Location: Start and end in Concord Center, MA
Ride Type: Road ride, all pavement, hilly
Date & Time: Saturday, March 30, 9am start
Distance: 64 miles
Price: Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us
RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form
Details
Let’s enjoy a dry spring day and do a great ride together! Please be ready to ride by 8:55am. We have a safety talk then split people by pace and then roll out!
With rain preceeding this ride all week, and it’s not super warm out, you’re likely to be antsy to get some endurance miles in and you might not be feeling super strong. That’s fine! This is intended to get everyone endurance, plenty of quality time in the saddle, and time to enjoy the day together, too. It will be sunny (or so they say)!
We have a designated Super Domestique leading the last group to depart which will be rolling at a ~14 mph endurance pace. This route is hillier than usual so the pace will be dialed back for the last group to roll out apprpropriately. If you have questions about the pace, please email us in advance.
We’ll split the group so faster riders can ride faster together.
Distance
The ride is 64 miles in length. The ride starts in Concord, heads to Harvard, then takes in some lovely roads around Fruitlands and Harvard before heading back to Concord.
Parking
Address for your GPS to get to the parking lot:
Public Lot off of Keyes Rd., Concord Center, MA
Link to the lot: https://goo.gl/maps/cAnMuUCquXLTVbzSA
Route
The route is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42236314/
All riders should load the ride on a GPS computer so everyone knows where we’re going and it makes splitting into groups easier.
Estimated Ride Time
~4-5 hours depending on your pace and the time the group takes at the food/bathroom stops.
Route Notes
There is one place to stop for food on the route: Hudson, MA. New City Microcreamery & a bagel store are in Hudson center. The route takes riders onto the main street. There’s a place we enjoy even more than these places a bit further down into Hudson center. It offers coffee, sandwiches, smoothies, etc + nice bathrooms.
If you want to cut the ride short, it’s pretty easy to cut over and rejoin the route to get home sooner. It’s fine if you want to do this, please just let the Super Domestique know your plans so we aren’t looking for you!
After the Ride
Anyone who wants to enjoy food/drink/social time in Concord Center is encouraged to do so! There are many local businesses to visit.
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news if there is any. Very, very last-minute news is found on our Twitter feed (shown on the home page of this website in case you don’t have a Twitter account).
Contact Information
Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.
CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.
Riding Rules
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.
Waiver
We require a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.
If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.
Proper bike & Equipment
Bring your road bike with whatever size tires you enjoy riding that will allow you to keep pace with the group. A gravel bike is acceptable.
If the roads wet/messy, please mount a rear full-coverage fender. If you don’t have one, expect to ride at the back!
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control. Since we are riding near to each other on the road, platform pedals don’t offer necessary bike control for this kind of riding.
A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.
Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.
RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!
Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.