Hell of Hunterdon 2016

I live in beautiful Hunterdon County, New Jersey.  Call me a snob, but I believe I have some of the best roads to ride in the entire State.  And it seems some also agree - as the Hell of Hunterdon incorporates a good portion of these roads I call home.

I've known about the Hell of Hunterdon for a few years now.  I've had plenty of friends who've completed the ride, including Lance.  Although I was curious about the ride, I had never done it.  In the past, I was nervous about riding dirt roads, riding with groups, and the distance.  This year something changed, and I signed up for the challenge.  I signed up the night registration opened, knowing that it has a history of selling out quickly.  Now I was committed to this.

We were lucky to have a mild winter here in NJ with only a few days of really cold temps and one mega snow storm.  This provided me with the motivation I needed to put in miles outside in preparation for this ride.  To date, my longest ride has been 65 miles and I've only done a handful of them.  This ride would be 81 miles - the most miles I've done in one ride and the largest amount of time I've spent in the saddle.  
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As the days leading up to the ride approached, I was getting more excited about my adventure.  I knew I would have great company and the weather forecast was looking perfect.  I picked up my number the night before from Halter's, ate a decent meal, checked over my bike again, and got myself ready for the ride.

My number for the day - even though it wasn't a race, I still used my CX pinning skills (I almost asked what side to pin it).

I arrived that morning pumped.  It was a bit chilly but the electric atmosphere and smiling faces helped distract me.  I watched the first two heats of riders depart and lined up with friends and teammates.  I had to remember this wasn't a race and I had 81 miles ahead of me.  I knew what hills I would have to take it easy on and reminded myself to eat and drink.

My CX skills paid off on the dirt roads - and there were plenty of them

There were five of us in our group (Ben, Fred, Chris, Sal, and myself) - and we stayed together the entire time.  Lots of laughing and many stories told throughout the day helped keep me focused and yet distracted at the same time.  

I saw lots of people along our way, chatting and catching up.  I would see people on the side of the road fixing flats, with others offering help.  The support vehicles were always in sight offering help.  The roads were well marked and all of the volunteers at the rest areas were incredibly encouraging and helpful.  I enjoyed every dirt road, putting my CX handling skills to use.  I took in the scenery and kept a smile on my face.  Before I knew it, I was at the 2nd rest stop with the last 26 miles left.  This would be the hardest for me.

I surpassed my longest ride at mile 66 and got a cheer from my group.  I was starting to feel the mileage but kept pushing.   The last climb up Hopewell Amwell Road and onto Lindbergh was going to hurt.  We came over the ridge and I knew I was almost done.  

Cognition Coaching crew - the best people to spend my longest ride with

I did it.  I completed my goal of finishing the almost 82-mile ride.  I had 5 hours and 15 minutes of pedaling time with about 6100' of climbing.  Thank you to all the volunteers and Kermesse for the day.