Hoosic 50 River Ride

Yesterday I rode a half-century!! I had been signed up for the Hoosic River Ride 50 miler for a while, but I actually had been kind of dreading it…my training wasn’t really happening the past few weeks and I was really worried about transporting my bike, going alone to a ride in Massachusetts and possibly getting lost during the ride, etc. But thankfully my parents were around yesterday and went with me! They borrowed their neighbor’s bike rack and my dad helped me put my bike on and off we went to Williamstown, MA.

The Hoosic Rive Ride had a bunch of distances to choose from, the 100 mile, 75 mile, 50 mile (mine), 30 mile and 7 mile. I choose the 50 because A) I knew I could do it since I’ve done 50 on the bike a few times and B) The course went through three states.

The elevation was also something I knew I could handle since I regularly bike on on similar hills.

Williamstown is a really cute town about an hour away from Albany. The drive was pretty! I got there, checked in, got my bike looked at by the bike tech, and put some air in my tires . At 9AM the 50 miler group set off!

I managed to stay with a group for the beginning. I was really worried that I’d be at the back of the group and then ultimately get lost, but thankfully there was always someone nearby!

The first part of the ride was gorgeous! It went past Mount Greylock and the surrounding mountains, so pretty. I didn’t stop for many pictures since I didn’t want to get too behind, but this one was taken after going into NY.

The first aid station was at about the 20 mile mark. I couldn’t believe how quick the ride was going by! The aid station was great, lots of food, drinks, and flush bathrooms! I ate an oreo and grabbed a mini clif bar for later.

The middle of the ride was pretty uneventful, we went through Stephentown and Petesburg, NY, places I’ve always heard of but never been to. It was a lot of pretty farm country.

The second aid station was at the 42 mile mark, and when I got there I couldn’t believe the ride was almost over.

I was starting to feel the effects of being on a bike for nearly 4 hours…my wrists and back were hurting the most! BTW…is there a way to prevent such sore wrists??

After taking off from the station, we entered Vermont!

We weren’t in VT for long, soon enough we were riding back into MA. My bike computer clocked the end of the ride at ~54 miles, which is awesome but I was so ready to get off the bike at that point!

After checking in, I changed and then got some lunch! They had some delicious home made salads, cookies, wraps, hummus, pretzels, etc. What a fantastic event! I can’t say enough good things about this ride. It was organized well, the course was marked really well, so I knew I wouldn’t get lost. I definitely want to do this ride again.

And my parents were great! They drove along the course and stopped every once in awhile to cheer on the riders and made sure I had enough food and water. Thanks, mom and dad!

I finished 54 miles in 4 hours and 8 minutes, averaging about 13MPH, which is really good for me. I’ll take it.