Pre-race report - GMDC

[argus]

Thought I would post a pre-race report.
Tomorrow at 4:00 am Chris (cp43) and I start our 210 mile GMDC adventure through the Green Mountains. We are all set with steel bikes, 32c tires, dynamo lighting, spare bikes & gear and crew support.
We were hoping to shatter last year's time of 25 hours, but received some latest info last night:
"I have to downgrade the condition of the Reading Pond/Lynds Hill section. Yikes. Bring FATTIES for this part, guys. A 2.0 hardtail mountain bike will be about ten minutes faster over a four mile stretch. Though you can still get through on 32's .... Reading Pond Rd has two miles of fresh gravel. Like three inches of 3/4 inch crushed rock three inches deep for two miles. Then big puddles and full water bars for the mile north. When you turn west onto Lynds Hill, the stream has totally overrun the road in places! No matter what you ride, you will dismount at least four times, once for about 200 yards. Depending on the rainfall in the next 24 hours, you may end up taking off your shoes and socks for stream crossings. Lynds Hill is tough, and CCC (CCC is a dirt road taking you up and over the shoulder of Killington) is a killer."
I have taken to posting long ride comments and pictures as we go on Facebook, so definitely feel welcome to friend me on Facebook if you would like real time posts and pictures.

[Smudger]

Good luck Gary and Chris. Sounds like a true epic in front of you.

[swawersik]

Good luck. You guys are friggin' nuts.

[JeremyC]

Good luck. I'll be in the Killington area this weekend, but I don't plan on going near any of these "roads"

[ahamilton]

You guys are most definitely nuts. For some reason I got this image in my head of Gary floating across the muddy sections while Chris is in it up to his hubs. <Nerd>Kind of like the Lord of the Rings scene where the elf guy is walking on top of the snow while the others are sinking in up to their waists.</Nerd>

[Jacob]

Yes, Gary is clearly Legolas, but is Chris Aragorn or is he Boromir?

[rusto]

Perhaps Tom Bombadil.

[cbusick]

Sweet!

[cp43]

I'm not sure if Gary is planning to post a full report, but here's the short version.

We finished in 27.5 hours, 2.5 hours slower than last year. The river crossing and some wrong turns slowed us down a bit.

Other than navigational errors, everything went smoothly. No injuries, no mechanical problems, no cramps.

Chris