At the Moose - On his way to a new course record, Brett Danderson of Lee NH

Photo by Kathleene Marcil

Record Setting Rides Through Nature’s Wash

At The Moose 2023

EAST BURKE, VERMONT – 32 Cyclists were undeterred by predictions of showers on and off throughout the morning, at the seventh annual running of The Moose on Saturday, June 10^th, 2023.  The cyclists were rewarded for their gritty determination with intermittent heavy showers, even some hail, spaced with periods of brilliant sunshine, throughout the day. 

The Moose is a 103 Mile Timed Event leaving and finishing at Mike’s Tiki Bar in East Burke, Vermont on wide open, “car hungry” roads through Island Pond, Bloomfield, Canaan, Norton and back through Island Pond.  It comes with a shorter option, 66 miles leaving and finishing at the Island Pond Historical Society Building in Island Pond. The event is organized and hosted by Kingdom Games, now celebrating its tenth year of operations and offering over 50 days of running, biking, and swimming in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Notwithstanding Nature’s Wash, course records were set among the men, the women, and in the Team Challenge. Brett Danderson, 42, of Lee,. NH, was the overall winner with a time of 4:24:20, beating the previous record of 4:39:00 set by Mathew Katz, 26, of Tamworth, NH in 2019 (clockwise) and 4:42:00 set by Jason Yanelli, 42 of Sebago, ME in 2022 (counterclockwise).  Remarkably, Brett rode almost all of the way ALONE.

Among the women, Michelle Dimery, 39, of Barrington, RI, riding with the SVC/Bikeworks Team, set another course record with her time of 4:45:40, beating the previous record of 5:26:18 set by Fran Plaisted, 58, of Orford, NH in 2022 (counterclockwise) and 5:30:14 set by Mariana Wingood, 32, of Waterbury, VT in 2019 (clockwise). 

Brett and Michelle each took home a gallon of Couture’s Maple Syrup and a pound of Brault’s Beef Jerky. In addition, as winners in 2023 they each received free entry in The Moose 2024 to allow them to defend their titles.

All in all, nine riders posted times under 5 hours. Average speed of these riders (up and down hill) over the course of the entire 103 miles ranged from 20 MPH to 23 MPH. NOT TOO SHABBY. The repaving of the downhill run on Route 105 between Island Pond and Bloomfield may have helped with times. Although the brutal uphill climb from Canaan to Norton requires the same strong legs it always has. In 2021 we reversed the direction of the course from clockwise in 2019 and previous years to counterclockwise in 2021, 2022, and 2023.  How that impacts the speed of the course, we don’t know. But, it looks like we will be continuing the counterclockwise direction for many years to come.

All times are posted at the following link: The Moose 2023 - Times

For some photos of the day by Kingdom Games' Official Photogra[pher, Kathleene Marcil, see: The Moose 2023 - Photos

We welcomed the newest group of riders to join us from the SVC/Bikeworks out of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, some ten of them in all riding in both courses. They didn’t disappoint, setting a new record in the Team Challenge with a collective time among the three fastest in the team of 14:02:00 beating previous records of 15:43:06 set by Upper Valley Cycling Club in 2021 (counterclockwise) and 15:54:17 set by Spoke n Word in 2019 (clockwise).  Upper Valley and Spoke n Word have been dominant in the Team Challenge since we started it. The newcomers received the highly coveted Moose Wheel to take home for the year, along with Beef Jerky and Maple Syrup all around.

New Sheriff in Town: SVC/Bikeworks - Winner of the Coveted Moose Wheel

The award for the “Most Mature” rider of the day went to Tom Villars, 69, of Norwich, Vermont, riding with the Upper Valley Cycling Club. He hadn’t been able to train for the 103 Mile Loop, but undeterred by the weather, rode to Island Pond and back, some 37 miles often in a deluge from The Wash, thereby establishing a third option for the Moose in 2024. A 37 Mile Out and Back - Island Pond or Bust. His reward, a lifetime free entry into The Moose. Keep on truckin’, Tom.

Each year we offer a prize to the Last One Back to the Barn. These are the slow and determined cyclists, riding with their fist in the face of the challenge and often smiling as they do. This year the award went to Anne Wagoner and Bill Smithson, of Dover, NH. Last year they rode the 66 Mile Short Loop. They returned this year, determined to finish their first Century Ride, notwithstanding the washing they took, which they did with a time of 6:42:26. Their reward: A quart of Maple Syrup, a half-pound of Beef Jerky and a copy of “Where the Rivers Flow North” by our beloved local author, Howard Mosher. 

Most impressive of all, every single rider who started, finished, notwithstanding the fact that the weather and what we now call “The Wash of 2023” was the second worst weather day in the 18 years we’ve been organizing century rides.  The sun came out just enough during the ride to keep us all on our wheels and was out during most of our after-ride celebration and Award Ceremony at Mike’s Tiki Bar with 30 beer on tap and a great Burrito Stand.

As the pandemic recedes a bit, we are looking to rebuild The Moose into a multi-day event like our former Tour de Kingdom. Next year we will be offering The Moose on Saturday, June 9, 2024 with three options including the 37-mile ride to Island Pond and back. We will add back a second day of cycling with our Legendary Lake Region Ride on Sunday, June 10, 2024. In 2024 it will be a simple 44-mile course that includes rides up into Sutton and around Crystal and Willoughby Lakes. The Sutton hilltop and the cliffs of Lake Willoughby offer two of the most spectacular stretches of road in all of Vermont. We’ve missed them.

Hope to see another great group of riders in 2024.

Along the Shore of the Upper Connecticut River at The Moose 2023

Photo by Kathleene Marcil