[Global Mountain Bike Product Manager, Johannes Huesby recounts an epic day in the saddle over the unimproved roads of central Vermont. The UV EPIC is a non-sanctioned event and organized by industry-leading photographer, Chris Millman. The spirited ride happens a few times per year pushing riders to their limit through grueling, mountainous but beautiful terrain.]
Overcast, 50% chance of rain and lots of gnarly dirt roads in Vermont were what were in store for this Saturday morning. Buckwheat pancakes, bananas and a great cup of coffee started the day off right. My Cannondale Super X was dialed with a fat 38C front tire and a 35C rear ready for the worst possible conditions. My friend Chris has hosted the UV Epics now for the last several years where mud, snow, and whatever Mother Nature chooses to throw our way could be in the mix.
I last was up at his house a few weeks ago where we attempted one of these rides, UV 4.0 - waking up in the morning to 33 degrees and rain, which turned into accumulating snow…we didn't even make it two hours before we called it a day…so this Saturday, 4.1. We rolled out from the house about a mile to a parking area where we had roughly fifteen riders assembled. Having done several of these before I knew it wouldn't be long before we started shedding attendees along the way due to either mechanicals or very sore legs.
Not even 5 miles into the ride we hit our first sector of dirt – and it immediately went up, abruptly…but thankfully it wasn’t too long and we started descending soon thereafter. I needed to wrap my head around the fact we were likely going to be climbing a lot today…it turned out I was indeed correct. Another friend of mine was following me down a descent and he double flatted, just like that…this was the beginning.
Several hours later and few thousand feet of climbing, we made a stop at the Tunbridge General Store. We filled up our bottles, ate some food and I even found a bottle of maple soda – maple syrup and carbonated water – that’s all – a perfect mixture. We then started climbing seriously at this point and the gradient was certainly steady. I had made the smart decision to not check my gearing before this ride and realized I only had a 23 for my big cog, phew, I really must not have been thinking! I was starting to pay the price.
We now had only 6 riders as many had abandoned. After another flat or two, we were still moving and came to a hidden cooler in the woods which housed 24 oz cans of PBR, pop tarts, Fig Newton’s, and a few other welcomed treats. We continued to accrue elevation and the miles were clicking away. A token covered bridge was in store and we rode across soon after some kids had tried to coerce us into jumping their newly made plywood ramp…we refrained.
The closer we got, the more I started to realize how cracked I was. My legs were starting to go, but I drank all of my fluids and did everything I could not to cramp…somehow it worked out and I was just able to maintain some composure – at least enough to fake it. We had a short stretch of pavement towards the very end that paralleled the Connecticut River…at this point, I realized how close we were and we’d be back in no time.
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THE ROUTE:
Total distance
88+ mi
Elevation gain
10,000+ ft
Road type
95% Dirt
