Vermont 50 2021
by Rick Harbison • September 30, 2021
After not doing it in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was great to get back to the Vermont 50. I've done this race six times now and it's the highlight of my season.
This year I knew it would be tough. In the last year-and-a-half I've gotten a little soft. Blame it on the pandemic, the new kid, building a treehouse all summer, I just haven't been able to ride and train as much as I'd like to. The Carrabassett Backcountry Challenge earlier in the year was a humbling experience (cramped up at the 3-hour mark for a 7-hour race). In retrospect, I was like a lamb going to slaughter.
So although I'm typically on a mission to finish the Vermont 50 in under 5 hours, this year my main goal was to race within myself. To not go out too hard and crack (like at the Carrabassett) with more than half the race to go. If I happened to do it in under 5 hours all the better.
As with the other times I've done it, this year the weather held up beautifully with temps at the start in the mid-50's. (I wore the armbands for all of 10 minutes). Since the Vermont 50 starts at 6 a.m., you're racing before daybreak. The sensation of riding in a huge pack, in the dark, is just incredible, and one of the reasons I love this race. (Although waking up at 3:30 a.m. to eat breakfast is not a highlight). And since it starts on a paved downhill section, for about a half-mile I rode with the leaders.
As for the rest of the race, what can I say other than I tried my best. I succeeded in riding within my limits and not blowing up early. I didn't cramp up (although per usual, I began to feel the early twitches) and finished in 5 hours 17 minutes. Even though the pain and suffering felt the same as years past, my time was 20 minutes slower than in 2019. This reminds me of the famous Greg Lemond quote, 'It never gets easier, you just get faster.' I guess the same is true for getting slower too.
After such a tumultuous year-and-half with the pandemic and everything being shut down, it feels like a bonus just to go to these races. Regardless of how I do, I'm grateful for the opportunity. Perhaps next year I can improve upon my time and return to my earlier form. Many thanks to Bikeman for the support and the Vermont 50 race organizers for another great race.