Celebration!

The weather finally cooperated with our 20th anniversary run of this event, after two tough years in a row. Some riders counted three drops of rain and, while it waited until the second half of the ride to materialize, we were treated to a tailwind when it was most welcome. It tended to swirl around a lot in the varied Vermont topography, but it was nice to have a decent tailwind on Route 4 for a change. Many riders were concerned about their preparation going into the event, as the early season was not at all cooperative for getting in those long training rides. The excellent riding conditions to which we were treated made up for the limited training.

A relatively large number of folks met at the Jay Village Inn for dinner Friday evening, which made for a pleasant opportunity to connect with other riders. Temps were in the 50s at the start, but vests came off early in the ride. The sky was mostly cloudy and, with high temps in the 70s, it was pretty much perfect riding conditions. Two riders experienced mechanicals that took them out of the ride, due to derailleurs getting too friendly with the spokes, but other than that we think that everyone finished.

Support drivers were treated to an updated version of our VerBingo game, which involves spotting and checking off items that could be obesrved along the way, like "Covered Bridge", "Wood Pile", and the favorite, "Skeleton in a Toy Car". In keeping with the theme of this ride, we awarded the prizes at the start, with each driver receiving a box of Vermont gourmet chocolate truffles. Each support vehicle also received at least one of the coveted green 200-on-100 cowbells, to use in encouraging the riders along.

One group of hot shots went off the front early, and rode a race pace all the way to the finish. All riders were in earlier than normal, this year, as testement to the fine conditions. All-in-all, it was a great 20th anniversary ride.

2019 Registered Riders List

RIDER FEEDBACK

Phil C.: Wow. Fantastic day and thank you for organizing the course and start. I met some great people and will cherish the memories.

Jim P.: Thanks for a great event and support.  I had phone issues and Jeanne texted Michelle for an update in Rochester. I wish that was it for my problems.

My rear hanger derailleur snapped and the chain carried the derailleur to destruction and ended up in pieces on the last few miles of the Killington climb.  I was able to get a ride to the bike shop at the top (Kim H.), but they could only phone a “Cannondale” dealer (more like ski shop with bikes on the side).  All they had was a hanger when I needed derailleur and chain.

So my day was done and Michelle picked me up.

Up until then the ride was going awesome. I was feeling great.  The four of us were working together.  And I was look forward to getting over Terrible mountain.

So I’ll be back next year for sure.

Sara R.: I was the rider who said the second half was tough. It was, but that’s part of what made the ride so rewarding. What an amazing day. I’m so glad I rode! My SAG thought so too: participating in the way they did was quite different than cheering at the end of an event. Their involvement allowed them to ‘experience’ the ride, and they enjoyed it.

Thanks for organizing such a great ride! I’ll definitely be back.

I finished just as the last bits of twilight were disappearing: 15hr 49min. My max speed was 43 mph (alas, the crosswind forced me to brake on the Terrible Mtn decent). 

I love that this ride is informal and free, but it’d be great to know everyone’s stats. I’d like to know where I stand compared to other riders (near the bottom of the pack, but still…) and I’d like to know if some of the folks I rode past finished. 

Thomas A. 11:59, 212.63 mi., 37 mph max, 11945' climbing

Bob C.: Fantastic ride — THANK YOU so much for organizing. Perfect day in every way. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity. 

I’ve done a lot of Vermont riding so there were no surprises. The hills were tough but I’m a decent climber so I was ok. The toughest though was that last short steep climb on Cross-something road about 10 miles from the end — man I was not expecting it and I was just out of gas!

I finished at 5:32 pm, just ahead of the Dartmouth guys (who were awesome) and far behind a group of riders whose riding etiquette was not quite my style. My average speed was 19 mph and top speed was only 40 mph (I’m a wimp on those downhills!). I ended up riding solo for the last 100 miles — thank goodness for the tailwind!!

Thank you again. I’ll be back!

Bryce H.: Such a fun ride and thank you for everything you do to organize and support it. My moving time was 11:37:00.

Ben H.: Saturday was a great ride. Luckily I managed to jump on to a small group for the first 200km’s which made the day go so much quicker than I expected! 

As for next year I’m not sure if I’ll be returning to ride as Jackie and I may swap roles so I’ll be the one doing the driving next time! 

As for stats, ride time was 11 hours 9 minutes. Finish time was 6:45pm and max speed was 45.9mph! 

Thanks again for pulling all this together and the chocolates! They were amazing! Enjoy the rest of the season! 

Dan H.: This was my 4th 100-200 in the last eight years.  I finished at 8:15 pm, well before dark, with about 12:45 actually in the saddle.  I'm happy with that.  I think I've gotten better at doing the ride.  I go a little slower now than I used to, but I spend less time on breaks (still too much!) and have more confidence that I'll make it to the end, and that adds up to a more enjoyable experience. Terrible Mountain I can deal with, it's steep but not that long and you get the worst part over with at the beginning.  But Mt. Snow seems to go on forever, and gets steeper and harder all the time.

I had various adventures this year, including a slow leak in my front tire which slowed me down for a couple of hours until I finally changed the damn tube.  I tried to keep up with some fast groups before Waterbury but the pace was not sustainable for me, and that was disheartening.  In Waterbury I joined with Chris K., who was doing the ride unsupported(!) and we rode the rest together which I think helped us both.

Thanks for organizing this, and for not organizing it too much.  I love the relaxed spirit of the ride, the way people cooperate, and the balance between being part of an event but free to do it however I want.  I'll be back!

Brandon S.: I rode last year and abandoned around Ludlow but I blame myself and my lack of preparedness for that. I only had shorts and a short sleeve jersey and was just too cold to continue. I couldn't keep the bike straight and didn't think it was safe to go on. After that ride last year I promised myself I would be prepared, so this year I loaded up the car with arm/leg warmers, a rain jacket, gloves, heat packets, etc... none of which I actually ended up needing. But nothing was going to stop me this year.

I took off with a group of 3 others and we started off conservatively (slowly). I'm pretty sure we were the last group on the road by the time that first little climb out of Troy/Jay was complete. We kept a nice steady pace throughout the day and all 4 of us finished (3 together and one about 10 minutes behind). I don't think I could have asked for a nicer day. In my head I had made it out to be this horrible difficult thing given that most of the climbing is in the 2nd century, so when I finally finished it I thought it was "easier" than expected given how much I had built it up and scared myself beforehand. In fairness, the group I rode with was taking it easy so I probably would have felt differently about the overall difficulty if I had ridden with the 19 or 20mph groups instead. 

High Points: 
* The group of SAG drives sitting at the top of Mt Snow cheering as people finished the climb. It was very encouraging both to know you were almost there and to have a small crowd cheering you on.
* The beautiful tailwind for a good portion of the day, but I'm pretty sure everyone's going to say that.
* Passing by the Vermont Adaptive Charity Ride around Killington/Ludlow and waving and shouting hi to everyone.

Low Points:
* The headwind coming up the Killington and Mt Snow climbs.
* Missing the turn onto Wilmington Cross and having to backtrack, back up the hill, after 200 miles.

Stats:
Ride time: 11:59:38 (moving),  14:27:26 (total including rest stops)
Average speed: 17.6mph
Max speed: 52.3mph

Ed A.: It was a win with the weather being nice this year.  A huge thanks to Guy and his wife for giving me a ride to the start from Connecticut!  Such great people. The ride went pretty smoothly but sadly one of my Team Type 1 teammates destroyed his wheel after hitting a pothole. He hopped into our sag vehicle and was dropped off at Killington for a new wheel for his trip back home to Canada. I’m sure he was bummed out, but there’s always next year.  

Our group worked well together, and I felt good until our group made a long stop at mile 135.  A jumbo sized chicken salad sandwich, extra long stop, and hitting the climb to Killington shortly after threw my energy levels way off. It was a major effort to keep up with my group for a few hours after.  Thank god for our sag dropping back and letting me hitch a ride to the top of Terrible Mountain.  I got a bit cranky after but my group was great and understanding. We finished together and had fun on the drive home.

Pedro A.: Awesome and Epic ride!
I really wanted to feel what it feels like after so many hours in the saddle, and then have to climb...so I have to say that was the best part as far as the ride itself - Prove to myself I have what it took to finish...realizing a personal goal. Great mental toughness training for Leadville 100 MTB.

I completed in 12h 8 min 32 sec (total time was 14 hrs 8sec), about 1:50 non-biking time includes a flat tire change, bathroom breaks, refueling, and a kit change on top of snow mountain. Fastest speed was 46 mph, but I was breaking due to crosswinds making bike and rider unstable at times.

Spectacular scenery and views - Vermont at its finest, next time I plan to select my stops more carefully so I can make it to the Red Hen Bakery for example and stop to enjoy the waterfall view more... Best part overall was the kindness of all the people involved- organizers, sag support, and riders - how cool to get a commemorative cow bell hand painted and gourmet chocolates! And not even finished! And someone sharing a 1/2 pbj when I really needed it...

I was also lucky to run into folks who knew the route and helped me get on track easily without missing a turn.  Next time will download the map app to use during the ride.

Thanks for the experience of a lifetime and bucket list check!

Bill D: It was fun to get back to the original route and I think greater familiarity with some of the roads provided a degree of comfort at times.  While I would never say 200 on 100 could be easy, the beautiful weather certainly made it less difficult.  I love a tailwind and would rather climb repeats on Mount Snow than suffer a long headwind.  So it was a fabulous day.

High points included the many steep, fast descents on smooth roads, reaching the summit of Mount Snow without muscle cramps, and noticing for the first time how the final miles to the border are almost all downhill.  What a thoughtful finish. 

No really low points.  I developed progressively severe pain near my left knee around mile 80.  I was able to push down on the pedals, but not pull up, but was able to manage.  Plus my right leg got an extra workout.  A good lesson to not take anything on the ride for granted.

Total time elapsed:  14:42
Ride time:  12:47
Fastest speed:  45.4

Evan B.: What an incredible ride.  The route is breathtaking and the conditions were ideal.  Steve caught me on the descent of Mt. Terrible and offered some encouraging words:  "We're going to pay for this!"  He was right.  Thank you, Steve and Jeanne, for making the ride a continued success.  Big shout-out to my brother, Oliver, who provided top-grade vehicle support at every turn.  Couldn't have done it without him!

Time: 12:30, max speed: 43.5 mph

Steve B: 12:31, 48.5 mph max

More feedback and photos on the 200-on-100 facebook page!

2019 stats

• Starters: Around 45
• Finishers: Almost all
• Elevation gain: ~12k ft' / 3,660 m (elevation gain varies, depending on whose GPS you're reading)
• Highest point: 2408' / 734 m
• Total distance: 213 mi / 343 km

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

• 2018 Ride Report
• 2017 Ride Report
• 2016 Ride Report
• 2015 Ride Report
• 2014 Ride Report
• 2013 Ride Report
• 2012 Ride Report
• 2011 Ride Report
• 2010 Ride Report
• 2009 Ride Report

2019 Links

• 2019 Route Map
• 2019 Rider Letter
• 2019 Sign-ups

Cruising though Weston (photo: Allison K.)

Gathering at the start
(photo: Kerry L.)

The lineup (photo: Jeanne B.)

Roll-out past the old border station (photo: Kerry L.)

The long day begins (photo: Kerry L.)

First climb

Sunrise (photo: Kerry L.)

All smiles

Sunrise on a Vermont barn

Riding in the morning cool

Coming into Lowell (photo: Kerry L.)

(photo: Kerry L.)

Posing on the abandoned bridge. (photo: Bill D.)

View from the Lovers' Lane bridge.

Granville Gulf Falls (photo: Rene P.)