We at NSC will be hosting 2 group rides to encourage participation in upcoming charity rides. The first will be on May 17, 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 Beverly-Ipswich loop travels quiet woodland and open roads near Cape Ann area, including North Beverly, Centerville, Essex, Ipswich, Wenham and Hamilton. Extra Long, long and medium rides go out to Jeffrey’s Neck loop from the town wharf in Ipswich.
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.
Ride start is 9 am and the route is a cool 42 miles.
We'll ride from Ipswich through Rowley, Georgetown, Groveland (along the Merrimack) then head back through Bradford, West Boxford, Boxford, Topsfield, Hamilton to Ipswich just in time for lunch and beer at The Brewer's Table at Ipswich Ale.
Much credit for the route goes to our friend Gordon Harris. I stumbled on it in his files a few years back and made a few tweaks. After riding it with two friends on an early spring ride we concluded it was a keeper.
Hence the name "That's what Friends Are For". Written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, it was recorded in 1985 by Dionne Warwick & Friends (Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder), was popular and reached No.1 in 1986 winning the Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by Duo or Group. The Stylistics sang it first back in 1975. Yes, 50 years ago.
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
Favorite roads west of Rt. 1. All routes begin and end at North Reading Middle School (next to high school), parking lot adjacent to tennis courts -- far rear corner. Short route visits Middleton and Boxford. Medium route continues to Georgetown. Long route crosses the Merrimack River in West Newbury and re-crosses from Amesbury to Newburyport.
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.
This week we will tour the country roads, hills, and springtime vistas around Groton, Pepperell and Hollis, NH, before turning back south thru Tynsbourough to the starting point. We'll cross the gentle Nashua River twice and pass by several working farms.
This ride starts at 9:30 due to a slightly longer drive to the starting point on Westford Rd. in Tyngsboro.
This route will be offered again in the fall, so riders can witness the change in scenery and rural activity.
This early season mixed terrain ride is a gentle trail ride thru the Georgetown/Rowley, Willowdale, and Bradley Palmer State Parks and a short stretch along the Topsfield rail trail. The ride is suitable for beginner gravel riders, as well as advanced riders
Come join your fellow club members for a ride from Groveland through the New Hampshire / Massachusetts borderlands, where NSC rides rarely venture.
All three rides are somewhat shorter than usual (albeit no less hilly, hello Corliss Hill!) to allow riders more time to return to Groveland for our fall picnic.
All routes begin at the Pines Recreation Area in Groveland, cross the mighty Merrimack, and head north together past the Whittier Homestead into NH.
The 22 mile route continues through Newton NH before returning along Bear Hill Rd. to the Merrimack valley.
The 36 and 48 split from the short route around mile 8 to continue northwest through South Kingston and Danville. The 48 splits off again (around mi 15) to explore less-known roads further north with scenic views of ponds and woodlands.
The 36 and 48 reconnect 3/4 of the way through the ride to follow the pretty shorelines of Tuxbury Pond and Lake Attitash.
All of the routes return along the north side of Merrimack River before recrossing the Bates bridge for our picnic back at the ride start in Groveland.
Please have your bikes and selves ready for the pre-ride talk 15 minutes prior to the departure for the route you are riding.
Ease into summer with this early June ride that starts slow and easy along the Newburyport rail trail and then gets going along shaded tree-line roads bordered with blooming flowers and bushes throughout Newbury, Georgetown, Boxford, and Topsfield. Our ride will come to an end as we ride by farmlands in Ipswich and the salt marshes in Rowley.
There are no bathroom facilities at the start of the ride. There are porta potties at Cashman Park on Merrimac St at the end of Broad--a few blocks from the start. And there are more at the entrance to Willowdale State Forest on Linebrook Rd.--at mile 32.5.
Choose your lunch preference: either settling in (with or without a beer) at Michael's Harborside or grabbing a sandwich at Port City Sandwich for a relaxing picnic along the Merrimack.
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.
It is an easy ride thru some of the trails around Topsfield including Bradley Palmer State Park, Willowdale State Park, and the Topsfield Linear Rail Trail.
The unpaved terrain is rolling, except for a short climb in at the start of the Bradley Palmer segment, and includes wooded double track, meadow trail, and rail trail.
35 mm or wider tires are recommended.
Parking is available at MASSDOT Park and Ride at Main and Park Streets in Topsfield.
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.
Enjoy a Sunday version of the Ponds and Forests Ride from Smolak Farm, which is run on Wednesdays throughout the riding season. A variety of routes are offered that take in many of the quiet, scenic back roads of the North Shore with many nice farms and ponds on view. The terrain includes a number of relatively flat sections and a few challenging hills.
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.
Enjoy a scenic gravel ride on the Northern Rail Trail from Boscawen, NH. We will be starting from the Jamie Welch Park on Depot Road at 10am and head towards Danbury where we take a break at the Danbury Country Store on Route 4 before returning back to the park. It will be a total of about 58 miles of easy and flat riding. You can also cut it short by simply turning around at any point as there are no turns on this trail.
