Location: Start and end in Coventry, Rhode Island
Ride Type: Gravel & mixed terrain ride for your gravel, adventure, or mountain bike (any bike with 35mm or wider tires)
Date & Time: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Distance: 100km with a shorter version of ~40mi
All are welcome if you’ve got the basics on gear covered.
Theme: Have fun riding gravel and get ready for the season ahead!
Price: $40
Registration deadline: Thursday, March 14 at 11:59pm.
Register at BikeReg.com
Details
We are hosting a really fun day of gravel and mixed terrain riding in Rhode Island (route will touch Connecticut some as well). This is a great opportunity to get your riding friends together, get your gravel bike out, remember how much fun it is to ride dirt, back roads, and simply enjoy a nice day out on the bike in an area you probably don’t ride much/at all! This is a new route, you haven’t ridden it before.
There are options for riders so you get what you want and have a really fun day on the bike! Here are the basics:
Start with a freshly brewed cup of tasty coffee (we have very high standards for coffee) or tea
Ride a well-vetted 100km gravel ride with your friends, a group of people who have similar speed aspirations for the day as you or ride solo
Ride in an area without much traffic and where you're probably not riding otherwise
Finish the ride with tasty, wholesome freshly made warm food, friends, and quality relaxation time.
There is no on-bike mechanical support. We're starting riders off with gaps so that slower riders will be passed by faster riders at some point and will allow more overlap which offers visibility for riders throughout the ride. Riders are expected to bring all tools necessary for mechanical situations. Keep reading for recommendations of what to bring with you.
This is an area that may have wet ground due to the recent rains, but we won't be doing damage since sensitive trails are not on the route. The ride is unlikely to be rescheduled due to rain. If a lot of rain is predicted for Saturday, we'll move the date to Sunday, March 17. We will run the ride if it's sprinkling at the start and predicted to stop early in the day.
There are no refunds, this is a low-budget yet very nicely put together event. We want to offer you a great day on the bike and a really fun way to start the gravel season.
Reconnect with your gravel riding friends too! Make new friends for the season!!
Want to ride with your Friend Group or Ride Solo? Options abound!
Get your friends together and you get your own departure time. You’ll tell us when you register when you want to depart and who you want to ride with. You and your friends can stick together and enjoy this as a group. Or if you want to ride solo, that’s fine too.
Otherwise, we’re assembling groups to ride together based on the pace you sign up for.
Everyone who registers will receive an email by 5pm Friday, March 15, 2023 (the night before the ride) with route information and exact start time information along with parking instructions and more.
What You Get
Good tasting coffee and tea at the start.
Ride a new route never ridden before in an unpopulated area/
A well-vetted route.
An opportunity to ride your bike on dirt roads, trails, and random back paved and broken roads.
The chance to share the day with your friend group, or ride with a group of people we match up based on expected pace, or ride solo without feeling alone.
A warm, hearty meal and treats at the end of the ride!
No clock: this is not a race, it’s an opportunity to enjoy riding your bike, getting back to gravel and mixed terrain after a long winter. Take the time you want to out there, ride as fast or slow as you wish. Yes, this is a perk of the day. FUN is the idea. There are plenty of great events that have a clock happening this year. This isn’t one of them.
Get your Friends Together to Ride Together!
We’re offering a separate rollout time for all friend groups so you can start together and stay together. Get your friends together and when you register, tell us their names. Your start time will not be more than 30 minutes different from the start time for the category you register for unless you request a different time.
If you don’t have friends who want to do the ride, that’s fine, we will get riders of similar paces to ride together or you’re welcome to ride solo. We prefer to start solo riders nice and early so you’re seeing others throughout the day and not the last rider out there.
Start Time Requests if different from the category start time
We’re happy to accommodate anyone’s start time requests unless it looks like it’ll get you back too early or too late so please tell us your requests in your registration information. If you’re riding with a friend group and you request a specific time, we’ll assume everyone in your group is on board with the EARLIEST time requested.
Pace
If you choose to ride with a group of friends you or someone puts together, ride the pace your group prefers! We offer a start time for your group so that you can start separately and stay together.
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 we stop serving food. If you’re wondering about your pace and timing, email us.
If you select to ride with a group of people we assemble, then hopefully those who we match you with are around the same pace. There’s always a risk of the group being a little faster or slower than how you want to ride so come with the route loaded and be prepared. Our rides typically attract people in this category who want to ride with others so people will alter their pace a little to appease others in the group so as to have a pleasant group experience.
Start, Distance & Estimated Ride Time
Start times that you see when you register are all approximate. We will roll out groups of friends, groups we assemble, and solo riders separately. You'll get an email with exact rollout times 5pm Friday evening prior to the ride.
We expect all riders to be done riding by 5pm. People should arrive well before this time. We’ll pack up and leave at 6pm unless people are either all done before then or having too much fun, in which case we’ll stay for the party!
Parking
There is a large parking lot that allows for all-day parking at no charge where we’ll be starting and ending. We’ll share exact directions with you to this lot.
We’ll suggest a place to find a toilet enroute to the lot since there is not a toilet on-site.
Route & Route Notes
The route will be emailed to all who register no later than 5pm Friday evening prior to the ride.
The route is about as gentle in terms of elevation gain as you’ll find a gravel ride within a 90-minute drive of the Boston area! We’ll tell you lots more in the pre-ride communication.
Food & Water During the Ride
There is one stop mid-ride for the 100km route to refill water and buy calories. It’s not fancy (think nice, clean gas station), there’s almost no where in this area to refill.
After the Ride
We’re providing quality fancier than usual grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, a wholesome protein and veggie side salad, and something sweet post-ride. We buy organic as much as we can and use healthy oils such as avocado oil. All diets are accommodated at the after-ride meal. Vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan diets will be accommodated assuming we have riders who request these diets in the registration (it’s usual to have these requests).
What happens if it’s rainy? The weather looks like it’ll be nice…
The roads and trails won’t be affected by rain except for possibly adding more puddles for riders to avoid. We aren’t riding sensitive trails or areas where it would be irresponsible for bikes to go when it’s wet.
We will host the ride if rain is predicted but expected to stop during the day. Should it look like a wash-out, we’ll move the ride to Sunday, but we’ll only do this if it’s absolutely necessary.
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news via BikeReg.com so make sure you get communications from BikeReg!
Everyone will receive complete ride details by 5pm Friday evening to their email, the day before the ride. If you have NOT received an email by 5pm Friday, please email us so we know you haven’t gotten information. Please don’t email prior to 5pm Friday wondering where your information is because we probably haven’t sent anything to anyone yet and your email will just slow down our ability to release information to everyone.
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.
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
The insurance for this ride requires a signed waiver. This will be shared with all who register to sign electronically.
Proper bike & Equipment
A gravel bike is ideal, though a mountain bike, fat bike or even road bike with 35mm tires or wider is fine if you know you’ll be able to keep the pace you’re signing up for with that bike. Riders with tires on the narrower side will want to walk a few more spots (around rocks, roots). Either flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.
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. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride.
Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals such as:
Flat fix tools and at least TWO spare tubes (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
Nice to have: Change of socks, waterproof socks (in case your feet slip into a puddle)
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)
Required: Two full water bottles at the start of the ride
Front and rear lights if there is any chance you’ll be riding in the dark or in inclement conditions. Visibility is always a good thing for safety.
Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets
VERY NICE TO HAVE: Lawn chair/camp chair for post-ride hanging out and eating food in relaxed manner.
Change of clothes to wear after the ride so you’re comfy!