ETR 2023
Simsbury, CT
August 4 – 6, 2023
Click here to see photos from the event.
Attendees:
| Mark and Beth Abrahams | Oyster Bay | NY |
| Julia and Greg Alexander | Catonsville | MD |
| Brent Bell and Beth Potier | Durham | NH |
| Ross and Victoria Benjamin | Denville | NJ |
| Tom and Terry Biaggi | Irvington | NY |
| Peter Breu and Susan Woods | Concord | NH |
| David Bullis and Kay Seligsohn Bullis | Milton | MA |
| Dave and Diane Burkett | Fredericksburg | VA |
| Roland and Roland Chirico | Stafford Springs | CT |
| David and Nancy Clayton | Bel Air | MD |
| David Darby and Terri Bonee | Wellesley | MA |
| Charles Dye and Elizabeth Hallman-Dye | Rochester | NY |
| Brian and Audrey Elkinson | Barrington | NH |
| James R. and Paula J Fines | Tewksbury | MA |
| Jack and Susan Goertz | Birmingham | AL |
| John and Abby Grimm | Burlington | VT |
| David and Carol Groening | Fairfax | VT |
| Joel and Wendy Hakken | Burlington | VT |
| Chris and Connie Hendy | North Garden | VA |
| Scott and Kathryn Howlett | Arlington | MA |
| Paul and Jane Kimmel | East Brunswick | NJ |
| Mel and Barbara Kornbluh | Pittsgrove | NJ |
| Don and Carolyn Lane | Salem | NH |
| Thomas and Gina Lavender | Magnolia | DE |
| Paul and Rita Lee | Huntington | NY |
| Jay Livingston and Szifra Birke | Lowell | MA |
| Simon Lvov and Svetlana Bikvan | Stamford | CT |
| Tom and MaryAnne Mangano | Niskayuna | NY |
| Larry Masur and Dale Sokoloff | Needham | MA |
| Tim and Leslie McBrayer | Sudbury | MA |
| Gregg and Nancy McBride | Norwell | MA |
| Dan and Chanda McKee | Reading | MA |
| Manny and Marsha Menendez | Berwyn | PA |
| Dan and Anne Morris | West Chester | PA |
| Gail Morse and Alvin Golub | New York | NY |
| Adam Moskowitz and Opal Goff | Chelmsford | MA |
| Reed and Karen Nester | Williamsburg | VA |
| Peter Petrocelli and Jennifer Conrad | Lincoln | RI |
| Stephen Powell and Marie Synnestvedt | Voorhees | NJ |
| Gregory and Karen Przybyl | Tewksbury | MA |
| Jim and Sari Rosokoff | Glastonbury | CT |
| Bruce and Wendy Rubin | Voorhees | NJ |
| Michael Saft and Candace Cotton | North Potomac | MD |
| Robert and Alice Sawyer | Simsbury | CT |
| Ted and Dana Saxerud | Arlington | VA |
| Jim Scally and Maggie Cole | Cotuit | MA |
| Phil and Bobbi Schmidt | HARTFORD | CT |
| Harry and Gail Spatz | Lexington | MA |
| Todd Stansbury and Patti Cary | Charlottesville | VA |
| Don and Shelli Steinfeld | Farmingdale | NJ |
| Philip and Cynthia Therrien | Little Silver | NJ |
| John Tipping and Sonya Skoog | Waldo | ME |
| Scott and Jenifer Trautmann | Macungie | PA |
| Jack Vinson and Marci Cohen | Arlington | MA |
| Joseph Visco and Joyce Keating | Somers | CT |
| Robert and Harriet Voysey | Bradley Beach | NJ |
| Paul and Joyce Vyriotes | Reading | MA |
| David Waldman and Kelly Alvermann | Canandaigua | NY |
| Bruce Wells and Anne Hintermeister | Scarsdale | NY |
| Ken Williamson and Lora Miller | Plymouth | NH |
| Jeffrey Winick and Wendy Samuelson | Garden City | NY |
| Dennis and Cathy Wombough | Wall | NJ |
| Bill Burdick and Linsey Will | Philadelphia | PA |
| Peter Cowley and Niki Holtzman | Lunenburg | MA |
| Bob and Krista Happ | Indialantic | FL |
| Tom and Kerstin McKay | Cazenovia | NY |
| Pierre and Doreen Mitchell | Lexington | MA |
| Carl Stratmann and Janice Schwartz | Baltimore | MD |
| Todd Trzcinski and Lana Kim | NY | NY |
| Scott and Jenn Wagner | Germansville | PA |
| Todd and Renee Weidman | Bangor | PA |
Location: The ETR 2023 Rally will be hosted at The Simsbury Hotel in Simsbury, CT. Simsbury is a suburb located about 25-30 minutes northwest of Hartford, CT. The town is a mix of business, residential, and farmland. Simsbury sits between two dramatic ridges (so no flat rides – but moderate to hilly).
Host Hotel: Tucked into the hills of Connecticut’s idyllic Farmington River Valley, The Simsbury Inn elegantly blends the casual comforts of country hospitality with the refinements of a modern hotel. Discover the quintessential New England inn, with colonial architecture and sprawling lawns framing views of Talcott Mountain. A grand, two-story entrance welcomes you into the lobby, where you are greeted by a magnificent stone fireplace, built-in bookcases, antique furnishings, and comfortable sitting areas. Traditional decor gives our 98 guestrooms an airy and cozy feel with four-poster, sleigh, and upholstered beds. Additional perks range from an indoor heated pool, Jacuzzi, saunas, and health club to complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access.
The Simsbury Hotel
The Simsbury Hotel
Hosts: Introducing your 2023 Tandem Hosts: Alice and Bob Sawyer have lived in Simsbury, CT since 2013. Prior to that they lived in Avon, the next town over, for 40 years. They have ridden nearly every road in Simsbury. They can leave their house and within a 5 -7 mile radius, they can get in a 25-30 mile ride by doing what they call “In and Out, Round and About” rides. Simsbury has many residential roads (some 1-2 miles long) that end in cul-de-sacs with small traffic islands where one can sometimes see a resting bear or other wildlife. Please note that these cul-de-sac rides are not recommended for those with tinnitus or fear of leaning over too far (so say some of our friends who have ridden with us on such rides).
Hosts: Alice and Bob Sawyer
Why Bike in Simsbury? Simsbury has been a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community since 2014 (currently filing for the same status with LAB) and was the first “bike friendly town” in CT. The Farmington River Trail is a popular biking/hiking trail. It connects to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail that goes south to New Haven and north to the Southwick Rail Trail in MA.
Additional attractions:
- Simsbury Historical Society in the heart of downtown
- Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center which in July serves as the summer home for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. In August other concerts are held.
- Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge
- Talcott Mountain State Park & the Heublein Tower
- Pinchot Sycamore (biggest tree in CT that is 200+ years old)
Pinchot Sycamore
The Pinchot Sycamore is nestled in a small park on the Farmington River, just where Route 185 crosses over the river. The tree is named after Gifford Pinchot, who was born in Simsbury in 1865, in what is now the Simsbury 1820 House, a country inn, listed on the National Register of Historic places. Pinchot served as the nation’s first Chief of the US Forest Service. He was an ardent environmental preservationist. Many people launch their canoes and kayaks from this park. We hope to have a ride or two that takes you to this delightful small park.
Accommodations: The Simsbury Inn is a small boutique-style hotel. A block of 80 rooms has been set aside. The Simsbury Inn has a “sister hotel” about 4 miles away with additional rooms if the main hotel fills up. Reservations for the Inn should be made after you have registered for the Rally.
- Room Rates: Friday and Saturday nights = $234.60 (includes taxes, fees, etc)
- Room Rates: Shoulder nights, Sunday through Thursday = $177.10 (includes taxes, fees)
- They accept credit cards.
- Click HERE to make your hotel reservation @ The Simsbury Inn.
Bike Storage: PLEASE NOTE – NO BIKES WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE HOTEL OR ROOMS AND THERE WILL BE NO ONSITE BICYCLE STORAGE. YOU WILL NEED TO KEEP YOUR TANDEMS LOCKED IN OR ON TOP OF YOUR VEHICLES. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Covid: Please note – ETR will not require covid testing or proof of vaccination.
Registration: Registration will be capped at 100 teams (200 people) due to the seating limit of the dinner venue. A wait list of teams/people will be created for teams that register after the limit. The registration cost is $245.00/per person, $490.00/per team.
Rally Agenda:
- Friday (8/4) –
- Rides – On your own schedule. Ride options will include 20-25 miles, 35-45 and a longer ride.
- Dinner – Friday evening dinner is on your own. There are many restaurants in Simsbury.
- Dessert Social – 7:00-9:00pm @ Simsbury Inn – We plan to have a dessert social Friday evening so skip dessert on your dining adventure.
- Saturday (8/5) –
- Breakfast – 6:30-8:30 – Buffet @ Simsbury Inn (included for all registered teams regardless of where you are staying)
- Photo – 8:15 – Simsbury Inn parking lot
- Rides – 8:45 – Short, Medium and Long options will be provided. There is no mass start planned.
- Lunch – Noon-2:00 – Box lunch @ the Simsbury Grange (included).
- Cookie/Rest stop – volunteer supported
- Dinner – 5:30-8:30 – Buffet @ Simsbury Inn will include salad (3 options), chicken, fish, pasta, veggies. The buffet will include vegan and gluten-free options.
- Sunday (8/6) –
- Breakfast – 6:30-8:30 – Buffet @ Simsbury Inn (included for all registered teams regardless of where you are staying)
- Rides – – No mass start. Begin riding when you are ready.
- 11:00am – Hotel Checkout. Note: Showers will be available in pool area.
- Lunch – Optional @ Simsbury Hotel (11:30 – 2:00). We are trying something new for Sunday lunch. Instead of a box lunch, we are offering an optional deli buffet. This will allow lots of time for socializing before heading home. The cost of this scrumptious buffet will be $32.00 a person. Having attended many rallies, the Sunday Box Lunch always, to us, has felt like a “let-down”. By offering this optional event we hope it will give riders extra time to visit with old friends and meet new friends. The Deli Buffet consists of two green salads; chicken salad and tuna salad; turkey breast, baked ham, and roast beef; three cheeses; lettuce, shaved onions, sliced tomatoes; assorted bread and rolls; appropriate condiments; and assorted dessert bars. Delicious and everyone choosing this option will go home on a full stomach.
Routes: Although not finalized, all routes are expected to leave and return to the Inn.