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I’ll share how I trained and prepared in a later post. This one is about what it felt like.

This was by far my longest ride ever, and I still can’t quite believe I finished within the time limit. It took 87 hours and 30 minutes from start to finish.

The route began in New York, stretched north to Montreal, and returned to New York again. It passed through five states: New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Each had its own landscape, weather, and quiet challenges. By the end, I had burned more than twenty thousand calories, but it felt as if I had emptied and refilled my soul several times along the way.

Day 1: Finding My Rhythm

On the first day, I decided to push harder than usual. It turned out to be the right call. Finishing earlier gave me more than five hours of sleep, which felt like a luxury. The roads were smooth, the air was cool, and my legs felt light. As the sun set behind the hills, I reached the checkpoint feeling both tired and calm. For the first time, I thought that maybe I really could do this.

Day 2: The Long Climb

The second day began with an endless stretch of hills that slowly wore me down. Every climb felt steeper than the last. Somewhere along the way, I found another rider moving at a similar pace. We didn’t talk much, but having someone nearby made the day easier. Checking each other became our way of saying that we could still do this. The day ended late, but at least I wasn’t alone. I ended up sharing the room with him.

Day 3: The Breaking Point

The third day was the hardest. I had slept only two and a half hours, and the weather turned against us. The temperature dropped to 12 °C, rain began to fall, and the gravel section turned into a mud pit. My bike felt twice as heavy. Hills, headwinds, and rain came one after another. There was a moment in the afternoon when I wanted to stop, but I kept turning the pedals. When I finally reached the control point that night, I was soaked, cold, and proud.

Day 4: The Last Stretch

By the fourth day, my ankle started to ache, maybe because of the toe numbness from the day before. My shoes were still wet, but the extra pair of socks I had packed felt like pure comfort. I rode again with the same companion from the previous two days. I could have pushed harder to finish earlier, but after sharing so much of the road together, it felt right to finish side by side.

Nutrition and Notes

I tried to stay fueled by carrying five packets of sixty grams of carbs each day and eating as much as I could at every control point. I don’t remember everything I ate. There were sandwiches, pasta, fruit, instant ramen, donuts, and anything that kept me moving. Next time, I’ll take photos to remember what worked and what didn’t.

Reflections

I don’t enjoy mud, rain, or headwinds, but that might be why this ride remains so vivid in my memory. The discomfort has already faded, but the small, beautiful moments remain: mist rising over hills, the smell of wet pine, and the quiet hum of tires at dawn.

87 hours and 37 minutes. It was more than just a ride. It felt like a long conversation between body and mind.

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