Vermont Audax
Mad River 200K
Tour of Seven Bakeries
May 10, 2009
With most of the things we anticipate in life, there is an imagined ideal, and then the reality. A beautiful 125 mile road bike ride through the trees and hills of rural Vermont. Warm, sunny weather. Quiet dirt roads in the woods. A light load and easy pedaling. Pleasant people to chat and ride with. And plenty of time to stop for coffee and pastries. All were things that I imagined before I left for this trip. I mean, this sounded like my kind of ride!
125 miles is a long day of touring, but the catch with this ride was that it started at a bakery and stopped at 6 other bakeries along the way. I love the coffee and pastries, and figured that I could probably ride all day if the coffee stops were frequent enough. Plus, there were rumors of some kind of prize for the first person to finish the ride with receipts from all 7 bakeries. The reality of the ride was a little different though.
Temperatures never escaped the forties and there were intermittent rain showers on top of an already wet road. There was even some talk of snow and tornados in the forecast - luckily we didn’t see those. Nine hours in the saddle. The sunscreen probably wasn’t necessary, but the booties, tights, fenders, and wool sure were.
I didn’t get to stop at all 7 bakeries. People were in a hurry, and I didn’t want to get lost by myself. The ride was unsupported and not arrowed, with only a mileage cue sheet - and somehow my bike computer was set for kilometers. So I skipped the coffee and road with some folks who had a GPS mounted to their handlebars.
We saw lots of beauty. Raging waterfalls. Lots of rambling streams next to the road. Vermont’s rolling hills and peaceful valleys. Quiet little towns. I ended up finishing the ride by myself. I had bonked hard and had to stop for a large coffee and a chocolate pastry at a country store in Warren, VT. The weather definitely kept this ride from being what I had imagined, but I was glad that I went. It was my first big adventure of 2009. And while it probably didn’t do much for my physical fitness, rides like this create mental toughness. Check out audaxvermont.com for more rides like this.
Matt
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