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| 2021 Ride Report |
We're Baaack! 2020's ride was cancelled due to Covid restrictions that affected both travel and lodging. The situation eased this year, allowing us to resume the event. The day was very nice for riding, with cloudy skies keeping the afternoon temperatures down, but still allowing short sleeevs, and I counted a total of two raindrops all day. The only downside was the headwind that annoyed us pretty much the entire day. Riders seemed to overall finish earlier this year, with no one coming in far after dark. One rider had an issue with an irreparable flat on a road tubeless setup, but he fortuitously had an extra bike available and was able to complete the ride. An unusual twist was that we learned just a day or two before the ride that a local fire department had planned to burn an old barn right about the time we would be going by. As it turned out, most riders had passed before the actual controlled burn took place. "Controlled" is an interesting word to use, as the building went up so fast and fierce that it surprised even the firefighters on scene. Some riders overame significant challenges, and there was a group that even rode the entire route in the opposite direction the day before, and at a very fast pace. Amazing! Thanks to one of our riders, the route is now listed as a RUSA Permanent, #4101, which should be good news for randonneurs. RIDER FEEDBACK Ralph A. Thank you for organizing and maintaining this event. I'll start with the stats! Total Distance: 207.5mi (218.1mi from Jay Peak Resort, I rode over to get to 350km) First 100mi for the day took less than 5hr moving time and only 5h30m total for the guys in front For me the ride was a very important personal test. In March I was struck by an automobile while out riding and had my neck broken in 3 places. Miraculously my spinal cord was not damaged and I would only have to spend 10 weeks in a cervical collar. After preparing diligently all winter for a calendar of long distance rides, brevet and permanents I was quite devastated and concerned with the long term impact this accident would have on my riding, let alone events such as these. With the clearance of my doctors I spent the 10 weeks riding the indoor trainer and when approached by my friend and mentor David R. about riding this event I agreed, even though I didn't know exactly what the future would hold once I got back outside on the bike at the end of May. My recovery went about as good as it could have and I had no issues on the day of the ride! The headwind was certainly difficult but I had a self imposed responsibility to sit on the front for my group for as much as possible. 2 of the guys I was with, Ed A. and Dennis D., had done the ride up the day prior so I wanted to keep them as fresh as they could possibly be for the final climbs. The previously mentioned David R. had his own complications with an unexpectedly dead Di2 battery at the start, severely limiting his shifting and ability to drive on the front in the false flats without the big ring. Our 4th rider had GI problems at about mile 120 and wisely got in the car instead of furthering his suffering. I spotted Ted King riding the other way outside Stowe, so that was neat. Will definitely be back next year! Michael H. This was a great ride! First time for me. The only improvement I can think of is out of everyone's control: traffic. I mainly ride gravel these days, and one of the reasons is that there are fewer cars on gravel roads. And the cars that one encounters are generally not driving very fast. Thanks for organizing a great event, and I look forward to future rides. Distance: 209.9 miles Eric D I had a type-1 fun day on June 26 this year riding from N. Troy through Readsboro. We were definitely grimacing from the wind but I can’t deny that cool weather from the breeze and the overcast made a huge difference. I rode with the group that arrived as we rolled out at 5:00. That was thanks to me entering N. Troy center instead of the coordinates of the border station into directions and thinking it would be simple enough to find. Cell service was much worse than expected on both ends. We did 12:39 rolling time and 15:18 elapsed. Our group was 5 core riders, one we picked up in Rochester or Waterbury, and a rotating fresh rider from our corps of three drivers (2 cars) for about 90% of the ride. We rode faster and spent more time on breaks than we had planned but with a large group that might be expected. My longest ride had been 200km (#dadtraining) so I was super lucky to be part of a cohesive group with support. 100 was mostly a great road with only a few areas that are less than optimal traffic-wise. We encountered mostly courteous drivers with just a couple exceptions. The road surface was very good but you know that. We stayed at Jay Peak with was good and had our post-meal on the curb of a McDonalds in Brattleboro which was really all we were fit for. The grassroots nature of the event, no fees + no support + a daunting challenge, all added up to attract a group of riders that were fit, tough, experienced, and kind. Perfect blend. I can’t say I’m ready to say I’ll be back yet, but I would recommend it. Bram K. After lots of training, I had the small misfortune of getting sick two days before the ride -- unpleasant head cold. It took my energy levels down so I couldn't stick with even the slower group I picked up in Rochester, so rode 75 or so of the first 150 miles alone. Combination of head wind and head cold left me completely drained. Made it to the top of Terrible Mountain, lay in the grass for a while, thought about my current pace and how many hours after dark that would land me at the border even if was physically able to keep going, which wasn't clear, and decided to call it. Coasted into Weston and called my wife to come get me. On Saturday, I was disappointed not to finish, but by Sunday, given that I was still feeling fairly lousy, my attitude improved and I felt fairly pleased that I'd done 150 miles in that condition. Saturday I was thinking I wouldn't try again, but by Sunday I was clear that I wanted to try again. Final report (July 11): great ride! Beautiful day, and after all that rain, Vermont was gorgeous -- everything was lush and green, the streams and rivers were full. Saw two deer, a heron, an otter, a woodchuck, and some small unidentifiable rat thing. Total ride was just about exactly 16 hours, and as near as I can estimate, I had about 14'40" in the saddle, so avg speed of just over 14 mpg. My son picked me up at 9PM in Readsboro, and as the Readsboro place wasn't serving food anymore, we headed north. I closed my eyes for a minute, and awoke to our being lost, so we reoriented, fired up the GPS, and got ourselves back to Vermont headed north on Rt 7. Stopped in Rutland around midnight for dinner at the Burger King. Home around 2AM, which made for a 23-hour day, as my alarm had gone off at 3AM. Very glad to have been able to take a second shot at it, had a great ride, thank you for conceiving it all those years ago and turning it into an annual event. Bill D. Thank you for organizing another memorable and truly enjoyable ride this year. And thanks as well to the many cyclists with whom I rode throughout the day, and to my wife Kathy for driving sag for the 4th time. Ed A. Day 2 with Dennis, Rusty, Ralph & Zane. A challenging but satisfying adventure completing the double. Headwind slowed us down but kept us cool. Clouds were an added bonus with the sun peeking through at times. This was my fourth time doing the event, and it was great. The wind and clouds were welcome over hot and sunny, although it slowed us a bit. I was joined by a few others from Connecticut and we all had challenges that we overcame. Some challenges greater than others, but together we got through it. Hope to stay healthy and see you all again next year. 213.4 mi distance Elliot K. We wanted to thank you for organizing such an amazing ride and day. We had such a good time on and off the bike. The ride was beautiful (albeit a bit windy) and everyone was so friendly. Scott DM. Adam H. I've finally collected myself enough to compose an email. That was some ride on Saturday! I want to thank you both for the invitation and the support and the bell and chocolates for support people. That was very generous! My wife Katie loves the bell! Steve, I saw you somewhere in Whitingham approaching the finish as we were headed back north, looking strong! Jeanne, thanks for helping Katie get the hang of the water stops and the timing of the ride! It is too fresh in my memory for me to be able to say I'll ride it again, but I have a feeling this won't be the last 200/100 for me, so who knows. 209.8 mi Joe C. Thanks again for coordinating such a great event. I don't think I've ever had such a good time suffering that much🤣. I'm glad that Dave Letze and trained and planned well for the ride. I felt good (sore legs aside) right til the end. Here are my stats: Enjoy the rest of the summer! Steve B: 13:46, 45 mph max More feedback and photos on the 200-on-100 facebook page! 2021 stats
The ride comes early in the year, arriving before many cyclists are in condition for a hilly double-century. Start training now and plan to join us next year. You'll be rewarded by being in amazing shape for the rest of the season! Previous Year's Ride Reports
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GPS elevation graph, courtesy of Chet Huang |
