hartland. (Please park at Berg Field in E. Hartland, not at the finish itself.)
The race is being run under a permit from USA Cycling (the official cycling organization recognized by the USOC) and with kind permissions from the towns of Hartland and Barkhamsted, and the Connecticut State Traffic Commission.
Photos © Paul Kramarchyk