In August the family will be traveling to Cleveland, Ohio for a family reunion / party / bonfire of sorts. I’ve been scheming to get a long, self supported brevet under my belt this year. To break up the trip from Burlington we plan to stop at my in-laws in Utica, NY. The distance is about 193 miles – perfect for a 300k. The plan is for me to ride the distance, with Jen leaving Burlington later in the afternoon and meeting me mid route. If all goes well I’ll arrive in Utica for a late late dinner, and the following day we’ll car top the bike and head off to Cleveland.
The route follows the shore of Lake Champlain (along much of the bikeway route) and then heads into the heart of the Adirondack Park in New York, traveling through the mountains and following Route 8 most of the way to the Utica suburbs. The terrain will be a challenge – the route gets progressively more difficult as the ride goes on – there is a fair bit of climbing as I leave the ‘flatlands’ of the Champlain Valley and climb into the mountains. The tentative plan is that Jen will meet me somewhere near Speculator, NY for lunch and re-supply. This will also give me the option to sag the balance of the trip if I have mechanical, weather, or bodily reasons to abandon.
Most of the route finding is complete, as we’ve driven a similar route many many times. I’m planning to take a day connecting some quieter country roads around Utica when we are in town to run the Boilermaker (eek! just 15 days away!) – and I have a few roads to scout in NY after I cross Lake Champlain. There are few options for the majority of the miles in the Adirondacks – Route 8 seems the safest and most scenic option. This ride will start early on a weekday morning – so I shouldn’t have to worry about tourist traffic in the mountains.
While this will not be an official brevet or permanent, I plan on riding it as such and researching and coordinating the route for a future registration. Seeing as we make the trip to Utica several times a year, and to Cleveland at least once a year – this would be a great way to combine training and work towards and R-12 award. Now to get my 200k and 300k local permanents registered so I have options that start and end out my door!