This is the NEER Season Kick-Off weekend and we have a lot of great riding in store for you! Ride out of our favorite farm, Red Apple Farm, on Saturday, if you’d like, camp with us Saturday evening (very close to the farm), and we’re offering yet another terrific mixed terrain Ride Option on Sunday! Sunday’s ride is intended to give people the chance to test bikepacking equipment and loading the bike (not required to participate).
Saturday’s Ride Description
Join us for incredibly beautiful cycling on the back roads of central Massachusetts! There are TWO distance options for you for this ride! Choose a 77-mile route or 55-mile route to enjoy.
There are numerous views of Mt Modnadnock during this ride for the 77-mile riders!
This ride is full of dirt roads, with nice paved roads as well. Most of the route is back roads, away from traffic and people. Keep reading to understand the logistics. This ride starts at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, MA.
This is a group or solo ride, depending on how you want to ride it. You may get a group of your friends together, you may request to ride with others who are likely of your similar cycling pace and experience, or you’re welcome to ride it alone, though you’re hardly alone when there are so many people on the same route. We hope solo riders are interested in starting earlier so that you’re ahead of the others rather than behind
There is little to no cell coverage on many parts of the routes.
Be absolutely certain you’re up for the rules of this ride. Read this page in its entirety and visit the links, so you know exactly what’s what.
Due to insurance requirements, this ride is only open to NEER members. You may become a NEER member, so it’s not too late. NEER rides all fall and winter, if you’re worried about what’s going to become of your cycling life, we recommend joining NEER!
Ride Options:
Get a Group of Friends Together to Ride!
Ride with your friends at whatever pace you and your friends like to ride. Let us know you’d like to do this when you register, we ask who is riding with who.
Ride with New-to-You People Option
Ride with people of your riding speed, but you don’t have to know anyone prior to the ride! This is an option for you if you’d like to ride with a group, but don’t have friends riding or simply want to meet new people who are of a similar strength. We do our best to group you together.
Ride Solo
You’re also welcome to ride solo. We prefer if you are a solo rider that you choose an earlier start time so that there are riders behind you, for the purposes of safety and everyone seeing people out there on the route.
We are glad to start you off earlier than the advertised starting times so that you’ll see others all day long, yet still get to ride solo.
Riders stop for a food break in central Massachusetts on an especially huge NEER adventure ride.
Food & Drinks
There are food/water stops on the route. There will not be any staffed food or water stops on the ride. Since we don’t have to hire anyone to work this ride, there is no fee to ride.
Photo courtesy of Red Apple Farm. Sunset at the farm.
See the Red Apple Farm’s Brew Barn website and Menu!
By not charging you for food, it’s your choice as to how much and where you eat post-ride. We recommend doing business at Red Apple farm. They generously welcome us with open arms, give us parking, bathrooms, water, and access to their store, and prepared food. They have a huge selection of goods in their store and the Brew Barn makes tasty food. They hosted us throughout the pandemic and have been EXTREMELY generous in sharing their farm and time with us.
The Brew Barn is open 9am-8pm. They serve breakfast sandwiches at 9am.
Details
Ride Type: Remote paved and dirt roads, some mix of surfaces, but almost entirely rideable with little/no technical skill.
Time & Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Ride start times between 8:30am and 9:30am
Starting Point: Red Apple Farm - Phillipston, MA
Distance: 55 miles and 77 miles
What you get
A gorgeous, well-planned route: Route file for your GPS computer, parking directions/instructions.
Staffed starting location with water, toilets, friendly people and sweet farm animals
Peace of mind knowing there are other riders on the same route & others to ride with if you like. You and your friends can have your own start time and ride so you know who you’re riding with if you wish too!
Option to purchase breakfast, lunch or dinner and beer or non-alcoholic drinks at the end of the ride at the farm, nice place to hang out with each other and spend the afternoon. Invite your non-riding loved ones and friends to come join you for the after-ride picnic at Red Apple!
Price - No charge
You MUST be a NEER member (a Cat 4 NEER membership is $50 for a full year of hosted rides of all varieties, and there are lots of additional benefits to being a member) - details on joining are here). This is a requirement of insurance, otherwise, we would be unable to host this or any bike ride.
No day-of registrations
Parking & Start Location
Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, Massachusetts. Exact details and location information are emailed to registered riders by 7pm the THURSDAY before the ride. There is a special parking place for our group. Don’t drive a car that sits low to the ground (like a sports car) as there may be rocks in the parking lot, it’s not a paved lot.
Camping Option & Sunday Loaded Ride Option
We have camp sites reserved at nearby campground Lamb City Campground so that everyone who wants to camp after the ride, enjoy camp fires together, enjoy being next to a calm lake, talk about the season ahead (yes, it’s just the start for many riders), this is a really fun time together. This also allows you to be close so that you are right there ready for Sunday’s loaded bike ride option!
When you RSVP, please mention that you would like to camp.
Price for camping: we’re taking the price of the camping reservation, adding in the cost of fire wood and dividing by the number of people who are sharing the space. We’re expecting this to be in the neighborhood of $50-75 per person.
Sunday Ride Option!
Ride one or both days, depending on what you’d like to do. Check out the details of the Sunday ride option on its RIDE PAGE.
Estimated drive time
About 60-80 minutes from most parts of the greater Boston area
Route Information
Like all of our routes, it’s adventure-filled, but also very appropriate for gravel bikes. You’ll ride plenty of dirt roads, trails, and what’s pavement will be on the quiet roads. Thank you to Singlespeed Kenny for providing Saturday’s routes for us to enjoy!!
The routes have been vetted within the past 6 months. However, it’s still healthy to bring a spirit of adventure - if a road is closed for whatever reason, you’ll need to figure out how to re-route.
Be sure you’ve got the route and at least one back-up power source to charge your GPS unit and phone during the day. Do not plan on having cell service since there are quite a few portions of the ride with weak to no service.
Safety & Dealing with Mechanicals
Every rider is expected to follow the rules of the road at all times. This means obeying stop signs and staying to the right-hand portion of the road.
If we think you’re being unsafe, you will be asked to leave the ride. You will not be invited to return to any group rides as well. This applies for all aspects of cycling and general behavior.
We are NOT providing a roving mechanic. That means you should bring all of the tools and supplies necessary for possible mechanical situations. There are other riders out on the route and we hope people will assist each other in case of a problem.
Come out with a freshly tuned up bike, fresh sealant in your fresh tires, have electronic bikes charged fully, shifter lever batteries checked for freshness, lube those chains! Check your spare tubes to be sure they will hold air. If you’re in doubt about this, take new tubes. It’s not worth getting stuck out there.
Most mechanicals are easily avoidable by taking proper care of your equipment in advance of the ride.
There is no ride leader, even if you ride with a group; you’ll be following your GPS computer, therefore owning a GPS computer is a must with at least one back-up power source.
We will not shuttle riders anywhere, it’s your responsibility to have a plan in case your bike or legs stop working.
We’ll send a very detailed email by 7pm the Thursday before the ride, with the route, instructions, and details so you understand logistics and exactly what to do.
Preparation
What to bring, we recommend:
Everything necessary for common mechanicals. Items include:
2 x tubes
Hand pump
Co2 cartridges & Co2 inflator
Tire levers
Boot/dollar bill if your tire gets ripped
Patch kit
1 pair of quick links compatible for your chain
Chain pliers
Chain breaker
Multi-tool (if your chain breaker is on your multi-tool, even better)
If your bike uses a replaceable derailleur hanger, be sure to have an extra that is compatible with your bike
Rain jacket - this works well for chilly descents too
2 x 26 oz water bottles, more if it’s going to be hot
Food/nutrition in case you need a zap of energy before the food stop
Proper Bike for this Ride
40mm tires are best suited for the ride. Err on the side of bigger, especially if you’re newer to gravel riding. Feel free to use bigger tires. Your gravel bike is the most appropriate bike for the ride. Mountain bikes and flat-bar bikes are welcome. Narrower than 28mm tires are strongly discouraged. There is some loose gravel on the roads. Narrower tires are more likely to pinch flat and are less stable than 28mm or bigger. We welcome mountain bikes, fat bikes, and any bike that you feel comfortable completing the distance on in the time frame allotted for the ride.
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control.
A bike that’s in safe working order. Make very certain your bike comes clean, lubed, safety checked with fresh brake pads, and tires in good shape. If it's wet on the road or raining, please put a rear fender on your bike to keep you from getting wet. If you’ll be riding with others and it’ll be wet, please be nice to your co-riders and use full-coverage fenders.
Weather
We will ride rain or shine. Dangerous weather (like an electrical storm) cancels the ride or postpones the start time.
Last Minute Information
We will email everyone who registers with the latest information if last minute details change.
Unregistered riders, riders who are not members of NEER, or riders who haven’t signed the liability waiver may not participate.
If you have financial reasons to be unable to pay, please email us so we can accommodate you. We want everyone to ride who wants to ride.
Waiver
New England Expedition Riders requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.
Contact Information
Email connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions. We will email you the cell phone number of the contact person who will be present at the beginning of the ride and available during the ride.
Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules.. Note: ALL rules stated here on this page override any conflicting rules you see on our typical ride rules.
