Cornwall Placid 600

I signed up for this ride again this year, for some unexplained reason, considering it being my main cycling goal this year, as well as it was last year, and I think it was my main motivation to join the club in 2024. I started my long-distance excursions back in 2012, looking for new roads and distant places, and this route, across Adirondack Park, Vermont and all the way to Portland, Maine, was my first experience of this kind. So it was this urge to go back and repeat my old adventures.

I didn't finish it last year, being away from cycling for almost five years, and on the night before the ride, I was completely overcome with dread for the unimaginable distance that I was to face the next day. So, the previous year, I ended up in a nice ADK Trail Inn after riding 345 km, but not having the resolve to continue on the next day after being unable to sleep at all. This year it was different - exciting.

I was the only rider this time and got underway at 4:48 towards the bridge across the river and the dark country on the other side. 

The only question that the border officer had for me was where I was going, to which I presented my brevet card. He just barked, "All on the bike?" and wished me safe travels. Familiar, dark, and quiet roads through the Amish settlements and farms, with some odd road sign saying "Survival Race route" snatched from the darkness by my front light. Didn't know what that meant. I reached the first control - St Regis Falls (56km) - at 7:28 and stopped for a quick breakfast. 

It was difficult to gauge how long you had been climbing and riding, as most of the ride so far was in darkness, gradually changing into twilight. But I knew that now I had reached the highlands plateau and would continue more or less at the same elevation, hitting occasional spikes in the road and a couple of detours from the park and back into the highlands. This first spike was well known to me from the last time: a long but gradual climb for about 10 km, reaching the highest point at ~720 meters and a super-fast 6 km descent into Wilmington (a warning! mark on the official route map). That section to the second control was a pleasant ride on the forest rolling roads with almost no traffic in the crisp and clear air. Riding at this time of the year, in September, was definitely more enjoyable than sweating all the way in the middle of the summer. This time I decided to ride my road bike after fitting it with a new 11-32 cassette. With 53-39 rings at the front, I was hoping to maintain enough momentum to carry me over some rolling hills and bumps. And sure enough, I made use of the entire range of gears, with a 39-32 ratio being just enough to tackle the steepest and longest climbs. Descending into Wilmington, I tried to test my brakes and was hit with a little scare as the rear brake started to produce a pulsating screeching. It seemed it was a bit too loose around the rim, and I had to stop to tighten it a little. That solved the issue. At 11:30 I stopped in Wilmington (second control at 140km) and proceeded straight to the Adirondack Chocolates shop to feast on my favourite truffles and coffee.

Next section to the third control in Ticonderoga at 260 km involved passing through Giant Mountain Wilderness - two more major climbs - followed by a valley ride before a thrilling descent down to Ticonderoga lowlands with Vermont just a ferry ride away. Unfortunately, Vermont was not part of the route. The road to Lake Placid and beyond was significantly busy and packed with long lines of cars parked along the road around numerous hiking trails, but had a nice wide shoulder and was officially designated as a bike route, with the drivers being very considerate of the presence of cyclists. This area was the most popular with cyclists. Next stop for lunch was in the village of Keene. Cedar Run Bakery & Market at 183 km (cedarrunbakery.com) is an amazing place, probably the only one of this kind on the entire route. The menu includes almost everything you can think of: salads, sandwiches, quiche, shrimp, smoked trout, ratatouille, and all kinds of sweets, cakes and pies. I just tried to be mindful and not to overindulge. This is also the last and only place to rest and have a proper dinner. I have planned an overnight stop in Elizabethtown, and there is nothing really between Keene and there.

At 17:20 I was sitting outside Dunkin-Donuts in Ticondegora with a cup of coffee and a ridiculously tiny jalapeño and hash browns wrap. I wasn't hungry, but with 60 km still to ride, I decided to dispatch my last big hummus & dates sandwich and an apple. The next 40 km, the road was slowly winding, rising and falling along the lakes separating New York and Vermont states. Turning away into the mountains under descending darkness, I reached my night destination - a birch hut in Elizabethtown.

I woke up around 05:00 in the morning, anxious to continue without any delay, as I still had at least 300 km to cover and finish this ride before 21:00. At 05:30, I rolled out of Elizabethtown and started climbing up the mountains, taking the road that skirted the Giant Mountain Wilderness from the opposite northern side. 

I did this climb last year at night in complete darkness, then it seemed like I would never get to the end of it. This time, I reached the top in about an hour and could turn my lights off when I started the descent. I bombed down and reached crazy speeds over a 3 km stretch of absolutely straight road, turned right and was in Keene again. The town was still asleep. The road sloped slightly downhill for the next 15 kilometres or so. A lot of deer in this area grazing along the road. Another 8 km of gentle climbing and I was in Wilmington again, control number 4, 358 km done. Time 07:39. So it took me almost 20 hours to cover just 200 km and get to the same place I was at yesterday. Was it some kind of gravitational space-time distortion caused by the enormous masses of all the mountains around? Or just losing track of time when you are having fun? Definitely, time wasn't just flying, it disappeared, became meaningless. I made a quick stop at the Little Supermarket for breakfast with a fresh cinnamon bun and coffee, and picked up a couple of bananas. 

Now I had to find my way to the next control, which was 40 km away in Peru. I've never travelled there before. Out of Wilmington, the road wound through the forest with many downhill sections, and soon, I was rolling along the fields and apple orchards, the high peaks left behind. I stopped to pick up some apples, they were dense and tangy, the way I like it. I was in Peru at 09:20, making good time.

The next 15 km were flat, but then, after I had turned right towards Dannemora, my speed dropped, and I was again on the uphill section for almost 20 km, which culminated in a vicious 3 km climb right after reaching control in Dannemora. This was to be the last major climb, ending at the Crazy Highlands Forest. Probably, it was the longest and steepest, also on a busy road with a lot of road litter. This part, until Malone was the least enjoyable: a depressing view of the maximum security prison in Dannemora, trash on the roads, long open sections exposed to the wind that was coming from all directions, and deceptively easy roads that were not easy at all. 

Next control - Malone - 491 km (it was 500 for me with some extra kms for my night-stop short detour in Elizabethtown). Arrival time 14:13. Finally, I was rewarded for my efforts, and the last 25 km to Malone were mostly downhill. There was a convenience store there, and I decided to lounge around a little since it looked like I had plenty of time. I got myself a slice of pizza and a can of beer and settled at the table in the corner. No sooner had I finished the pizza than I was told that drinking alcohol is not allowed there. Anyway, I wouldn't be able to drink all of it. Instead, I went for some pastries with coffee and a couple of nut bars that I still had in my pocket. I was pleasantly surprised that every convenience store has coffee dispensers with different flavours and roast types. 45 minutes passed quickly, and it was time to get going. A big surprise awaited me as I started to roll my bike. The front tire was completely flat. I guess it was all this road litter and rocks covering the shoulder that collided with the wheel when I was descending into town at 60 km/h. It took a valuable 20 minutes to check the tire and fix it. It was almost 15:30, and I still had 120 km to go in about 5 hours. I felt pressed for time and under pressure for the first time. Fortunately, I just had a short climb left in front of me and about 60 km to get to the next and last control in St Regis Falls. After that, I knew it was all downhill almost to the finish. So it was a fast time-trial for the next 65 km, and at 18:00 I was at the Quick Stop store in St Regis Falls. 

Now I could relax. For the next 30 km I was just freewheeling into sunset, through Amish lands again, passing a black horse-drawn carriage clik-clanking along. It was already dark as I crossed the border, and shortly after I was celebrating in Tim Horton's with a tea and a chocolate donut.