Events: Hell of Hunterdon 2026
Ride endurance events long enough and a particular pattern emerges of fluctuating emotions. A full day out with perfect execution is hardly realistic. At least one obstacle must be overcome during the day’s outing. For the Kermesse Sport Hell of Hunterdon’s 2026 event, based in Lambertville’s Invertase Brewing, the ensuing seventy-two mile course welcomed those who wanted to kick off the cycling season with thirteen unpaved sectors.
The day started late as usual for me. The team car was at the shop. Obstacle number one was locating a ride involving the second team car. Arriving just before the latest rollout time for the long course, a quick visit to the restroom brought another obstacle as my sunglasses slid out of my helmet and fell right into the toilet. So far, the Kermesse Sport event was a collection of frustrations. Registration went quickly, and I rolled onto the course while scrolling through the Garmin, trying to find the course. The third obstacle, one that persisted throughout the day, was the lack of navigation from the Garmin. Luckily, having ridden the Hell of Hunterdon since 2011, the route has been imprinted in my mind from pre computer days.
For the 2026 edition, Kermesse Sport returned the Hell of Hunterdon to Lambertville where it all began. It was the communal feel as it was back in 2011 as the opening meters consisted of winding through downtown Lambertville. Recently voted as one of the most charming small towns in America, Lambertville was just waking up as we headed east. It was nostalgic to climb three hundred feet in the opening two miles, just like we did two decades ago. I was looking for someone to ride with and it escaped my recognition that the climb went extremely well for someone whose glasses had just been fished and with no navigation.
The route blasted into the first unpaved segment, Lakeview Road, which would mimic many of the thirteen sectors featured on the long course. The uphill gravel was long crushed and flung away. The throughway was heavily packed dirt, and it reflected the early sunlight. Where the gravel sector gleamed brightest is where it was fastest. We then linked up with Barry Road, this year a wild gravel descent that required utmost concentration. The uniquely named Aunt Molly gravel sector gave hints of one extra obstacle to come - crushed quarry stone that was dumped at odd increments. Aunt Molly went from a ripping, slightly downhill ride to a surgical navigation through soft beds of jagged rocks.
What sets Hell of Hunterdon apart is the multiple personalities of the route. We rounded the little town of Hopewell before navigating acres upon acres of historic farms and horse pastures. Portions of the early miles flirted with the Sourlands Conservancy. A turn north featured wide open fields as well as confined skinny roadways. Only the route was dotted with houses. Hardly did we bound into a town. If we encountered an enclave, we were out of it as fast as we approached it. This made chasing people down difficult in my effort to ride with someone.
I found one rider early; he said he was doing the fifty-mile route. He and I caught a rider who had navigation on his head unit. Eventually I pulled over to snap a photo in front of a historic distillery, and that was the last I saw of them. I thought they had ridden ahead, but I suspect they may have inadvertently followed the path away from the route. I would chase over twenty riders down on the day. Not bad for someone jumping back in the saddle after a light winter. We would swarm as a group for a few miles before they would peel off or I would turn around and they would be gone. I was fortunate to ride with a group down Mountain Road, a favorite, with a gracious tailwind. Both times the route hits Mountain Road, there is an outstanding unpaved sector to follow: Stony Brook Road and Rocktown Road.
Stony Brook Road is a great sector for its winding cut through the woods, but it’s Rocktown’s potential for speed over gravel that is the highlight of the Hell of Hunterdon. It’s been about fifteen years since Rocktown has been maintained with large gravel. Today it was a fast, firm surface with an intense tailwind. With a wide open segment, I drilled the technical opening turns before straightening the course. The road has two doglegs that require patience, but ultimately it’s a gambling rider’s dream. For all its enjoyment, I only managed a second best time. Rocktown Road is still one of the greatest experiences on the Hell of Hunterdon route.
Crossing 202 takes the long route north where Pine Hill lurks. This surprising road has it all. It starts with a steep, relentless climb that hits a sustained 13% ramp before the summit turns to gravel and a technical descent into an unbroken 2.5-miles of gravel sectors across three roads. The most northern sector, Stompf Tavern Road, consists of a 1.5-mile raging descent over newly laid quarry stone. If that wasn’t enough, the dramatic drop off was a great motivator to keep the bike on the loose gravel. At the bottom, a turn for home meant a dozen miles remained, mostly along the Delaware River.
We hummed into Lambertville from the north. The final meters put us not on the tow-path but the unnamed path that led straight to the Invertase Brewing parking lot. We knew we were in the right spot by the amount of racked bikes from finishers who definitely left before me.
Bike racked, course status checked off, I grabbed a Coke and a beer ticket. The Invertase American Pale Ale, named simply 1600, hit the spot after a warm, sunny, windy Hell of Hunterdon. Sitting with Kermesse Sport event coordinator Brian Ignatin, he was pleased with the procedure of the day. A seventy-mile route - plus a fifty-mile option - with nearly 100 participants can have its ups and downs. I guess I got my lows out of the way early. The tailwind around the course was an added bonus. It felt great to be back in Lambertville where the Hell of Hunterdon led off the gravel scene in the early 2010s. If you were on the fence and didn’t ride, you definitely missed out on a great day out.
