A thick calm mist cloaked Lexington in a quiet blanket of fog. This very peaceful beginning to the day belied the controlled mayhem that was about to ensue.

"The hardest ride I've ever done. And the best and most rewarding." -- M. B., finisher of the 100-mile route - that ended up being 105 miles somehow.

Wow.

A word we heard a lot this past weekend.

Honey Stats

198: Number of miles for all three routes.
141: Participants
133: Biscuits eaten. The rest of them were quickly devoured by the "Crew & Fixers" for the Honey 100.
36: Flats. This is an estimate based on feedback.
4: Riders that did the full 100 miler. An impressive group with a touch of crazy.
3: Rear derailleur mishaps - ripped off or bent beyond repair

Thank You Honey Navigators

These are the people that made sure everyone that began the ride, somehow got back to the Studio. One of the toughest jobs that you can do on a bike. Thank you to all of them! In order of roll-out, here's the Navigators - as the crowd roars:

Mike: He did the impossible job of navigating the fastest riders through 100+ miles. They were out on the trails for about 10.5 hours. They were sort of smiling when they returned - after they had a warm meal in their bellies.
Jenny: She led the first 100k ride of the morning. Still foggy upon departure, Jenny kept her diversely skilled group in check, and on pace, throughout the day. Everyone returned to the Studio with a smile on their faces.
Nancy: She was Navigator for a challenging segment: the Fun 50. A very wide range of capabilities and speeds, Nancy kept her group together through some challenging terrain. We heard the most positive feedback about her ride!
Roger: Always ready to help do anything for Honey and Overland, Roger navigated the ride as he always does, smooth, level, and PRO. He even brought back all of his riders! He is the stalwart that never gets props for his quiet hard work.
Leon: He hopped on his bike after being away for a while and maybe feeling a bit rusty on the bike. No one in the second largest group of the day could have known because he navigated like the PRO he is and got everyone home safely. It's difficult to match Leon's infectious smile but we know his group each came close.
Michele: she remained on call, just in case we needed her help as a Navigator. truly at the eleventh hour she received the call from the beekeepers and she stepped up. It's hard enough to be a Navigator for the Honey 100 but she didn't know she'd be a Navigator until hours before the ride. And, she led her group flawlessly. All PRO all the time.
Bradford: He had the doubly difficult job of managing the largest group of the day and the fastest group of the day. Fortunately, he had the Drifters to help. Bradford also had three participants on road tires that slowed the entire procession. Bradford was resourceful in how he managed that challenge and everyone rolled into the Studio in happy fashion.
Dan: He stepped up as a Navigator with very limited experience with a Garmin GPS unit. In fact, the unit he intended to use had some challenges so we swapped him out at the last moment. New Garmin, new route, new group. No one would ever know that Dan wasn't a seasoned expert at navigating on tricky trails.
Henry: He helped navigate at the last moment. He recently completed the Paris-Brest-Paris and we imagine that he's still feeling it. Regardless, he went out early on Saturday to check out the trails and then led a 100k group at just the right pace.
Patria: She navigated the final group of the day, feeling pressure to get to the Ice Cream Stop before all the ice cream was gone. And, she did all this after nearly staying up all night making 150 biscuits and lots of slow cooked oatmeal. Mmmm.

Thank Your Honey Crew & Fixers

This is the term we use for the people behind the scenes that made this project happen. Without them the Honey 100 would not exist. They are the Crew that takes care of you. And so much more than a crew; they are also the Fixers of everyone and everything that's broken.

Patria: She helps scout the routes, baked the biscuits, slow cooked the oatmeal, coordinated Ride Studio's support team, provided feedback and development for the Honey 100 plan, and so much more. Oh, yeah, and she was Navigator for one of the rides, too. Does she have a twin?
Chantal: Managed the Crew, the schedule, most of the logistics, and all the perishable foods. And managed the lunch stop -- solo! And so many more elements of the project that no one will ever know about.
Lauren: Managed the vehicles and that went into them. She managed most of the non-perishables. If you needed a tube you can thank her. She also made sure the biscuits were warm and helped with lots of the other food.
Marc: Managed two stops! The first stop and the Ice Cream stop - the stop everyone was jealous of. somehow he can be in two places at once.
Kristin: Made sure the fruit-salad was the best, made sure we didn't run out of any food, and did so much of the cleanup - the most thankless of jobs.
Roger: Helped keep the bike world in order by seemingly being in five places at once, again and again.
Drew: As he often does, did a lot of everything from creating perfect cappuccinos to helping with last minute bike adjustments and keeping everything cool and level.
Jessica: She held down the cafe fort, making drink upon drink with singular focus.

We are so thankful to have such a fantastic group of riders join us this year! We're already scheming about next year...

You are all part of the scheme. See you out on the secret legal trails!