200 on 100
Vermont is spelled with a capital “V”, surely no coincidence. With the loads of mountains and climbs available, it had to start with a “V”. I mean, if it was mountainous enough to draw a runaway “loose” nun who left the church for a sailor, it must be good, right? (Great nordic skiing there””Trapp Family Lodge, if you are there in the winter months as well).
Anyways, being a seventh generation “V”ermonter myself, who was raised on a family farm on Rogers’ Hill in West Newbury, VT (which was hand cleared and settled in 1763 by my G-G-G-G-G-Grandfather and still owned by my father) I have a deep love and feel for VT, liberal politics notwithstanding. So when I heard about the 200 on 100 “Dumptruck of Awesome” that was available, I just knew that I had to do it. And not only that, I knew that I had to share this beautiful “Ode to the V in Vermont” with all of my best cyber-cycling-soul mates. Okay, soul mates might be going a bit far there, but you get my meaning.
So, enough with the intro.
Break out the rollers, get on the trainers, find your winter gear; lay off the seconds, nurse that one glass of booze, hold the toasting to one drink, dodge Cupid’s chocolates and shoot the Easter Bunny because training for this bastard started yesterday and you’ll be paying for it on the 28th of June, 2012 in spades!
See you in the pre-dawn hours on the Canadian border with our eyes firmly fixed on the prize of the Massachusetts border. Let’s drive this dump truck like Mel Gibson leaving the compound in a post-apocalyptic world, baby!
Route and location details on the Cogal Event Page.
Where are you not from?
@RedRanger
That’s Buck speaking…
@frank
Ohs. I guess you musta fixed it.
I envy and hate you guys btw. So lucky. My cycling is on a 5 year plan at this point. Can’t wait to hear how this goes. It’s going to be epic fo sho.
Yeah, BABY. It’s going to be “on-like-Donkey-Kong”!!! Thanks for throwing this up Pere Fronk!
Logged a nice 115 solo k’s yesterday with 900 meters of climbing with a 25 to 30 kph wind. But the scary thing is, that is just about only 1/3rd of the distance and probably not even 1/4th of the climbing.
Man, this is going to be a beee-otch!!! Cannot wait!
Nice photoshop work on the state line sign.
Chocolate Milk!
Just a reminder. I watch this every couple of weeks cause it doesn’t get old.
I see that the start time has been revised from 8:00am to a more “human” 5:00am. Heck, I might start rolling at 4:00am to ensure I finish this ride on the 28th.
@CanuckChuck
Actually, I checked when sunrise was that morning on the border and it is officially at 5:05 am or another way of writing it V after V. Talk about your good Merckxian omens, eh?
So the official start time is V after V at the border.
Training started on January 9. Diet in place. Core and strength training started along with a few rides (snowfall yesterday and tonight will keep me off the road for the next while). Aiming to peak for this, which is huge, because I’ve never been less than two months from peaking. Ever…
@Steampunk
I hear ya. I managed just enough saddle time over the holidays to not gain anything. I am happy to say however that in the last month I’ve been able to drop about 5 kilos. If I can keep that pace up, I just might be ready to roll come June.
Overheard at the end of the 200 on 100: “Hey! I can see Nashville from here!”
You know I’m in. Working on core strength and stroke drills for now, soon I’ll get in my base period and start racking up miles.
First post as a non lurker but logged in user ! that 200 on 100 video never gets old and the second one of frank climbing the haleakaela looking forward to a new awesome video of the 200/100 challenge velominati bring your personal mecanicien to film some of the V going to happen
@Buck Rogers
Shieeet, I’ll be glad to miss this one. I’ve never ridden much more than 160km at a time so I can’t imagine doubling that. I’m not that tough by a long way but for those who can, chapeau, it will be a day to remember. I hope the support driver will also be the videographer. Better have coolers of Long Trail Ale hidden in the bushes by the Mass state border sign sign.
Nice one Buck. I envy you guys and then think ‘fuck that’ all in a 2 minute space, then envy you again. What a ride this will be!
If you guys want some inspiration, check out my mad German mate Markus’ blog… crazy fucker rides 450km in a sitting on a singlespeed in a Scottish winter, for fun. Mental.
Blow me, I am really not sure about this… not because I won’t be ready (I won’t) but because I have a rule about finishing rides as fast as possible to cut down on the amount of time spent suffering. Unfortunately that rule was made back in the day and now I am afraid that if I try to keep up with you young bucks (pun intended) I will pay some where around East Jamaica.
On the 7th of January I got off to a great start in the training, 90 k, but since then my intentions have been just that and the rollers are not doing it and man I feel the gun at my temple because this is not going to be a cake walk for the unprepared.
I think I am with Canukchuck (so I won’t dicker it and will be able to do my curtsy at the end) and although Buck is spot on about the V past V time of sunrise it seems to me that I will head out when it is light enough to see the white line.
Any way good luck to all in their preparations and I too am looking forward to meeting everyone and having a very, very interesting day!
You guys are fucking mental. I have ridden portions of that route and can’t imagine trying to do the entire thing in a single day. Did I mention that you are fucking mental? By chance, I am in Vermont now (Jeffersonville) where it is a balmy -7 F. Skiing should be good tomorrow, though. Mental… Hmmm, come to think of it we will back in VT in June… I could probably do it… Great, now I am fucking mental just for considering it. Thank you.
@Anjin-san
What would Miyamoto Musashi do?
@Rob
Musashi may have been the original Hardman. He would ride it on a fixie, with no food or water, and kick all of our asses. The Book of Five Rings… now that is an interesting read.
@Anjin-san
Fitting that I move up to 1st Order Velominatus discussing Miyamoto Musashi.
@Anjin-san
So you have answered the question and we will see you at V past V which, by tradition, is the time of his duel with Kojiro and of course he was late…
And I am sure it is not a coincidence that you were moved up at the mention of the man!
I live in New England! Can anyone join in provided we follow the V?
@Buck Rogers
I live in New England! Can anyone join in provided we follow The V?
I put in 166kms the other week and that had me at my limit by the end. 200 on the 100 is daunting to me.
On another note, I’ve spent a total of four hours today trying to mount a new Hutchinson Bulldog tire on a Mavic Kysrium ES rim. I can’t even get one side on. This is fucking insane. Broken tire lever, bleeding fingers, and not even close. Going to be tons of fun racing my final cx race of the year on just a bare rim. My only solace is that apparently I’m not the only one who absolutely cannot get the new carbon beaded Bulldogs to mount. I’m very tired, but now too angry to sleep. And it sucks to get up on race day and be mainly concerned with equipment problems. Fuck.
@Sean
Not speaking for Buck but the more the merrier. I plan to suck any wheel I can hang on to!
I’ve thought through it. Going to take it to my friend at the LBS. If he can’t get it, remount the old one, use that for warm up laps, then borrow my friend’s pit bike wheel once his race just before mine finishes.
Phew. Trying to mount difficult tires can be maddening – you chase it in a circle!
@Sean
Welcome Sean, yes, anyone can join in on the fun. No entry fee, no prizes.
@Gianni
No entry fee is correct, so feel free to join!
That cold brown ale at the post ride refreshment station will probably be the biggest prize of my cycling career however.
Looks like a great ride!
If I didn’t live in ‘old’ England I’d be there….
@Ron
Had a similar tire fitting experience recently. Blisters on thumbs healed now!
Here’s a tip that may work for you. Mount the tire on a narrower rim, if you have one. Pump the tire to just over it’s max pressure and some and leave it for at least 1/2 hour. More time , the better. Deflate, remove tire from narrow rim and mount on desired rim. Hopefully the tire stretched out a bit allowing for easier mounting.
@Sean
Absolutely!!! Misery loves company and all that! :)
@rob
And Miyamoto Musashi would be riding a bike that he hand built on his way to the ride as well! Have you ever read Yoshikawa’s Musashi? I read that book about five times straight through during my first few years training taewkondo. It is an AWESOME read for anyone. Truly a lot of bushido in the V.
@Anjin-san
LOVE Jefferson. I am thinking of living there when I end my time in the military. Used to Ice Climb on Elephants Head all winter long and norcdic ski Jericho as well. Such an amazing area with the LT right there and the Notch to ride through in the spring/summer/fall. Perfect place to live!
BTW, Fronk edited my final line on the post: It’s supposed to be:
” Let’s drive this fucking dump truck like Mel Gibson leaving the compound in a post-apocalyptic world, baby!”
Has a better and more appropiate ring to it in my opinion but I suppose if it is a thread header, it should not have too much bad language, eh? (kinder, gentler site and all)
@rob
Yes, was the duel with Kojiro when he showed up with a long wooden sword and still won? I’ll see if the VMH will let me join… My focus race for the year is two weeks later so I won’t have exactly trained for the distance, but I can probably suck up the distance.
@Buck Rogers
Thank you for your service. Our men and women in uniform are the protectors of the freedoms that we take for granted every day. Which branch? I spent about 9.5 years as an Infantry Officer. Jeffersonville is great, but I don’t know if I could live here all winter long. Wow, that is cold!
@Anjin-san
Yeah, supposedly he carved that wooden sword from an old oar on his way to the island. Talk about your casually deliberate.
My main focus is two weeks prior (Riding the full Paris-Roubaix Cyclosport in France) but will hopefully be recovered in time to leave it all on Route 100!
Awesome, 11A, backbone of the Army. I am in the Army, a surgeon. Spent 5 years and three deployments with Special Forces. Love those dudes!
@Ron
Warming the tire up (sun or heated room, or the dryer on low) and soaping the bead up may help too. Tight tires really piss me off, as it seems to be to be a simple manufacturing tolerance issue. Stay at it, you’ll beat the fucker eventually.
Oh yes. Definitely in on this pain fest. Any idea on logistics, or did I miss that post?
@Ron
Pedro’s levers, they’re bomb proof. Never broken one even on super tough beaded mtb street tires.
@Buck Rogers
+1 Beauty.
I’m impressed there are a few readers ready to rise to Rob’s Musashi bait.
@Roger
As for logistics, we are hoping to have a support vehicle on the ride that sticks with Steampunk (as they are his friends:) but you need to get to the start and get back from the finish on your own.
That is the way of the Cogals: You have a start point and a finish point and then everyone meets at a place for drinks afterward. Anything more than that is golden.
There might be more support or transport, but it is best to plan on having your own set up.
@Buck Rogers
Funny how many of us have similar backgrounds… I am a part-time taekwondo instructor and full-time student. Made it to first-degree this past year with a rank promotional testing next month. It is a great cross-training exercise for cyclists… lots of good stretching!
@Buck Rogers
Yes. Still trying to work out the details of having a former student come down and drive in support, which means we can carry some extra wheels, etc. And save folks on the road. The van won’t be sticking with me, but there will be some extra fine pieces of dental floss linking my handlebars to the rear bumper, especially on the climbs. Stay tuned on that front.
I’ve looked at the MapMyRide site, which doesn’t really give the best sense of the climbing involved. Can anyone identify the steepest hills and how steep/long they are?
Also, driver is quite interested in filming the event; he’s a very talented filmmaker, so that could be neat, too.
Working out the logistics of how to manage group/groups on the road will be necessary. My sense is that in order to actually finish, we’re going to need to maintain a pace of ~28kph for a very long time. That could be a big ask…
@936adl
+1 on that.
Maybe a UK cogal is in order? Has such a thing been done before?
I’ve only been logging on for a relatively short time but i’ve come across quite a few UK velominati already, and if the Aussies can do it…
@Steampunk
Will the pygmy pony and zircon encrusted tweezers be in the van?
From 100-200.org:
The route actually gets progressively harder in terms of climbing. Mt. Snow is a tough test, almost 6 km at 5 percent. You go from nearly the lowest elevation of the ride to the highest in a relatively short span.
But Eden looks like a good gun warmer, then there’s some gradual decent into Waterbury, probably some great paceline kms. Then you climb out of Waterbury to the base of the Granville Gulf and then straight up over the Gulf. Then the decent back down the Gulf will be a nice reward. Then comes the real climbing.
Up Killington you go, appears to get steep towards the top. Then there’s a decent hump in the short decent to the base of Terrible Mountain, a good climb in its own right. There’s a decent decent down to East Jamaica, but once you get there you have the long steady climb up snow. Then a decent and some rollers to the finish.
Just be happy we aren’t climbing the big gaps. That ride doesn’t even count Granville Gulf as a climb, you can see it between Middleburg and Lincoln though: http://www.northeastcycling.com/six_gaps.html
Higher Resolution Mt. Snow data: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=mppqfoqvvtmnuebd