Northtown Workout Site
Please refer to the Brick Overview & Schedule page for the overview, rules, and schedule information.
Time & Location
On-site sign-in, number assignment, and transition area set-up takes place between 5:45pm - 6:25pm. The timed brick events start promptly at 6:30pm. It is crucial that we start on time to ensure that we finish before dusk. If you arrive late, there is a good chance that you will still be able to do the timed event; however you will have to wait until after everyone else has started so that the volunteers can check you in and get you started, without delaying the start of everyone else. There will be official time keepers at these events, and the results will be posted afterwards. The time keepers will also keep an eye on everything in the transition area. Members are also welcomed to participate in the workouts even if they do not want to be timed and do not want to have their results recorded and posted.
The Northtown bricks and time trials take place at the North Amherst Fire Company & Park, located at the corner of Tonawanda Creek Road (South) and Campbell Blvd (rte 270). The exact address is 2200 Tonawanda Creek, Amherst NY 14228. It is crucial that you park on the West side of the fire hall, and not the East side (where the baseball diamond is), because the ambulance exists from the East side. The fire hall is a prime location for the brick workouts because there is ample parking, decent roads to bike on, and a very nice paved running path. The terrain is very flat. Use the interactive map below to familiarize yourself with the location, bike, and run courses.
Types of Bricks, Bike Routes, and Running Routes
1-2-3 Brick: 1 mile run, 2 laps on the bike (12.6 miles / 15.4 miles*), and a 3 mile run
3-2-1 Brick: 3 mile run, 2 laps on the bike (12.6 miles / 15.4 miles*), and a 1 mile run
3-2-3 Brick: 3 mile run, 2 laps on the bike (12.6 miles / 15.4 miles*), and a 3 mile run
3-3-3 Brick: 3 mile run, 3 laps on the bike (18.75 miles), and a 3 mile run
Time Trial: 2 bike laps around the 6.3 mile loop, with riders starting every 20 seconds. See below for details regarding the Member's Memorial Time Trial.
Introduction & Orientation: We usually use the first session of each season to welcome our new members and give everyone a chance to get familiar with the bike course and run course. No timing is done and no points are awarded. The session is more of a "meet and greet" between our new members and our veterans, and then we usually ride a loop of the bike course and do a little running on the path, ensuring that nobody is left behind
If you would like a turn-by-turn cue sheet for the brick bike course, you can print the one that is attached at the bottom of this page. That pdf file also contains cue sheets for 7 other bike routes that start at the North Amherst Fire Hall, but we do not use any of those for our timed brick workouts. If you're going to use a cue sheet, you should give some thought to how/where you're going to attach it to your bike. You can also find some examples of home made cue sheet holders attached at the bottom of this page.
Timing & Scoring
For the timed Northtown bricks participants are awarded points based on their age group. The fastest finisher in each age group is awarded 7 points. The second fastest earns 5 points, the third fastest earns 3 points, and all other finishers earn 1 point. Participants are grouped into the following age group categories: Male under 25, Female under 25, Male 25-34, Female 25-34, Male 35-44, Female 35-44, Male 45-54, Female 45-54, Male 55-64, Female 55-64, Male over 65, and Female over 65. We follow USAT rules with regards to determining age groups (age as of Dec 31st of current year). Awards are given at the end of the year for the top point earners in each age group. The lowest score is dropped for each person. In other words, if you miss a week, or have a bad week, that score will get dropped when the total points are calculated at the of the year. The same categories and point system also applies to the time trial events. Separate awards are given out for the time trial winners.
The last time trial of each season is dubbed the Members' Memorial Time Trial. It originally began as the "Tim Chesko Memorial Time Trial," in 2008. Tim Chesko was a BTC member and an all-around great guy who was taken from us much too early, in February of 2008. You can read more about Tim in the March 2008 BTC newsletter. In 2012 we lost another member, Gary Grant. Gary was one of the original founders of the BTC in 1999, and had remained a member ever since. It was then that we changed the name of the time trial to the "Members' Memorial Time Trial." In 2016, we lost Kyle McArdle, and he was added to the list of BTC members that we wished to memorialize. Anyone who has been to a BTC event or activity has likely met the McArdle family, and knows what a great family they are. In 2018, the club was devastated again, with the loss of Joe Rosati. Joe was one of the biggest personalities in the BTC, and a true cornerstone of the club. One of the most prominent, welcoming, and helpful members that the club has ever had. This special workout is part of our regular time trial series, but members are also able to compete for a special award. At our year-end banquet the Tim Chesko Award will be given to the male and female who are able to beat their season average MPH by the greatest margin in the Members' Memorial Time Trial. If nobody is able to beat their average MPH then the award will be given to whomever comes closest to their average MPH. This award is all about competing against yourself, to be the best that you can be. In order to be eligible for this special award, members must have competed in at least 2 of the 3 BTC time trials preceding the Member's Memorial Time Trial.
The results from each week, as well as the cumulative point totals will be posted on the web site shortly after each workout.
Maps & Cue Sheets
If you would like to print out a course map or cue sheet we have a few options available below.