Location: Start and end near Bedford, MA across the street from Revolution Hall
Ride Type: Road ride, all pavement BUT RIDE YOUR GRAVEL BIKE!!
Date & Time: Saturday, March 8, 9:00am start time
Distance: 44 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
This road ride for your gravel bike takes riders from Revolution Hall out to Stow and back. We ride steady for good endurance and quality base miles this time of year. Most of the roads are low traffic and offer fun flow for road cycling.
Everyone who rides gravel needs to get their gravel bikes outside before the first gravel events of the season start next weekend!!!
We have a designated Super Domestique leading the last group to depart which will be rolling at a ~12-13-ish mph endurance pace. This is the equivalent to a 15-16mph pace on road bikes but with the gravel bike tires and differences in bikes’ speeds, we’ve subtracted a couple of mph.
If you’re a slower rider and usually have trouble (or are worried about being able to keep up), then bring your road bike if you’d like if that makes you feel more comfortable.
If you’re a rider who wants to go fast on a road bike: there are plenty of rides out there for you, this isn’t the right ride for that kind of riding this time. The roads are a mess with potholes and gravel and too many people have been on Zwift all winter. We’re happy to support fast road riders on other rides, just not this one!
We’ll split the group so riders of similar speeds can ride together. We expect to be able to have at least 2 speed groups.
Distance
The ride is 44 miles in length.
Parking
Parking is free and ample across the street from Revolution Hall:
Here is the lot to park in:
10 Maguire Rd, Lexington, MA - Link to Pin of where the exact parking is located
Route
The route will be emailed to all who RSVP by 7pm the night before the ride.
RSVPs must be submitted at the bottom of this page. RSVPs that come in via an email message to the Adventure Coordinator, txt message, on Strava or any of our social media channels DO NOT get you signed up on the ride because we don’t have your information, may not see it or remember given the number of riders we’re managing at any given time.
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
~3-4ish hours depending on your pace and the time the group takes at food/bathroom stop at mile 31.
Please be ready to roll at 8:55am. We do a safety talk, then roll just after 9am.
Route Notes
The route is all paved. There will be a quick food/water replenishing stop. Bring money for food if desired.
After the Ride
Anyone who wants to enjoy food/drink at a nearby cafe is encouraged to hang out!
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.
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
New England Expedition Riders requires 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 ever, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.
Proper bike & Equipment
Bring your gravel bike with gravel-sized tires you enjoy riding that will allow you to keep pace with the group. A road bike is totally fine if you’re worried about keeping up with the group or if you’re willing to ride the pace of gravel riders if you’re a road rider who doesn’t own a gravel bike.
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.