Killington - Off to a solid start. Right on track for pace. I figured the slopes would be a little overgrown but it was head high in places. Luckily, I found a herd path for the descent that worked out nicely.
Killington to Sugarbush - Launched two bottles about 3 minutes in. I spent about 3 minutes looking and didn't find one, and the other was empty. After this it was smooth sailing. Still a nice temp and almost no wind. Made a very quick stop in Rochester to refill the one remaining bottle. Counting the stops, rolled into Sugarbush right on time.
Ellen and Abraham - I had stashed a bag with some nutrition and shoes at the Sugarbush base to keep it fast and light on the bike. Going up Castlerock was like going through Jurassic Park. Head high ferns on the lower slopes. This was the first time it started feeling hot, but wasn't too bad up on the ridgeline. Still right on track hitting Ellen, and gained a few minutes going over to Abe and back down. Ended up leaving for Camel's Hump about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
Sugarbush to Camels Hump - Got stuck behind a student driver descending down to Waitsfield. Hot but feeling good up and over to Duxbury and then slow and steady up to Monroe Trail parking.
Camels Hump - Rolled into Camels Hump about 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Got a little cooked on the climb up Camels Hump Road and took a few extra minutes getting ready to go up. I had also stashed a bag with shoes and nutrition here. About 10 minutes in felt a serious bonk coming on and also realized one of my two gels had fallen out of my pocket. Tried to drink as much water as possible and took a few breaks. Eventually, I looked rough enough that a couple nice ladies took pity on me and gave me a couple granola bars, which got me moving again. I would have had to pull the plug without them. Made it back down, having lost my buffer, plus another 10 minutes or so.
Camels Hump to Stowe - Ate two oatmeal cream pies, a poptart, and a Red Bull to try to recover from the bonk before rolling out. Got stuck behind another car descending Camels Hump Road, this time just a dude from Connecticut. The climb up to Stowe put me in the pain cave and wasn't sure I was going to make it up Mansfield.
Mansfield - Had the car parked here with shoes and nutrition for the last leg. Took some extra time trying to cool down and get motivated for the last climb, and biggest of the day. Took the gondola line up to the cliff trail. Slow and steady going up, but the sun starting to go down and cooler temps up high helped take the heat off and I started feeling a bit better. Touched the summit and felt good starting down. Took my time through the cliff trail, and then tried to get back down as quickly as possible. Finished in 13:37:30!