This looked like a fun event for Jim so he signed up for it on
Active.com when he saw that its location is within a reasonable driving
distance from our campground in Wilmington, NY. Poultney is near the VT-NY
state line to the east of Lake George in scenic rolling terrain full of forests
and farms.
This was another very beautiful -- and unseasonably warm --
day. It was sunny and temps were in the upper 70s F. at our
campground and at the race site.
Jim got pretty warm during the race, although it was rather chilly at
the 9 AM start. He finished about 2:30 PM.
We started the drive to Poultney in the dark and saw the sun rise along
the way. We usually aren't up that early.
It was a two-hour drive to the elementary school where the race started
and finished. We were on some hilly, winding mountain roads and there
was patchy fog in some of the valleys. We couldn't see much of the
scenery until 7 AM or later. The roads stay darker longer in wooded
mountain terrain!
Soft colors
over Lake Champlain before sunrise
We got to see how pretty the terrain was on the way back home in the
late afternoon, although by then the sun was low again and all the leaf
colors weren't completely visible:
Jim said the colors weren't as bright on the race course as farther
north where we're staying.
About 48 people were signed up for the 50-mile race and only eight or ten in
the 25-miler. Riders enjoyed this inaugural race so I'd imagine there
will be more entered next fall.
We had plenty of time to mill around the race start,
mingling with other riders and listening to pre-race instructions
from the RD:
Jim's race began first:
Here is a map of the 50-mile course and elevation
profile that we found
online:
After the 25-miler started I moved the truck to a nice shaded spot close
to the finish line.
I walked the dogs around the large grassy area between the bike path and
ball fields behind the school, then mostly stayed in the truck until
riders began coming in. With so few riders the race organizers didn't
need any additional help at the finish.
Jim rides
into the finish.
Jim received a glass mug for participating in the first-year event;
there were no shirts and only a few overall awards. That's OK. The
race fee was only $40 so we didn't expect much in the way of schwag.
There was one aid station on the course; it had water and Clif
Shots. Jim carried his own Hammergel. The race provided ice cream at the
finish and a free beer at a local tavern but we didn't go over there
after the race. We had a long ride home and wanted to do it in daylight.
Markings weren't so great. Jim missed a few turns but didn't get lost or
go too far off-course. Some other folks did major bonus miles.
Traffic was heavy the whole route home from Poultney, especially on Hwys.
73 and 85.
We made a mistake by taking a
little detour through the town of Lake Placid. The place was mobbed late
on Saturday afternoon. Jim
couldn't find the bookstore he wanted to go to and there wasn't a place
to park anyway. What a tourist trap!
Next entry: scenic photos from various day drives in the
Whiteface and high peaks regions of the Adirondacks
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup
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© 2014 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil