6AM – 9AM – Packet pick-up / Late Registration at Bristol Mountain
7AM – 10AM – Tour Starts (see below for suggested group starting times)
12PM – 4PM -Fall Sky Rides will operate for anyone wishing to ride.
6AM – 5PM – Highlander Store open.
12PM – 5PM – Bristol Mountain post-ride party. Includes a post-ride dinner (main food service stops at 4pm) for all riders, grape pie dessert, HCT store and more. Cash bar will be open until 3:30pm.
Make sure you stop by and check out what’s going on at the main lodge, including an opportunity to sample local products, and peruse the Highlander store.
[ Bristol Mountain Parking Lot At Sunrise]
GROUP STARTS
Group Starting Times – a number of people have requested that the tour organize ‘group starts’ where riders can start with a group on the same ride; we SUGGEST the following starting times:
Highlander Century+: 7AM
Highlander Metric + and Gravel Metric: 8AM
Highlander Mountaineer: 8AM
Highlander Lite: 9AM
Note: For road courses, these are suggested times; but you are free to begin your ride any time between 7AM and 10AM. Full century riders must start no later than 8AM and must be on pace to complete the ride before 5PM. For Mountain bike riders, for safety reasons, we suggest finding other riders to pair up with.
[ Riders starting from Bristol Mountain ]
REST STOPS
Rest stops are located approximately every 25 miles, see maps of individual rides for location. They are well stocked with drinks and quick food, and most have toilet facilities. There are also several stores and gas mini-marts with food along the routes. While you won’t need to bring other food, it’s always a good idea to throw a bar in your back pocket as backup.
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[ Rest stop at Vine Valley ]
RIDER NUMBER PICK-UP
Pick up your rider number and goodie bag either Friday afternoon, or Saturday before the ride.
Be sure to pin your rider number to the back of your jersey.
If you purchased extra dinner tickets, they will be in your rider number packet. If you want extra dinner tickets for friends and family and didn’t purchase them when you registered, there will be a limited number available for purchase for $20 each at the registration area.
RIDER GOODY BAG PICK-UP
Post-Ride:
Goody bags will be distributed BEFORE the ride at packet pickup.
The bags are full of great stuff like our signature labeled wine or juice, custom Highlander stickers, Highlander articles and more.
WHAT TO BRING ON THE RIDE
Items to carry with you:
Helmet – all riders MUST wear helmets
Filled Water bottle(s) and supplements (and suggest 1 energy bar)
Course map – limited print outs available at start. We suggest you print your own ahead of time or download the gps file. Check start area for any final road condition postings. Please note road markings sample at start area as well. All courses are well marked accordingly.
Extra tubes
Air pump
Small first aid kit
Appropriate gears for your ride: For the Highlander Century, Metric and Gravel routes, we recommend that your rear cluster has at least a 32-tooth sprocket. Compact gear sets work really well given some of the steep ascents (typically that means 50/34 teeth on front cogs and 11-32 or 34 range on rear cluster). The Highlander Lite could be achieved with more aggressive gearing but we still recommend the above.
IMPORTANT RIDER INFO
Safety:
You must sign a waiver to ride any of the rides! It is on the rider registration form.
This tour is not a race and there will be (light) vehicle traffic on course. Riders are urged to exercise caution and follow all rules of the road, especially avoiding riding more than 2 abreast.
In case of Emergencies, please call 911
The Highlander team will have roaming SAG wagons to help in case of mechanicals or other needs. Please note the cell phone #’s when you arrive at packet pickup. We are one of the few rides out there providing this level of quality!
The Highlander prides itself on providing a safe, well run, and accommodating event for all participants. The Highlander staff takes the safety of the riders, the spectators, and the communities through which we ride very seriously. To promote this, each rider should have read and follow the NYS SafeNY- Bikes & Wheel Sport Safety guidelines, found here:
If riders do not follow these guidelines, the Highlander may be forced to limit or terminate the ride. Your help and attention to keep the Highlander a safe, premium tour is appreciated.
