Sandy Whittlesey setting the cross-Massachusetts bicycle record on New Year's Day.

Saunders (Sandy) Whittlesey left the New York-Massachusetts state line just after 8 a.m. on New Year's Day.

The 36-year old Whittlesey, from Deerfield, MA, raced 150.4 miles across Massachusetts and finished at the Boston city hall. He set the cross-state record of 8 hours 46 minutes, breaking the old record by 20 minutes

"Damn cold." was the note by UMCA official Stew King on the log sheet when Whittlesey started at 8:02 a.m. on State Route 2 at the New York border. It was in the low 20's and 2-3 inches of snow from night before had melted when the roads had been salted before dawn.

Within a few miles Sandy was completely soaked from the waist down with salty, stinging ice water.

King's next entry: "Still damn cold."

The sun never came out and it stayed below freezing, so Sandy was wet for the rest of the record attempt. He rode into a 3-5 mph headwind all day.

In a record attempt a cyclist rides alone with no benefit of a draft from other riders. His crew followed along in a van, driving up along side him every hour to hand him a fresh bottle of Gatorade. "My Gatorade would freeze within half an hour after a feed zone, so I never finished more than a third of each bottle."

Whittlesey with wet stripe up his butt & back during the Massachusetts bicycle record.

During the record attempt a piece of glass slashed his rear tire. Normally, the crew would hand him a new wheel with a good tire - but they were two miles up the road with the official waiting for a time check. Sandy said "It took me 15 minutes to fix because the wheel was so cold and filthy. I could not keep my hands and the new tube clean because everything was caked in grit. I had to put some plastic (not paper, it would have soaked and burst!) on the inside of the tire to block the hole. When I finally pumped the tire back up, muddy water came squeezing out from under the bead."

Whittlesey, a Contributing Editor to UltraCycling magazine, chose to make the record attempt on January 1 to promote the UMCA's Year-Rounder Challenge. In the Year-Rounder members try to complete at least one century ride each month of the year

After reaching the Boston City Hall he wrote: "The ride was totally sick. I hope, as I intended, that this will help promote cross-state records and the Y-R. But that may be a stretch because it was far from the usual fun that I enjoy on winter rides." Fortunately, Year-Rounder participants are allowed two make-up rides in other months to compensate for tough winter conditions.

Whittlesey exploring his limits during the Massachusetts bicycle record.

Whittlesey's ultra racing resume includes setting a course record in the 2005 Boston-Montreal-Boston 750-mile event. On August 18-20, 2005, he covered the route in 46 hours 3 minutes. Unlike traditional bicycle road races such as the Tour de France, ultra events are run non-stop. The clock started when Whittlesey left the start line in Newton, MA and did not stop until he finished. In the process he knocked over two hours off his course record set last year. At BMB Sandy qualified for the Race Across America (RAAM), which is also sanctioned by the UMCA.

Anticipating a possible RAAM attempt, Sandy used his cross-Massachusetts record to explore his limits. Afterwards he said "I would be very sorely disappointed with my [cross-Massachusetts] time except that a fast time was only a tertiary objective. We really had a chance to explore what it was like to cope when my body is in poor shape to begin with, the conditions are horrendous, and you just have to find the way out."

Whittlesey also set a course record of 250.3 miles in the Saratoga 12-hour race on July 9, 2005 in Schuylerville, NY.

Whittlesey has ridden over 300,000 year-round miles, having obtained a driver's license 20 years after his first bicycle racing license. He rode his first 100 km in fifth grade.

Whittlesey nearing the finish of the Massachusetts west-east bicycle record.

The UltraMarathon Cycling Association - an international organization that oversees long-distance amateur cycling events - certified him as the UMCA Massachusetts west to east record holder. Stew King, the UMCA official, observed his ride to ensure that he complied with all cycling regulations and traffic laws.

Official record: 150.4 miles in 8 hours 46 minutes, average speed 17.2 mph.
Start: State highway 2 at MA/NY state line west of Williamstown, MA.
Finish: Boston City Hall on New Sudbury Street.