Green Mountain Double Century - An Endurance Odyssey
Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 3:49 pm
[I'm posting the complete reports that Gary and Chris submitted to me here, linking to them here from the News Page - Russ]
June 16, 2013
Gary Sclar's report:
For Chris and me, the Green Mountain Double Century makes us smile before, during and after the ride. That is the short version of the ride report.
This was our second year in a row and 2013’s vital statistics were - 210 miles - 23,865 feet of climbing - 80% of the ride on dirt roads. Our love for the GMDC runs deep. It is a difficult ride. You have to respect the GMDC or a truly glorious experience can go very badly. Despite Sandy’s predictions, all returning riders had a slower time this year than last year. The ride started with 12 riders at 4:00 am, pitch black, with several familiar and friendly faces. Two riders planned shortened version of half the course. As you can see from the pictures, we had a beautiful ahead of us and the starting temperature was 50 degrees.
To prepare, we participated in the MRC San Diego training festival, (it is a festival, right?), a hard paced 200k, a 90+ degree 300k, a fleche 24 hour, 262 mile fixed gear ride from Provincetown to Portland Maine and numerous MRC rides. You also need a bike with at least 32c tires, excellent lighting and outstanding crew support. We had it all. I rode my Gunnar sport with dynamo lighting, 32c Paselas, long-cage rear derailer, a mountain bike cassette and thanks to David Wilcox it rode beautifully. Chris rode a Nashbar cross frame, with disc brakes, and 700x32mm tires, MTB gearing, and a dynamo lighting system.
A returning rider from last year, DNF’d again this year and for the same reasons. He can do RAM, but cannot ride the GMDC on 25c tires. (Chris: [This guy] always rides a road bike with 25mm tires, which aren't suited for the sometimes very bad surfaces of the ride. He also tends not to be prepared for night riding. He is a very accomplished long distance rider, but all on paved roads, so the dirt road aspect of the GMDC gives him some trouble. I think he's also used to having his support car follow him directly. For the GMDC, there are predetermined points where you meet with your support vehicle. Gary and I, as well as Sandy (the ride organizer) were surprised that after his DNF last year, due to in appropriate equipment, he attempted this year on the same bike, with the same tires.")
Shortly before the ride Sandy told us: “the Reading Pond/Lynds Hill section. Yikes. Bring FATTIES for this part, guys. It has two miles of fresh gravel. Like three inches of 3/4 inch crushed rock three inches deep. After the gravel is past, big puddles and full water bars for the mile north. When you turn west onto Lynds Hill, the stream has totally overrun the road in places! No matter what you ride, you will dismount at least four times, once for about 200 yards. Depending on the rainfall in the next 24 hours, you may end up taking off your shoes and socks for stream crossings.” He could have just said to be careful riding through the rapids.
There were twelve category 4 climbs and three category 3 climbs usually on dirt or something not quite as easy to ride on as dirt. For me, the GMDC is too amazing of an event to risk bonking and in no way did I want to put myself in a position where I might let Chris down. So never once during the entire ride did we ever climb with Strava in mind. Instead, “don’t burn any matches” was the game plan. We could have gone harder, but that was not why we were there. Truth be told, we may have beat last year’s time if we did not make three wrong turns and lollygag our way over, up and down the “rapids”. The climbing just keeps coming on the GMDC. There were a few holy cow moments like seeing “Stratton Mountain Access Road” at mile 158 and mile 180 when we hit the 15%-18% grade Holland Road Climb our bikes felt like they gained an extra 100 pounds. That being said, we felt great going up all the climbs. One to check out is Old CCC Road, a 3.2 mile dirt road climb, with several sections of washed-out rode (there is a picture of it). Somehow I have the KOM, I guess the guys up front must have stopped halfway for a BBQ.
Riding through the mountains at night is beautiful and hearing nature wake-up in the hours before the sunrise is always awesome. We met a porcupine and very happy it was not a skunk!, saw a very cool mourning dove, had amazing Green Mountain views, spectacular farm landscapes with horses, cows, pigs and sheep, covered bridges and lots of maple syrup harvesting. I was craving a few shots of pure maple syrup during a few points in the ride.
The camaraderie at the GMDC is indeed special. From very warm hellos from David, Matt and John to meeting other crew and riders. Our crew kept bumping into another crew at the support stops. The rider’s name was Russ and his crew included CK from Delaware and CK’s wife and father. CK rode GMDC last year but a knee injury forced him out of this year’s event. The kindness and respect shown in supporting their friend Russ on this ride was tangible. CK was on crew duty for probably close to 30 hours and planned to ride along side Russ when darkness and fatigue were at their peak. CK invited Chris and I to ride a 24 hour fleche (235 miles minimum requirement) timed to go through the D.C. monuments and civil war battlefields during the night. GMDC is a long ride with many challenges and we thought of the other GMDC riders often during the ride.
As a final treat, our host, the SandMan, rode out to meet us for the last 10 miles or so, it was great finishing the ride with him and once back at the start, we gratefully accepted our finisher’s award from him.
The GMDC tests you and not just physically. Once again in the wee hours before dawn, I was seeing things that don’t exist, at least in our universe, and wow, that alternate universe sure was cool and best described over a beer than in print!
Special thanks to our crew of Danya and Amy who stayed up through the night supporting us. They took such good care of us that we probably gained weight on the ride.
Hope you readers like the pictures, they do more justice to the ride than my words. And is it just me, or does it look like Chris was having way too much fun.The fill in the blank for my bike would be "Nashbar cross frame with disc brakes and a MTB triple drive train."
June 16, 2013
Gary Sclar's report:
For Chris and me, the Green Mountain Double Century makes us smile before, during and after the ride. That is the short version of the ride report.
This was our second year in a row and 2013’s vital statistics were - 210 miles - 23,865 feet of climbing - 80% of the ride on dirt roads. Our love for the GMDC runs deep. It is a difficult ride. You have to respect the GMDC or a truly glorious experience can go very badly. Despite Sandy’s predictions, all returning riders had a slower time this year than last year. The ride started with 12 riders at 4:00 am, pitch black, with several familiar and friendly faces. Two riders planned shortened version of half the course. As you can see from the pictures, we had a beautiful ahead of us and the starting temperature was 50 degrees.
To prepare, we participated in the MRC San Diego training festival, (it is a festival, right?), a hard paced 200k, a 90+ degree 300k, a fleche 24 hour, 262 mile fixed gear ride from Provincetown to Portland Maine and numerous MRC rides. You also need a bike with at least 32c tires, excellent lighting and outstanding crew support. We had it all. I rode my Gunnar sport with dynamo lighting, 32c Paselas, long-cage rear derailer, a mountain bike cassette and thanks to David Wilcox it rode beautifully. Chris rode a Nashbar cross frame, with disc brakes, and 700x32mm tires, MTB gearing, and a dynamo lighting system.
A returning rider from last year, DNF’d again this year and for the same reasons. He can do RAM, but cannot ride the GMDC on 25c tires. (Chris: [This guy] always rides a road bike with 25mm tires, which aren't suited for the sometimes very bad surfaces of the ride. He also tends not to be prepared for night riding. He is a very accomplished long distance rider, but all on paved roads, so the dirt road aspect of the GMDC gives him some trouble. I think he's also used to having his support car follow him directly. For the GMDC, there are predetermined points where you meet with your support vehicle. Gary and I, as well as Sandy (the ride organizer) were surprised that after his DNF last year, due to in appropriate equipment, he attempted this year on the same bike, with the same tires.")
Shortly before the ride Sandy told us: “the Reading Pond/Lynds Hill section. Yikes. Bring FATTIES for this part, guys. It has two miles of fresh gravel. Like three inches of 3/4 inch crushed rock three inches deep. After the gravel is past, big puddles and full water bars for the mile north. When you turn west onto Lynds Hill, the stream has totally overrun the road in places! No matter what you ride, you will dismount at least four times, once for about 200 yards. Depending on the rainfall in the next 24 hours, you may end up taking off your shoes and socks for stream crossings.” He could have just said to be careful riding through the rapids.
There were twelve category 4 climbs and three category 3 climbs usually on dirt or something not quite as easy to ride on as dirt. For me, the GMDC is too amazing of an event to risk bonking and in no way did I want to put myself in a position where I might let Chris down. So never once during the entire ride did we ever climb with Strava in mind. Instead, “don’t burn any matches” was the game plan. We could have gone harder, but that was not why we were there. Truth be told, we may have beat last year’s time if we did not make three wrong turns and lollygag our way over, up and down the “rapids”. The climbing just keeps coming on the GMDC. There were a few holy cow moments like seeing “Stratton Mountain Access Road” at mile 158 and mile 180 when we hit the 15%-18% grade Holland Road Climb our bikes felt like they gained an extra 100 pounds. That being said, we felt great going up all the climbs. One to check out is Old CCC Road, a 3.2 mile dirt road climb, with several sections of washed-out rode (there is a picture of it). Somehow I have the KOM, I guess the guys up front must have stopped halfway for a BBQ.
Riding through the mountains at night is beautiful and hearing nature wake-up in the hours before the sunrise is always awesome. We met a porcupine and very happy it was not a skunk!, saw a very cool mourning dove, had amazing Green Mountain views, spectacular farm landscapes with horses, cows, pigs and sheep, covered bridges and lots of maple syrup harvesting. I was craving a few shots of pure maple syrup during a few points in the ride.
The camaraderie at the GMDC is indeed special. From very warm hellos from David, Matt and John to meeting other crew and riders. Our crew kept bumping into another crew at the support stops. The rider’s name was Russ and his crew included CK from Delaware and CK’s wife and father. CK rode GMDC last year but a knee injury forced him out of this year’s event. The kindness and respect shown in supporting their friend Russ on this ride was tangible. CK was on crew duty for probably close to 30 hours and planned to ride along side Russ when darkness and fatigue were at their peak. CK invited Chris and I to ride a 24 hour fleche (235 miles minimum requirement) timed to go through the D.C. monuments and civil war battlefields during the night. GMDC is a long ride with many challenges and we thought of the other GMDC riders often during the ride.
As a final treat, our host, the SandMan, rode out to meet us for the last 10 miles or so, it was great finishing the ride with him and once back at the start, we gratefully accepted our finisher’s award from him.
The GMDC tests you and not just physically. Once again in the wee hours before dawn, I was seeing things that don’t exist, at least in our universe, and wow, that alternate universe sure was cool and best described over a beer than in print!
Special thanks to our crew of Danya and Amy who stayed up through the night supporting us. They took such good care of us that we probably gained weight on the ride.
Hope you readers like the pictures, they do more justice to the ride than my words. And is it just me, or does it look like Chris was having way too much fun.The fill in the blank for my bike would be "Nashbar cross frame with disc brakes and a MTB triple drive train."