Masochists on the trail
At 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, nearly a dozen bicycle riders set out on the longest, most challenging and least-known bicycle race in the Adirondacks.
Departing from Waterfront Park in Northville, on the southern edge of the Adirondacks, they began what would be a meandering, 550-mile loop around the park. There would be hours after hours spent cruising down roads, bouncing over trails, dragging loaded bikes over rocks and fallen logs. Only half the riders would finish.
This is The Adirondack Trail Ride, now in its fifth year. Inspired by similar rides held out West, the TATR attracts a certain kind of cyclist, says race founder Mikey Intrabartola.
“You need to be willing to suffer,” he said. “A lot of it is not only how fast you can ride, but how disciplined you can be about not spending too much time off your bike. And also a little bit of sleep deprivation.”
Intrabartola, 39, is a carpenter by trade. A Long Island native, he currently lives in Elizabethtown and is an avid cyclist. In 2012 he rode the Tour Divide, a race from Banff, Alberta to the U.S.-Mexico border along the 2,745-mile-long Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. He finished in 22 days, six
