I hope you’ll find this Vermont 50 guide helpful. Having completed the event many times, I’ve learned a few things that often get overlooked.
If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for the Vermont 50 here. Registration opens every year on May 25th every year.
If you’ve already signed up, congrats. Getting in is probably the hardest part. If you are reading this before registration opens, be ready to register for the event. YOU CAN NOT BE LATE TO REGISTRATION OPENING. It typically sells out in about 5-10 minutes! Make sure everything is ready to go well in advance of registration opening. Seriously, take this seriously, seriously. Once you’re in you have plenty of time to get fit for race day.
Lights – At some point over the summer, you’ll want to figure out what you’re going to use for lights. For some insane reason, they start just before sunrise. Experts go around 6:10 and then they stager the groups until about 6:30. It will be dark for about the first hour. You don’t need a full blown Niterider system, but you will want something. I’ve gone without lights, with a weak light and a good light. Get a good light. I currently use the Light and Motion TAZ1200. Remember you’re only going to need It for about 1hr, so something with a long run time isn’t needed. My 1200 lumens is a little overkill, 800-1000 is plenty. I highly suggest you get in at least 2 rides with your light during the summer. Riding in the woods with a light casting shadows is a completely different game.
During the summer months, you’ll want to test two things on your longer endurance rides. Fueling and race set up. This is where I say “stay out of the woulds” and actually do what you plan to do. For example, don’t say “I would bring two tubes,” instead actually ride with two spare tubes. Don’t say “I would tape my Gu packets to the top tube,” instead, actually tape them to the top tube. Whatever you plan to eat and bring, you should be bringing and using on your long endurance training days. Then make adjustments as needed and continue to test it.
Fueling and hydration plan. This can get a little tricky. I’ll divide everyone into two groups. Those who wear a hydration pack and those who don’t.
Those who do: If you frequently wear a hydration pack and are comfortable using one, then stick with that plan. But as stated above, pack it like you will for Vermont 50 and ride it full of what you will bring. More on the aid stations later.
Those who don’t: If you prefer bottles and have the ability to carry 2 bottles on your bike, you are golden. No need to worry about riding with a pack. If you only have one bottle mount, that’s ok too. There are bottle cage mounts that can be added via strap systems (bottom of downtube, seat post, under top tube, etc). If you go this route, try it well in advance to make sure it works for your bike. The day before the race is not the time to play around with this. More on aid stations later.
Fast forward to the week before the race. This is not the week to try anything new. Don’t try the new restaurant that just opened. Don’t try any new supplements or cooking techniques. Don’t start playing hockey for the first time in years. Don’t show your friends how much you can squat. Got it? Nothing new. When Friday hits, you should already be working on your hydration. Keep your food simple and don’t try anything new.
Saturday Pre-Ride: I normally get in a quick 1hr ride on Saturday. I arrive early, check into wherever I’m staying and then ride the last 1-1.5 miles of the course reverse. That’s right, ride straight up the course in the wrong direction. You’re on Ascutney property so no worries about private land. Then turn around and ride back down. Having a little bit of knowledge about the last downhill will save your race. By the time you hit this spot on race day, you’re so drained that it’s easy for things to go wrong. It’s a super fast downhill, it could be greasy, and you can hear the music. If you get too excited things get sketchy! On race day, this downhill is not the place to make up time. There’s too much that can go wrong and you won’t save much time anyway. Stay safe and ride within your skill level. After I’m done pre-riding the last mile. I then ride the first mile or two. You start downhill, you go real fast in the dark, with hundreds of other riders. Knowing the first few turns is key. Keep this pre-ride light. Sunday is the day to go hard.
Saturday night is about eating a good meal and getting everything set up. Do everything the night before. Get your clothing ready, your bike ready, everything. Don’t wait until the morning.
On race day morning, things can get a little crazy. It’s cold, dark and damp. There are well over 1000 people all riding around trying to get ready, and the lines for the very dark porto-potties can get long (bring your light in there if you can). Try to get up early enough to eat a real breakfast in peace without rushing around. While you wait for your start time, try to ride around and stay warm. You don’t need to do a full blown pre-race warm up, but keep moving. Be ready for your start time!
Like I said earlier, you will start in the dark, downhill and it’s fast! The first few miles are pretty easy and there are always a bunch of people who go out way too hard. There’s plenty of time to make up spots later. Don’t panic and stay on track with your pacing. But… at mile 3.6 things can get interesting. This is the first time you enter the woods. You go from the road into a super steep climb that is often wet. It’s a bottleneck no matter what wave you are in. If you are an advanced rider who can climb technical single track, you will want to be in or near the front of your group. If you’re an intermediate or beginner rider, be ready to get off and walk/run on this climb. Remember, you are only a few miles into your race, no need to get super aggressive here. Play it safe and ride what you can, but don’t get worried if there’s a traffic jam.
Skunk hollow is the first aid you should plan around. Yes, there are others before it, but this aid station is an important one. This is the one where everyone ditches what they don’t need. You can leave stuff and the Vermont 50 staff will bring it back to the start for you. If you think you want to take advantage of this, make sure you ask the staff on SATURDAY about this option. If you will have a support crew driving to the aid stations, this should be where they go first. It’s a great place to ditch any cold weather clothing you have on, your light, whatever you don’t need for the rest of the day.
Aid stations and drop bags – Even if you don’t have a support crew, do not use drop bags at this race! It’s a nightmare. If you need a specific drink mix or a specific food, carry it with you. Even if that means carrying the drink mix powder to mix on the course later. It takes so much time to find your bag, and that’s if you find it at all. It’s not worth the stress. Keep this in mind. There are people who run the Vermont 50, yes run on their feet! So, to support the runners there are aid stations everywhere. There’s a long list of them on the website, you will not run dry at this event. They are well stocked, and well supported. This is why I suggest those who don’t run a pack to stick with not running a pack. They have everything from bananas, PBJ, gels, bars, pickles, and more. There are also a few “unofficial” aid stations along the way with everything from margaritas to bacon.
If you use something like a tube or CO2 from your stash, make sure you replenish at an aid station. If you are getting low on a particular food item you like and the aid stations have that item, take some! Taking a few seconds at an aid station to fill up a bottle isn’t going to derail your race. It’s also way faster than trying to find a drop bag in a field with 500 other bags. I suggest that you start the event eating real food and work your way to the engineered food. But do what worked for you best on all those long training rides (that’s why testing it was so important).
This is my aid station plan: I start with 3 bottles. Two fit on my bike, one in my jersey pocket. I bring 3 Bobo Bars and 2 sleeves of ClifBloks. By the time I hit Skunk Hollow I have already eaten half a bar (they are double servings bars) and drank a full bottle. At Skunk, I ditch any clothing I don’t want, my light, and ditch the bottle I drank. Then I press on. I normally stop at Garvin Hill and top off again. But I know it’s not a big deal if I don’t stop since there are plenty of other aid stations. Greenall’s is the next aid station I’m trying to reach without stopping. That is why I typically top off at Garvin. But once again, I know it’s not a big deal since there are so many stations. After Greenalls, I’ve moved onto the Bloks and I’m trying to reach Johnson’s for the last fill up.
Last aid station at Johnson’s. This info I find vital. It is only 2.5 miles from the finish, but you should stop here and fill up no matter what. I’ll say it again, stop here no matter what and fill up! I can’t tell you how many friends have told me that they left here light, and almost didn’t make it. I’ve left here with a full bottle and barely made it in too. So fill up. When you get to Johnson’s you are literally riding up a landowners driveway into his back yard. He opens his entire property up to all of us, it’s great. But it’s also hell. When you climb through his field, the sun is up, it’s hot, and you’re in a dehydrated state. This field seems like it never ends. You will go through at least one entire bottle. Make sure you leave the aid station with plenty of water. At least 2 bottles worth.
Now it’s the final descent. Don’t push it too hard here. You are tired and it’s a super fast downhill. Don’t try to make up too much time and stay within your limits.
Quick Vermont 50 Recap
Get a light – try it out well in advance.
Figure out what you want to carry/eat – use exactly that on your long rides.
Don’t try anything new the week before.
Get there early Saturday.
Drink lots of water and don’t have any alcohol for at least the 5 nights leading up to the race.
Take a second to enjoy the views during the race.
There are plenty of aid stations so don’t worry about not having enough supplies.
No matter what, stop at the last aid station.
Hope that helps! If you have more questions about the Vermont 50 or any New England race, reach out via our contact form.