Although tough rides in the West usually boast higher mountains and harsher weather, other challenges beckon in the East. For instance, you can get the satisfaction of riding the length of a state in one day. Such an achievement awaits those who do Vermont's "100 200"--a 200-mile ride on Route 100, from the Canadian border to the Massachusetts state line.
The event is actually about 210 miles long and doesn't stay on Route 100 the entire time, but who can resist a name like 100 200? Held on the Sunday closest to the summer solstice for maximum daylight, the ride follows the spine of the Green Mountains and wends through such scenic spots as Stowe and Killington basin. There's plenty of climbing, but the killer comes at the 140-mile mark--a 6-mile ascent of aptly named Terrible Mountain. "It leaves you seeing stars at the top," says veteran Vermont-crosser Hank Lange.
Conceived in '74 as a summer training ride for local members of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team, the event typically takes 12-15 hours to complete, although a few skiers pedaling bikes with steel components reportedly completed it in atbout 9 hours in '75. Note that the ride isn't held if it's raining, which proves not everyone in Vermont is crazy.
Date: June 25 (tentative).
Information: Jeanne Barner, Box 323. Jericho, VT 05465.
Note: Reportedly, the route the US Ski Team took in the mid-70s was farther west, following Lake Champlain.