This ride has become a Wednesday favorite and the basis for a few variations. This version starts from the Old Boxford Library on Route 133 and makes a large loop through Boxford, Topsfield, Ipswich, Rowley, Groveland and Georgetown before returning to Boxford. Most of the route is on quiet, shaded country roads although it gets busier for a few miles in and around Ipswich. There are a few significant climbs but overall, it's a relatively easy route. The ride through Bradley Palmer State Park is especially relaxing and makes a good rest stop to take advantage of the port-a-potties. Lunch will be at the West Village Cafe which is right down the street from the starting point and is owned by a club member.
The Maine Eastern Trail is an easy, flat and scenic gravel trail that is ultimately planned to run between Kittery and Portland. It is a key link in the Maine to Florida East Coast Greenway. We'll be riding a largely finished stretch from Kennebunk to Bug Light on the coast of South Portland where one has a spectacular view of Portland Harbor and Casco Bay. The total round trip is 58 miles with about 10 miles on roads including a couple of brief busy stretches. Barring strong winds, it's about the easiest 58 miles you'll ever do. We'll plan for lunch at SoPo Seafood in South Portland, which is 2 blocks off the trail.
Exeter Municipal Lot near Szechuan Taste
(Google map)
Road ride
The long route gives the rider the best bang for the buck of the NSC Great Bay offerings. The beautiful 39 mile ride goes through picturesque Newfields, around Great Bay, Newmarket, and the lively college town of Durham. Both of these routes go through the scenic farm country of southern New Hampshire. The terrain is rolling hills with old barns, scenic vistas, and lots of quiet roads. Both loops go by historic Kingston NH common.
An early evening ride around Newburyport and Salisbury provides a good intro to gravel biking. Expect a mix of paved roads, easy bike paths, and about 3 miles of wide hardpack trail through Moseley Woods and Maudslay State Park.
It is officially summer. Today’s ride from Flatbread in Georgetown takes us on mostly quiet familiar roads in Georgetown, Boxford, Rowley, and Topsfield. We top it off with a gradual climb to the finish where Beer, Pizza, and salads await.
This is a fairly mellow ride using rail trails, primarily category 1 trails and road. The route starts in Topsfield, heads north on the rail trail, winds through 2 sections of Willowdale, then Bradley Palmer, heads down to Wenham and Danvers and back to Topsfield via the Danvers Rail Trail.
Please have bikes and selves ready at 9:20 am for the pre-ride talk.
Hot drinks available after at Zumi's for those interested. Lunch is also great at Alex's Roast Beef & Seafood
Why wait until evening? Start your Fourth of July celebration early with either a 51 or 39 mile mixed terrain ride through some of the choice trails, paths, and railways of the North Shore.
The routes are mostly
Category 2
Dirt/gravel roads, wide single-track, or dual-track trails with potholes, washboard, and occasional loose surfaces. Larger tires size and lower pressure is recommended. Ideal bike: Endurance, all-road, or gravel Tire size: 32-35mm See Types of Gravel Rides
Please have bikes ready to roll at 9:15 am before the pre-ride safety talk.
A good variety of rides ranging from 25 to 70 miles. The long ride will prepare you for our Blazing Saddles Century with its 70 miles running up into Newton, NH back along the Merrimack River and along many familiar roads. Save your legs for the hills.
Galerie Farfelu de Sutton Parking Lot
(Google map)
Gravel ride
The second ride option for Saturday of the Burke Vermont Gravel Weekend is a 46-mile loop in Quebec. The day will begin with a 7:30 am departure from East Burke and a 90-minute drive to Sutton QC, where the loop begins. From Sutton, the route goes northwest to Cowansville, then north to Bromont, then southeast to Lac Brome, and finally southwest thru Brome and back to Sutton. The terrain is 56% paved roads and 44% unpaved, which are dirt roads or bike trails.
The route was developed by Quebec's Gravel Mafia and a description of the routes and scenic stops along it is available here. The NSC ride leaders have modified the route, changing the start from Bromont to Sutton.
The goal is to have riders start the route by 9:30 am and then complete the route and return to East Burke, VT, by 6:00 pm or earlier ideally.
A U.S. Passport is required to enter Canada and to re-enter the U.S.
This ride has 2 lengths and takes us up onto the Newark VT ridge line. Both rides climb up to the ridge 80-90% on packed dirt roads and pass by two beautiful ponds Newark and Bald Hill. Bald Hill Pond is a great place for a rest stop or swim! There will be woods, farms, little traffic and lots of views - even of Burke Mountain. Although we will be climbing a lot, the beauty of this ride is that the last 11 miles are primarily downhill.
On Sunday, the ride will be shorter, but no less interesting or scenic. We will start from the north end of Lake Willoughby, travel around the west side of the lake, onto a class 4 road by Wheeler Mountain, then out to a highway. A few miles down the highway, we will turn left, up a steep hill to find the Conservation Corp class 4 road. This will go through Willoughby State Forest with a stop to take a wonderful view up Lake Willoughby. After coming out of the state forest, we will head down route 5A to Newark Pond Rd, climbing up to the pond, then taking a left onto Long Pond Rd. We will continue to climb, then do a long downhill eventually past Long Pond itself. Not long after that, we will come back out onto paved roads to Westmere Store, where ice cream can be had. It is just a few rolling miles then back to the start. A dip in the lake is an option at the end!
The ride starts out on a beautiful scenic stretch with good roads. The medium and long options go out and back on Plum Island, and the long option continues through Newburyport and past the Artichoke Reservoirs. The extra-long route goes along the shore in Salisbury and returns through Maudslay State Park to rejoin the long route.
A reversed and slightly modified version of the Newburyport Gravel-16 ride. The route goes through Newburyport and Salisbury before returning to the ride start. Expect a mix of paved roads, easy bike paths, and about 3 miles of wide hardpack trail through Moseley Woods and Maudslay State Park.
On August 3, North Shore Cyclists will be joining CRW for rides on some great backroads of northern MA and southern NH. We start from the Nashoba Valley Ski area at 12:30pm for rides of 25, 32, 39, and 49 miles. After the ride, we can swim in the pond and join fellow riders for drinks and food at the Tiki Bar. If you plan to join us at the Tiki Bar, you need to email the NSC leader at RitaLongCramer@gmail.com before 5 pm on Friday, August 2 to be included in the group reservation for this very popular bar. Alternatively, you can make your own reservation.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have the route please download it again. There has been a change since last year.
We at NSC will be hosting 2 group rides to encourage participation in upcoming charity rides. The first will be on April 26, prior to the End- Alzheimer’s event in June. The second will be held on August 9, prior to the Fall events: Tour de Cure, Cycle for Shelter, and Coast to the Cure. All are welcome to both conditioning rides, especially, if you are new to group cycling.
To join in, meet at the Spurk parking lot, near the playing fields of Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill, shortly before 10:00 AM Saturday for a safety discussion using NSC’s Safety Culture handouts. Then we will do Emmaus’s 15-mile Family ride together. It is mostly flat, beautiful, and has a 10-mile option.
You will be ready to ENJOY a 30--mile ride at the charity event if you can do a few of these 15-milers beforehand !
Non-members of NSC will be asked to sign a waiver, helmet required.
This ride covers some new territory for NSC, using some of the scenic roads of the northwest suburbs of Lexington, Concord, Groton, Westford and Carlisle. There are woodlands and farms as well as significant historic sites. There is a detour to the MIT Haystack Observatory on the long route and both the 50 and 57 go around Lost Lake.
