Location: Start and end near Eastham, MA on the Cape
Ride Type: Endurance Fat Adventure Ride!
Date & Time: Sunday, October 20, 2024
Distance: 100 miles for fat bikes
Price: No charge, must be a NEER member to participate
Registration deadline: Thursday, October 17 at 5:00pm. No registrations will be allowed after this time.
Register by filling out the RSVP form at the bottom of this page
Details
This very special FAT bike ride takes cyclists to many interesting trails, dirt roads, beaches, and pavement that connects the dirt sections on the Cape. Fat bikes go to some sandier places and a few beautiful beaches for extra fun. This is a sandy place meaning the trails dry very quickly if they get wet and there is sandiness on the trails in general. The chances we would need to cancel this ride due to the weather are very small. We expect to ride rain or shine and will only cancel if the weather appears dangerous to riders or trails.
If you’re a bikepacker and want to test your gear, strap it to your bike and come along! If you just want to enjoy a lovely autumn day on the bike without hoards of people on the Cape, this ride is for you, too.
Keep reading, there’s a campsite near the start of the ride if you want to bikepack out to the ride or drive from somewhere that’s further away.
Gravel and shorter fat options offered for everyone (not necessary to be a NEER member Saturday, October 19)
Check out these options at the Ride Page if you aren’t wanting this big of a day on your fat bike or if you’re looking for a gravel ride.
What You Get
Ride a beautiful place not all that far from civilization nor too far from where you started. It’s off-season on the Cape but before everything closes for the winter - a perfect time to be there!
A well-vetted route that takes you to places you’d never know to ride otherwise.
An opportunity to ride your FAT bike with plenty of dirt, cool trails and beautiful beaches with others who are REALLY into fat bike riding.
The chance to share the day with your friend group, ride with a group of people we match up based on expected pace, or ride solo without feeling alone.
A simple, hearty warm meal and treats at the end of the ride to finish feeling satisfied from riding and not being hungry!
No clock: this is not a race, it’s an opportunity to enjoy riding your bike, take the time you want to out there, ride as fast or slow as you wish.
Start Time - Grand Depart!
4:00am - Be ready to ride and gather at the big, red van! We’ll discuss logistics, safety, food stops, and take a group photo.
4:15am is the Grand Depart for ALL RIDERS, no exceptions.
It’s a BIG BIG day and we want everyone in before sunset. This timing allows everyone to complete the ride before sunset. If you’re fast, that’s great. It’s still special to roll out prior to the sunrise and get in some amazing beach miles before the sun comes up.
At the very early morning rollout for the inaugural 100 mile Brutiful Cape fat ride.
Get your Friends Together to Ride Together or Select to Ride in our assembled group
Everyone will roll out together regardless of your ideal pace (it will be a chill pace for the first few miles), then if you and your friends want to ride separately together or if you want to ride solo, there will be a spot where everyone has the choice to opt in/out of the NEER-assembled group. It’s a big day and having the dynamic of a group adds to the fun! But there’s no pressure if you want to execute it solo.
Please mention in your RSVP if you want to ride with the NEER-assembled group, if you want to ride with your own friend group (& include names), or if you prefer to ride solo.
More about Pace & Groups
If you choose to ride with a group of friends you assemble, you’re welcome to ride the pace your group prefers. See notes above about the Grand Depart.
If you’re riding solo, you’re welcome to ride the pace you want as long as you have time to complete the route before sunset.
The route returns to the parking lot during the ride so if your pace is off from the needed pace to complete the ride before sunset, you can stop early and not risk riding too late into the day.
We are assembling a group to ride together for those who can handle a ~7mph average pace. The ride will take approximately 14 hours to complete with stops averaged in for an average rider who has the fitness to be on the bike for this long. The route includes sandy beaches that are not fast, but they are gorgeous and super fun!
Parking
There is a large parking lot that allows for all-day parking at no charge where we’ll be starting and ending. Long routes will visit the lot during the day so there’s an opportunity to go to your car/grab stuff, etc. The parking lot is DARK before sunrise. Bring lights so you can see what you’re doing at your car/setting up your bike, etc. prior to rollout
The big, red van will be at the parking lot to greet riders no later than 4am. You can arrive anytime you wish prior to this, there are no gates keeping cars out of the lot.
Route & Route Notes
The routes, parking information, and further instructions, will be emailed to all who register no later than 7pm Friday evening prior to the weekend of the ride. Please don’t email prior to this asking for the route.
A general note about the route: you’re never going all that far from where you park so cutting the course is not an overly challenging thing to do if necessary to get back early for whatever reason.
This is a sandy area. Bikes with a minimum of 3.8” tires are required in order to properly enjoy the beaches included on the route. Be ready to take air out/put air back in your tires if you’re not used to riding beaches and aren’t sure about your ideal tire pressure. Generally, most people will be good with 6-8psi in their tires for the duration of the ride.L
Terrain Description
The routes may evolve prior to it being finalized. Weather may change the route at the last moment, too. Last minute road work also sometimes requires re-routing. The point is, these percentages are estimates and may change.
Percentages are by shown by distance, not time.
Percentages are very similar regardless of route distance. The fat bike class is the exception; see those differences below.
Total climbing: 4,300 ft.
| Cars/No Cars | Terrain | Percentage | Ideal Bike |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars Likely | Pavement, roads | 20% | Gravel bike w/30mm slick tires |
| Cars Allowed | Dirt roads | 5% | Gravel bike w/30mm slick tires |
| No Cars | Pavement that's car-free, abandoned roads, closed roads, and bike paths | 10% | Gravel bike |
| No Cars | Fire roads and access roads | 20% | Gravel bike w/40mm tires |
| No Cars | Smooth Singletrack | 15% | Gravel bike w/40mm knobby tires |
| No Cars | Rough, abandoned, washed out, and class 4 roads | 10% | Hardtail Mountain Bike |
| No Cars | Singlegrack, tight, rocky, or overgrown | 15% | Hardtail Mountain Bike |
| No Cars | Trail Sand | 5% | Gravel 40mm knobby or wider, depends on how rainy it is just prior to the ride | No Cars | Beach & Sand | 20% | Fat tires 4" or wider | The beach % replaces some of the above terrain |
Food & Water During the Ride
Be ready to either carry all of your calories or buy food at local establishments during the day. There is one stop on the route that brings you back to the parking lot so you’ll have access to your car and anything you bring to self-support at that point. Bring extra water to refill here as well. We will have food and water in the van, but there’s no guarantee you and the person with the van key will be at parking lot at the same time.
Our pre-ride email will include information on places to stop to refuel during the ride.
After the Ride
Bring a change of clothes and a lawn chair so you can enjoy a bunch of social time post-ride! Bring food and drink to enjoy as well. We’ll have some food and drink to share, but if you end up back at the lot early and don’t want to stick around, you’ll want something to eat right away pre- post-ride party!
What happens if it rains?
This runs rain or shine. Dangerous weather cancels and we’ll offer a partial credit for a future ride based on expenses already incurred by the time we need to make the decision.
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.
Contact Information
Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.
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.
Camping Option
We recommend staying at the Atlantic Oaks Campground if you’d like to camp nearby the start. We’ll be hanging out there both Friday evening and Saturday evening. Select a red “A” site if you’d like to be near to us and other Brutiful riders. You will need to make your reservation with this campground via calling them. If you try making the reservation online, it makes it look like the sites are full or that a 3-day reservation is required. It’s $42/night this time of year. Their phone number is (508) 255-1437.
Riding Rules
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.
Waiver
Be sure you’ve signed the NEER waiver, this is the same one you should have already have signed when you became a member of NEER.
Proper bike & Equipment
A bike with tires 3.8” or wider is required due to the beaches these routes include.
Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time
Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking.
Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals such as:
Flat fix tools and at least one spare tube (yes, even if you’re running tubeless tires), air via CO2 or hand pump, multi-tool
Nice to have: Extra chain link, chain breaker, chain pliers
Spare derailleur hanger if your bike needs a spare
Extra clothes and storage capacity so adding/taking off layers is easy
Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements/no vehicle will be on route)
Required: Two full water bottles at the start of the ride
Required: Front and rear lights that have at least 3 hours of run time. Be sure your rear light does not blind the person riding behind you.
Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets
