Author: Francis Giroux
The weather was forecast to be the last warm day of winter until spring. I could not pass up the opportunity to attempt a long ride on this rare occasion. I could have attempted a 100-mile ride, but I have already done Century rides in every month of the year in the last few years. I needed to schedule an appointment at the Veterans Administration Medical Facility in Rutland, Vermont (43 miles away), so I decided to combine my ride with a visit to VA Med. in person instead of making a phone call.
The weather was forecast to be partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit with winds under 10 miles per hour. I have ridden numerous rides with temperatures in the single digits and others with winds of 20 gusting to 25 miles per hour, and have ridden in downpouring rain and even light snow. My Bulk velomobile with racing hood is great year-round, even in the summer.
The route I took to Rutland had to avoid the main State Route 4, which was a limited access highway, so I circumnavigated by way of the old version of Route 4, which was now named Route 4A. This took me from Fair Haven, Vermont through Castleton and West Rutland and into Rutland. Here is a map and elevation profile of the entire route:
The entire ride was recorded and uploaded onto https://www.youtube.com/@h2boost/videos You can scroll down a few rows of videos and find the five videos titled:
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBQQ-c7R_60
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K78_PetKkqg&t=2861s
Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqRwtDm2uXM
Part 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXb5ersvNJc&t=3452s
Part 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQRUN_dtCh4&t=451s
The most exciting segment of the ride is in part 4 between 51 and 54 minutes into the video where I was descending into Whitehall from the top of the hill near the Vermont Border. Another highlight of the ride was shortly after I headed home, while still in West Rutland, I had a flat tire and pulled into a cemetery off the road to change the tire and tube. Yes, especially on long rides you can expect to have a flat tire once in a while, but the Bulk Velomobile has plenty of room behind the seat to store tools, patch kit, and spare tires and tubes. I can even carry a whole day's food and drinks.
The most boring part of the ride is Part 5, which includes some long climbs when already exhausted and the sun was getting low. Overall, the ride was very adventurous and exciting considering it was done mid-winter in upstate New York. Notice on the elevation profile on the map that I had to climb 4,000 feet of elevation. This is, after all, the Adirondack and Green Mountain regions of New York and Vermont.
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