The Pothole Inspection Tour as the first Sunday ride of the "summer" season is a tradition that predates many of us. Led by our friends Karen and Jeff Ontell for as long as memory allows, it's the perfect chance to rejoin with friends for an enjoyable ride through Topsfield, North Andover, Boxford and even Ipswich on the long route.
Some rarely used roads and also familiar roads provide a nice tour of the area with flat to rolling terrain. .
Please see parking instructions under additional info.
This Wednesday's ride is in Memory of Lenny Ortins who we lost two years ago on April 14
Join the Wednesday ride as we pay tribute to Lenny Ortins. The pre-ride talk includes memories for us all to enjoy and recall our friendships with. Lenny was always a joy to ride with and would typically be up there pulling anyone who cared to follow. This picture of Lenny was cropped from a group shot taken on the September 8, 2021 ride by our frien Jenn Parkos (the link to that is below) - yes he's in front as he was pulling. We all have our memories of Lenny and I hope we each take the time to recall yours as you ride or drive home. Please join as we share a toast to Lenny after the ride at the Brown Dog where many a post ride meal was enjoyed with Lenny. Also please visit Lenny’s memorial on the Danvers Rail Trail just off of Maple Street.
As rides must have songs, out of dozens of memory songs Maroon 5's "Memories" seem to fit our special occasion. "Here′s to the ones that we got, Cheers to the "wish you were here, but you're not", ′Cause the drinks bring back all the memories, Of everything we've been through, Toast to the ones here today, Toast to the ones that we lost on the way, 'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories, And the memories bring back, memories bring back you"
A casual but somewhat hilly route from Manter Fields in Newbury, MA with 30 and 40 mile options. We'll ride through scenic woodlands passing many farms, golf courses and curiosities.
Bring your own picnic (BYOP) for lunch on the lawn after the ride.
BTW: If you rotate the long route to the right, it looks like a chicken!
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.
Join us for a scenic ride from Ipswich to the ocean at Manchester by the Sea and Magnolia. There are some rough road sections by the sea, slow down and enjoy the views. On the way back we travel through Stage Fort Park before returning via Concord to Lufkin Road, popular on our rides.
Suggested lunch at Fox Creek Tavern, a short drive north from the start on Rt 1A.
A casual but somewhat hilly route from Manter Fields in Newbury, MA with 30 and 40 mile options. We'll ride through scenic woodlands passing many farms, golf courses and curiosities.
Bring your own picnic (BYOP) for lunch on the lawn after the ride.
BTW: If you rotate the long route to the right, it looks like a chicken!
The Stone Wall Ride is a great early spring ride offering many distance options that fit wherever you are at in your mileage training and also great for new riders. The yellow forsythia and daffodils brighten up all the stone walls along the way. The beginning of the ride uses roads in Hamilton that we do not travel on often and then the roads become more familiar in Topsfield, Boxford, Georgetown and Groveland. The XS (15miles) ride splits coming out of Bradley Palmer taking a left onto Asbury. All other distances go right. The S (28 miles) splits at River Road and Washington taking a right. All others stay straight. The M (36) splits in Boxford Center taking a right onto Depot. The others continue straight. The L (44) splits from the XL (54) at 133 and West Street in Georgetown with the XL taking a left onto West Street and the L continuing straight.
There are no bathroom facilities at the school. Cumberland Farms at 121 Bay St, S. Hamilton is a 3 minute drive from the school.
First time riders are strongly encouraged to review the NSC First-Time Riders Q&A linked to at the bottom of the page.
This week's ride is a mix of hard packed rail trail and a few urban miles through Portsmouth to the rolling coastal views in Maine. I found my gravel bike most comfortable for the 16 miles of gravel rail trail, but it could be done on a road bike. There are category two options available in Fort Foster and some additional single track miles at the trails end in North Hampton.
Please be ready at 9:15 am for the safety talk and welcome for new members.
Spend some of Mother's Day with some of your best friends!
The Best of Ipswich ride features wonderful cycling roads and beautiful views from downtown Ipswich with a great mix of historic sites, state forests, cycling along the Ipswich River, farm lands and scenic ocean vistas. It's also a great early spring ride offering many distance options that fit wherever you are at in your mileage training and great for new riders.
HERE ARE THE ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS:
EXTRA SHORT (19 miles) heads west to go through Bradley Palmer State Park, rides around Appleton Farms on Highland, Goodhue, Waldingfield and County Rd (Rte. 1A), nice local roads of Hamilton, over to Argilla Road before returning through the historic district of Ipswich.
SHORT (26 miles) adds the Great Neck loop to the "extra short"
MEDIUM (39 miles) PROVIDES A TOUR OF IPSWICH INCLUDING URL LINKS has a quick in and out at Bradley Palmer to see the estate (that you can choose to skip) and by-passes going through Bradley Palmer by staying on scenic Asbury Road to pass the Patton Homestead (yes, General Patton), adds a short trip to Essex, then off to the Crane Estate (and Crane Beach if you wish) before continuing back to Argilla Road, you have a chance to stop at Russell Orchards twice then off to Great Neck then back through the Ipswich historic district.
LONG (50 miles) is the "medium" plus about 13 scenic miles through Topsfield including Perkins Row, past Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, the Topsfield Linear Common rail trail and Linebrook Rd. After re-crossing Rte. 1 it takes a right on Brookside then a left on Perkins (avoiding a tough part of Ipswich Rd) before heading back to join the medium on Asbury Road.
EXTRA-LONG (60+ miles) adds 10 miles to the "long" in Topsfield. With a left turn onto Rte. 97 this by-passes the rail trail for a solid climb to begin about six miles in the Topsfield hills including incredible farm views then through town for a nice loop before returning to the other routes.
A casual but somewhat hilly route from Manter Fields in Newbury, MA with 30 and 40 mile options. We'll ride through scenic woodlands passing many farms, golf courses and curiosities.
Bring your own picnic (BYOP) for lunch on the lawn after the ride.
BTW: If you rotate the long route to the right, it looks like a chicken!
Enjoy some of the nicest cycling in our area. Generally quiet, scenic country roads in Hamilton, Topsfield, Ipswich, Georgetown and Boxford. Long ride adds Newbury and Newburyport. Generally flat to rolling, with a few small hills.
A new ride using many of the delightful back roads familiar to NSC riders. The short route loops through Topsfield, Boxford and North Andover following a route similar to that of the short Saturday fitness ride. The medium route continues across Harold Parker State Forest to Andover, incorporating some of the roads used for the NSC Andover Tuesday night ride. After circling the scenic Andover Green, the ride returns via Harold Parker. The long ride adds 11 hilly miles in the northwest corner of Andover.
A casual but somewhat hilly route from Manter Fields in Newbury, MA with 30 and 40 mile options. We'll ride through scenic woodlands passing many farms, golf courses and curiosities.
Bring your own picnic (BYOP) for lunch on the lawn after the ride.
BTW: If you rotate the long route to the right, it looks like a chicken!
Mostly flat to rolling, shady roads. All rides go through Harold Parker State Forest. Short ride goes through Reading, Wilmington, N. Reading, Middleton, and Lynnfield. Medium ride adds N. Andover, Boxford, and Topsfield. Long ride adds Groveland, W. Newbury, and Georgetown. Rest Stops at Food Mart in West Newbury and Richdale in Middleton.
Ride start can be reached from the MBTA Reading or Wakefield Commuter Rail Stations.
Quiet local roads from Ipswich take us to Manchester by the Sea, continuing counter-clockwise for a very scenic tour of Cape Ann’s rocky coastline. All routes go through beautiful Magnolia bordering the ocean, and continue past Hammond Castle, a replication of an English medieval fortress. The short and medium routes turn back to Ipswich from Gloucester near the famous Man at the Wheel statue.The long and extra long go on to Rockport and back through Annisquam Village.
A casual but somewhat hilly route from Manter Fields in Newbury, MA with 30 and 40 mile options. We'll ride through scenic woodlands passing many farms, golf courses and curiosities.
Bring your own picnic (BYOP) for lunch on the lawn after the ride.
BTW: If you rotate the long route to the right, it looks like a chicken!
Ride through quiet, scenic roads of Boxford and surrounding towns. The short ride includes twenty-three scenic miles with nice rolling hills, 1000 feet elevation. There are some rough road patches on Lakeshore on the Boxford/Haverhill line. There is a food stop at Flatbreads, Georgetown 14.5 miles
On the medium and long rides the first 23 miles have scenic rolling hills with 1000 feet elevation. There are rough road patches on Lakeshore on the Boxford/Haverhill line. The route can be cut short at mile 22 by taking a right on Middleton Road in Boxford. Captain Cashin Way will be on your right. Stops include:
Flatbreads, Georgetown - mile 14.5 Zumi's in Topsfield- mile 27 Smolak Farm in North Andover - mile 43 (long ride only)
