Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Earlier this summer, Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette rode the entire 300-mile Vermont XL route in a single push, finishing in just 22 hours and setting a new fastest known time in the process. Get a glimpse into that day in 7mesh’s latest video here…
Video by Nolan Bornet , photos by Felix Burke
The Vermont XL (VTXL) is a 300-mile route following a virtually continuous dirt path through Vermont from the Canada border to the Massachusetts border, linking the state’s northeast and southwest corners. The route was born after retired professional road racer Ted King asked if Joe Cruz knew of a mostly dirt gravel route across the state. He didn’t, so he got to work. That same year, Ted rode the route in under 23 hours.
Despite being born with racing in mind, it is also an enjoyable bikepacking route to enjoy at a slower pace. It provides a complete sample of the Green Mountain state, a never-ending supply of historical general stores, streams and swimming holes to cool off in, and endless gravel roads, including the Revolutionary War-era Bailey Hazen Military Road. Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette was the next rider to chase a record time on the route, and this summer, he did just that. Watch the video from his impressive 22-hour ride below, then scroll down for a short written reflection and a few photos.
Words by Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette
The Vermont XL had been sitting in the back of my mind for months. I wanted something big. Something that would scare me a little. Not a race, not a podium—just a long, quiet battle to reconnect with the reason I started riding in the first place. There’s a lot of noise around gravel racing lately, and honestly, I’ve had a hard time seeing where I fit into all of it. Doing something outside of that, just for the fun and challenge of it, that’s what really drives me. These kinds of projects pull me in more than racing ever does. You choose when to start. You decide when to stop. But the clock never stops ticking.
The plan was simple: go out hard, build a gap on the record pace, and hold on. On paper, it should’ve worked. But paper doesn’t show how steep these so-called “rolling” Vermont hills get after 300 kilometers. They wear you down slowly, then all at once. That’s when it becomes more than just a ride; it becomes about everything you did to get there. I pushed until the very last climb. No fanfare. No crowd. Just me, the line on the GPS, and a goal I wasn’t ready to let go of. This film is a glimpse into that day. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to chase something bigger than yourself, I hope you’ll take a moment to watch.
Further Reading
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