Most people from the North Shore haven't ridden to Hudson. Lots of people from MetroWest haven't either! Here's an opportunity to have lunch in Hudson as part of a 40 mile hilly ride OR 34.1 mile flat ride OR switch routes at the lunch stop.
The long ride goes through Acton, Stow, Harvard and Bolton on the way to Hudson, returning through Sudbury. About 2/3 of the hills on the long route are complete before lunch.
After the split at mile 2.3 in Concord, the short ride takes the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail to the Mass Central Rail Trail to the Assabet River Rail trail all the way into Hudson. This route is an out-and-back until the last few miles into Concord. The Mass Central Rail Trail section officially opened in July. On July 23rd when I scouted it, "Work in Progress" signs were still up.
Why is the lunch stop in the middle of the route?
The past two times I've ridden this route, my friends have noted that Hudson is actually an interesting place, worth stopping at
While there are multiple places to get food within 2 blocks of the start point in Concord, none are big enough for all of us.
Most importantly, you can switch routes at Cafe 641. Cafe 641 is at mile 17.2 of the 34.1 mile short route and mile 22.9 of the 40.2 mile long route. If you're bored with the bike path, you can take the less hilly part of the long route back. If you're tired of hills and want to check out the new bike path section, you can do that too.
Cafe 641 has sandwiches, smoothies,coffee drinks and baked goods. There is also a bagel shop a few doors down.
Other route notes:
If you want to do the long route without stopping, go straight at mile 22.3, which immediately puts you back on the route. If you want to do the short ride without stopping, you can turn around whenever.
I have left my bike in front of Cafe 641 without a lock three times. Neither I nor my friends have had problems. However, some people may want to bring a lock or have friends watch bikes.
As an FYI for future rides, the dirt paths at around mile 12 of the short route go into the gravel trails at the Assabet River Wildlife Refuge
