On June 19, 2021, I rode my bike 223.82 miles in 13 hours and 12 minutes. I climbed over 7,000 feet, burned 13,183 calories, and lost over seven pounds when it was all done. It took all day.
The Longest Day Ride is a challenge I’ve wanted to attempt for several years. It takes place on the weekend nearest the summer solstice. Cyclists in New Jersey ride their bicycles from High Point Monument, in the northwestern part of the state, to Cape May Lighthouse, located at the southernmost part of the state.
It’s a long ride that typically starts at sunrise and, in celebratory fashion, heads south along mostly county roads. The ride is not for the novice cyclist due to the significant mileage and elevation gain, as well as the challenging heat of a late June day and brisk winds that can come off the waters in the southern part of the state. However, the rewards can be beautiful. You experience the beautiful mountains and lakes of the Kittatinny Range, the hills of Warren County, the farmlands of Somerset and Burlington Counties, and the Pine barrens and southern points leading to the Jersey Shore.
Any New Venture Starts with a Vision
But I wanted to do things differently. I think of myself as a creative person who takes a unique approach to things. After all, I’m a partner and creative director at Trillion and use cycling to feed my creativity and as a means for inspiration. The Longest Day route that other cyclists have taken in previous years utilized busy roads. Those roads bypass beautiful parts of the north and trade the many beautiful vistas for the most direct bikeable roads (they do avoid the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, and Atlantic City Expressway). I didn’t want to trade in the beauty for a shorter ride. In fact, I started beyond New Jersey—Port Jervis, New York. The bike route that I created went through more desolate roads, over more hills, and avoided as many car-filled byways as possible.
The standard Longest Day route that many New Jersey cyclists follow is between 200 and 208 miles and about 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Not my route. For Lou’s Unofficial Longest Day 2021, we were to cover 223.5 miles and 7,676 feet of elevation gain. We had only the available daylight from the longest day of the year, so we couldn’t spend endless hours gallivanting and taking breaks. The ride was set to be a more challenging challenge, but I was willing to pay for the extra beauty. You’ve got to earn the reward at the end a little bit more.
Putting Together a Great Team is the Next Step
It’s hard enough to find people to commit to riding their bike this distance, never mind the logistics of getting to the northwestern part of the state for sun-up and back from the southernmost part at the end of the day. But there are usually some people up for the challenge. Months prior, I started talking about the Longest Day Ride with my cycling friends and had several who were excited for the adventure. I described the picturesque roads that we would be taking along the scenic route, and acknowledged that it would be longer than the “typical” route—and more challenging. They liked it, even though the distance and elevation gain gave them pause as they considered how it would test their limits.
Much like in business, taking the roads less traveled, comes with a logistics challenge. Besides getting to and from the start and finish of the ride, getting food and drinks along the way becomes more and more challenging as the route progresses. Initially, you go through enough small towns and civilizations where snacks and beverages are relatively common. Convenience stores and gas stations provide most of what we need. But as you pass beyond Princeton, or about 125 miles, you need to be more strategic about filling your bottles with water, stomach with food, and pockets with snacks to get you to the next opportunity.
We planned to have SAG vehicles (Support And Gear) to help us along the way. They carry food and drinks for everyone, avoiding the need to spend precious time buying them in stores along the way. The SAG vehicles will also have extra bike parts and tools in case of any mechanical issues. Since the bike ride takes all day, we had a few family members volunteer their support at different intervals and locations. This is an invaluable service to the cyclists because it saves time and effort, as well as providing an element of safety.
For the ride, we planned on taking longer breaks (about 15 minutes) at miles 69 and 140. At the finish, we would celebrate with beer and more… at least that was the plan.
Preparation is key when you are taking on something challenging
Since most of my friends and I have never ridden our bikes this kind of distance before, we trained for it with longer rides. Our longer rides were over 100 miles at a time but not much more than 120 miles. So, you can see that attempting a 223+ mile bike ride would be a significantly greater effort comparatively—like saying you will double your business’s revenue in a few months. We were all somewhat comfortable at those distances and depending on the rider, mileage, and elevation gain, 100-120 miles could take us anywhere from five hours to seven and a half hours to complete. Still my longest ride before June 19 was 154 miles. We were all hopeful we could finish the ride, but each of us was diving into uncharted territory.
As the date got closer, more and more cyclists were canceling. The forecast was for hot, humid weather, eventually passing 90 degrees. I was worried if the ride would even happen. Thankfully, one dedicated cyclist and Ironman, David Duran, would pull through and take on the Longest Day with me.
Here’s what happened on the Longest Day Ride
In order to start our ride promptly at 5:00 a.m., David and I spent the evening at The Erie Hotel, a small independent hotel in the center of downtown Port Jervis. It’s a handful of small rooms above a restaurant and pub. Checking in to the hotel required something unique—walking up to the bartender to get the key to the room. The Erie Hotel suited our needs perfectly with a simple room.
The beginning of the ride introduced us to the hilly country roads of northwestern New Jersey. These roads see little vehicular traffic, especially early in the morning. The terrain was perfect for warming up and getting into a rhythm for all 200-plus miles ahead of us.
While riding through High Point State Park, we took a less traveled road that was rough, with large potholes and overgrown with trees and greenery. This dirt, gravel, sort-of-paved road was when we encountered something David had never experienced before. As I caught up to him at the top of the hill, he had stopped riding and was still. I was concerned. But he pointed ahead to a very large black bear. In fact, it was the largest black bear I had ever seen in the wild and David’s first! He asked, “What do we do?” We made noise and it wandered ahead and into the brush by the side of the road. As we rode by the bear, we looked at each other in awe. The Longest Day Ride was starting out amazingly.
No matter how often I ride my bike in New Jersey, I find myself saying how beautiful and special it is.
If you haven’t visited the western part of New Jersey, you’d be really surprised with how much it contrasts with the eastern landscape. The hills and vistas are beautiful, with views of the Kittatinny Mountains and Appalachian Mountains into Pennsylvania. The farmlands, lakes, rivers, and streams are wonderfully scenic and go on for miles and miles, taking on different personalities along the way. Wildlife is abundant with squirrels, rabbits, deer, birds, turtles, bears, and more—all out for you to see and experience on a bicycle.
The first several hours of our ride were going well. We were making good progress, having great conversation, and working our way toward our first resting point—CocoLuxe Fine Pastries in Peapack, New Jersey. This is an area of the state where we spend time riding our bikes every week. It also marked the end of the major elevation change of the ride as well as the first point where we would see family and friends. We looked forward to this milestone on the ride and David’s family was there waiting for us to share a nice snack and rehydrate before continuing south.
At CocoLuxe, we were also joined by our friend Sam Baldwin, as well as a few other cyclists we didn’t know. They were supportive of our endeavor and rode with us toward Princeton. This part of the ride begins the mostly flat part of the ride, and it was great to be spinning fast and drafting behind Sam as he zipped us southward along the Raritan Canal, one of our favorite roads to ride.
We worked as a team and shared the task of setting the pace which allowed those behind the leader to draft. Drafting uses the aerodynamic benefits of the person or people in front of you, reducing the wind resistance and the amount of energy required to pedal. Cyclists can reduce their effort by 10-20% while drafting. When you are riding your bike for so many miles and so much time, all small efforts, improvements, and efficiencies add up. We share the responsibility for the betterment of the group—much how successful businesses operate.
Princeton marked the point at which our regular SAG vehicle would meet us and Sam would turn back toward his home. We planned our support to be there because it was at a point in the day where the temperatures would be rising, the tree coverage and protection from the sun would start to dwindle, and we would need to keep working through some landscapes that can become mentally challenging due to their repetitive nature. Continued eating and hydrating becomes even more critical at this point.
But our SAG vehicle was not there.
Despite Careful Planning, There Are Always Surprises
We arrived in Princeton sooner than we thought and traffic in New Jersey prevented my wife Christine from getting to us. She was tracking us via my phone and said that she couldn’t catch up to us. We were running low on food and drinks. It was getting hot. David and I had been riding our bikes for over six hours at this point. We were making great time. Sam had led us to Princeton and turned back which left David and me on our own again.
Count on Unpredictability and Be Ready to Adjust
Preparing for the Longest Day Ride is much like other important endeavors. Training, treating your body and mind correctly leading up to and on the big day, and being mindful of your day-of performance are all critical to improve your odds of success. But unpredictable things like flat tires, lack of places to get food or drinks, and New Jersey traffic can impact how your body performs on the bike over hours and hours.
Because our SAG vehicle was delayed and the weather so hot, and because of the universe not aligning that day, David decided to stop at mile 141. The sun was beating down on us relentlessly on the long straight roads of Burlington County. The Hot Diggidy Dog roadside eatery was tempting us to stop.
The problem? I still felt great. I knew that riding over 80 miles by myself through the Pinelands of southern New Jersey was going to turn into the biggest challenge I have ever attempted. I thought about all the people who knew what I was doing on the summer solstice. I thought of all my cycling friends who I knew were waiting to see my crazy ride posted on Strava, the Facebook or Instagram for athletes and cyclists. I decided to continue and pedaled onto the long, straight road ahead of me.
With my wife now supporting me, I told her to drive ahead and meet me in another 20 miles. I figured meeting every 20 miles till the end would be plenty.
But when I met her at nearly 170 miles, I needed a break. I was getting tired physically and mentally. My break was longer than I wanted. I was trying to gain some strength by eating and drinking and resting. I was worried that I would never make it. I hate riding by myself, and the roads were mind-numbingly boring. Only pine tree after pine tree after pine tree to look at.
And then Christine said one thing that made me more determined than ever to finish… “You can just quit.” I perked up. “I can’t quit!” There was something to prove. Something to prove for everyone who had a part of the training, for people I might inspire, for my cycling friends, for me. I got on my bike and started pedaling again. You must push on, even when things get tough.
Staying Tough When Things Get Difficult
I was tired, by myself, and doing anything to keep my mind occupied. One of the things that was keeping me moving was about to surprise me. My cycling computer was tracking my caloric burn. Instead of looking at how many miles I had remaining, I was working up how many calories I was burning. I was working on over 9,000 calories. I was just watching the number getting closer to a five-digit number: 9,998, 9,999, and then ——-. Yeah, that’s right. No 10,000, just a bunch of dashes. My computer did not display a five-digit calorie burn. I literally started to cry. It was like a milestone goal had been stolen at the last moment.
When you are burning so many calories in a day, you need to be continually drinking and eating. The problem was that my appetite and thirst were going away. At first, I was able to force myself to eat and drink, but as the ride went on, I just couldn’t. I was starting to ride on fumes—burning any bit of energy that my body had remaining. I needed to dig deep and stay focused.
During the last 20 miles, I was really struggling. I was moving at a snail’s pace as my hands, arms, and back were extremely fatigued… not to mention my legs. I was trying to figure out how long it would take me to finish and if I would get to the Cape May lighthouse before dark.
For the previous 50 miles, Christine would drive within 100 feet of me. Sometimes ahead and sometimes behind me. She made me drink and provided me with support and encouragement. So when I stopped on the side of the road, she came behind me and asked what was wrong. I got a flat! There was absolutely no way I could change a flat tire being as fatigued as I was.
My planning had paid off, though. Not only did I have a SAG vehicle and major moral support person, but I had also packed my spare bike in the van. I just took out the back-up bike and put my main bike in the van. It was the insurance policy that paid off. Planning for many scenarios is critical in life and business…and it was for me that day in June.
The Final Moments
In the final minutes of my ride, over 220 miles into a long and arduous challenge, I picked up the pace somehow. I knew I was going to achieve my goal. The daylight was quickly fading and as I turned into the park at sunset where the Cape May lighthouse is located, David and his family were there cheering me on. It was fantastic. It was emotional. I placed my bike on the ground and collapsed in the grass—exhausted. I did it—223.82 miles in one day on my bicycle.
Why Does All this Matter?
I appreciate you reading about this journey. As I reflected on this monumental day, I see many analogies between completing the Longest Day Ride and running a business. They both take leading and being focused on something, and then doing what it takes to achieve it. It really is true that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Keep making progress, because even small wins add up to become a huge victory.
