Gathering at the Canadian border
Gearing up
Dan & Kristen were among those who provided support with a smile
18 riders at 5:30 am
A nice morning to start
Morning sun lights up a dairy barn
The pace quickly picked up as we rode through northern Vermont dairy farms
Everyone's fresh...
...and happy
Little traffic allowed lots of chatting
Classic Vermont farmstead
Cresting a rise before dropping down to the first traffic light in 35 miles in Hyde Park
Crossing the Lamoille River bridge on Cadys Falls Rd
Passing an old barn south of Morrisville
Cruising down toward Stowe
First break in Waterbury at 55 miles; here's where the support people start being truly appreciated
Recharging on the Waterbury town green
Karen leads out on Rte 2, heading toward Middlesex
Cruising up Rte 100B, up the scenic Mad River Valley
Climbing Granville Gulf
This little guy knows the rain will be starting shortly
Coasting down Granville Gulf
Passing the Granville Gulf waterfalls
Passing the church in Lower Granville
Cruising toward Hancock under overcast skies
Second break on the Rochester Green at 100 miles
Kelli wants Crosby's sandwich
Kids playing ball on the green; a classic summer day
Covered bridge south of Pittsfield
Climbing up to Killington
The Killington Skyeship Gondola. The odd spelling is from the name of the mountain it scales.
It's a subtle, steady climb up to Amherst Lake
Cruising into the Ludlow rest stop
Climbing Terrible Mountain in the rain. The leg muscles tell it all.
A barn, south of Weston
The smallest support guy does a quick safety scan of the bike
Last break in Rawsonville at 160 miles. Time to decide on whether to cruise sedately down Rte 30 to Brattleboro or tackle the Mt. Snow climb on Rte 100.
I came down here to ride Rte 100 and, by god, I'm riding Rte 100!
Christine says happiness is changing into dry shorts, even if it's only for a little while.
Crossing this bridge seals the commitment
Starting the Mt. Snow climb. That means it's starting to rain, again.
Crosby is KOM on the 12-mile Mt. Snow climb
No one said that the climb was easier than expected, especially with 175 miles in your legs.
A true cyclist smiles at the top of a 12-mile monster climb after riding all day.
Joe crests Mt. Snow in style
Brett finishes the climb
Whoah!
Are you sure Wilmington Cross Rd is easier than the climb out of Jacksonville?
First finishers
Steve, Joe and Brett crossing the Massachusetts state line at 25 mph
The funky state line marker
Packing up to go home. A tailwind and strong riders gave us the earliest group finish, ever. Average speed for 212 miles and 9,000' of climbing was 19 mph.
