2017 Triangle 200

     I wasn't sure what to expect for the second year of the T200.  Surely some people would have heard about it, or seen a flyer around, but would they come out?  Who would it be?  What kind of folks would this type of ride speak to?  I'd had two people, plus Micah, come out the first year.  I think I told people I expected between 5 and 25.  

     Once the crew from Carrboro started showing up I felt instantly at ease.  Andrew Bousquet had put together a crew of about 6 to come ride for the day.  I knew that they'd be down to ride and probably fun to keep up with.  The mood was fun, they talked of stunts and vows of not doing them.  Several other folks came out, making for 11 of us in total.  I was stoked!  We drank coffee, ate some pastries and stowed others away for later in the day.  Carrie handed out booklets and crayons, we checked over the route briefly.  Most folks decided to follow me instead of deal with the seemingly endless list of turns.  At 8am we rolled out, heading towards Falls Lake.  

    We made good time over to Falls of the Neuse, unfortunately we lost one rider because of the pace.  With the group now down to 10 we made our way down the NRGW.  The uninterrupted path allows you to relax from the normal stresses of road riding.  Occasionally heavy foot traffic slowed the pace at times, but maybe that was for the best.  Over the 20 miles, we broke into several groups spread over a couple miles.  There was a plan made to all stop at the 3rd checkpoint and have a snack break, somewhere around 45 miles I think.  Soon after CP3 we left the river and headed west towards downtown Raleigh.  Crank Arm Brewery has been a regular stop for me while riding to Raleigh since I found it.  We made no exception on this day and stopped by for a couple pints.   

     Leaving Raleigh and heading west on another stretch of road was the low point of the route.  The afternoon sun beats down on you as you're exposed on the shoulder of a 5 lane road.   Water was found and we pushed on to the town of Cary.  Another set of Greenways took us through the suburban sprawl on our way to the American Tobacco Trail.  We took the ATT north before cutting west again to make our way into Carrboro.  It was at this turnoff that we lost another rider who decided to just shoot straight back to Durham.  Nine of us pushed on, knowing that one must climb to enter Chapel Hill.  Laurel Hill would be our way of entry.  A long winding hill that spits you out right into UNC campus.  From there we only had one more checkpoint to hit, also Beer Study.  The pull towards one more cold pint before pushing on to Durham was too strong.  For better of worse, we stopped in, let our legs stiffen up as our minds softened.  Then we did it, we got back on and headed towards the finish.  

     Maybe it was my foolish mistake to stay out front most of the day, maybe it was the last beer stop, or my lack of calories at the end of the day, but I started bonking big time.  The last part of the route climbs up a couple long and steep hills, I planned it that way.  Seemed like a good painful yet rewarding way to finish, I was right.  My thighs burned and I was sure they would stop working at any point, but I pushed on.  Maybe I'll drop down one more gear and soften the blow.  Chain drop!  Fuck!  My bike came to a standstill, I almost fell over.  I stood shaky legs, on the side of the road and fixed my chain back on.  Back on the donkey, I made my way to try and rejoin the group who had dropped me back at the start of the climb.   They were just at the top of the hill, we rejoined and made our way into downtown Durham together.   

     We did check-in at Accordion Club, Carrie met us there and handed out patches.  Since I didn't really know what to expect as far as turnout we didn't have any sort of after party set up, regretfully so.  After Carrie handed out patches, we parted ways and the Carrboro crew went for pizza.  I went inside and got a beer, a root beer, and some hot dogs.  We finished the route in 10.5 hours, which I was very pleased with.  All in all, it was a great success and I'm very excited to do it again.

   

This page is currently serving as an info page for sponsors, please check back for ride info leading up to Sunday Sept. 23, 2018. Thanks for stopping by!






The Triangle 200 is an all day, self supported tour of the Triangle area. There are two greenways that make up the majority of the route. The American Tobacco Trail and the Neuse River Greenway. They are connected by a series of back roads, smaller greenway sections, trails and cut throughs that make for about 50 miles Greenways, 60 miles road, and 15 miles miscellaneous track. It is done as a loop, leaving Durham and finishing back at the start. Riders are given a crayon and a booklet with cue sheets per section. The booklet also contains areas for reliefs to be taken with the supplied crayon. There will be 5-8 checkpoints around the route, riders must stop and obtain a relief from the woodblocks at each checkpoint. Riders must complete the route in 13.5 hrs to qualify for all the good stuff after the ride. Lights are required and helmuts are encouraged. In addition riders must be completely self sufficient along the route, no support will be provided, only cues on where to resupply.


The Triangle 200 began in the spring of 2016. In exploring the areas around Durham, I began to try and piece together the two long greenways in the area. It became clear that a whole day would be required to accomplish both trails and also get home. Once the miles started to add up, I decided to try and make it an even 200km. It seemed fitting, and made it possible to include some fun and interesting tracks for the route.


It is a simple ride, an unsanctioned, underground brevet. Registration is cheap, the only requirement for riders is a desire to push themselves. In the third edition of the Triangle 200, my hope is to obtain support from sponsors to provide some extra stoke for the riders. Attendance this year is expected to be between 20-50 people. There will be a raffle at the end of the ride, every rider who completes will have a chance to go home with gear and prizes.


You, as a sponsor could expect to see mention of and praise for your support in social media posts made by our organizers(me) and our participants. Sponsoring partners will have the opportunity to be promoted on print flyers in and around the 3 main cities along the route(Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill/ Carrboro). You will also have a sense of purpose knowing that you supported something that many companies deemed an risky investment. Your gear will be loved, appreciated, and used by people who are simply out to ride and explore. You are one of a small group of sponsors that I’ve contacted, companies I support already, companies I believe in. I look forward to working together in this and other events that we produce here in Durham, NC. From alleycats and gold sprints to 200km brevets, we, the B Team are two cyclists who decided to try and create a scene we wanted to be a part of. We bring together those who want to push themselves, to chill, to hang and to wander. We hope that you will be a part of this with us!





You may find pictures of previous events by checking out my instagram page, instagram.com/tremontjon. Also, we tag most every event we do with #bteam.