Jurczynski grabs a bottle from Caleb Johnson as he races across Vermont. Jane Kellogg photo

I started my Vermont North to South record attempt at 7:13 a.m. on Monday, August 28th. I began at the end of Route 7, 100 to 200 yards from the Vermont/Canadian border. Route 7 turns into Interstate 89, which does not allow bicycles at this border crossing.

The weather forecast called for light winds from the east for the first half of the ride, turning into a tailwind from the north for the second half. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the start the wind was coming from the south, a headwind at about five mph, and it stayed that way for more than half of the ride.

Other than that, it was a perfect day for a record attempt, primarily overcast with temperatures ranging from 63 to 79 degrees. Toward the end of my ride the winds did shift into a tailwind from the north.

I did this record attempt for three reasons.

1. To earn points for the Ultracycling Cup Competition without having to travel a great distance to get to a race.
2. To develop potential crewmembers for a future Race Across America attempt.
3. Setting a record is high quality training that also simulates RAAM conditions to some degree.

Jurczynski racing a truck up hill during his Vermont record. Jennifer Jurczynski & Caleb Johnson photo

I experimented with a variety of foods and beverages on this trip. During the ride I consumed:

• 24 oz. of Sustained Energy
• 40 oz. of Enduro Optimizer (chocolate)
• 12 oz. of liquid yogurt
• 20 oz. of Coca Cola
• 20 oz. of PowerAde
• 12 oz. of Ginger ale
• 16 oz of Red bull
• 16 oz of V-8
• 2 cheese and potato pierogis
• 1 nectarine
• 1 banana

The best aspect of the ride was having my daughter Jennifer on my crew!

The hardest aspect was the unexpected headwind for the majority of the ride. I am overdue for a nice long tailwind.

Jennifer Jurczynski, John Jurczynski & Caleb Johnson after the record. Jane Kellogg photo

I did have a flat tire seven miles into the ride, but thanks to my able crew chief, Caleb Johnson, I only lost about a minute changing wheels.

Long traffic lights and road construction frustrated me at several occasions. I lost a lot of time making my way through Burlington, VT.

I reached the MA/VT border on Route 7 at 4:18 p.m. I covered the 179 miles in 9 hours 5 minutes and 38 seconds.

Note: I do feel guilty breaking my friend Russ Loomis' overall Vermont records (both south to north and north to south) only a few weeks after he established them. As I have explained to him, it is nothing personal. Vermont just happens to be close to home and is a reasonable distance. You can get the traveling and the ride done in a day. That also makes it easy on my crew.

Official Record, North to South: 179 miles in 9:05, average speed of 19.7 mph
Start: US 7 at the VT/Canada border
Finish: US 7 at the MA/VT state line
Official: Jane Kellogg