Aeolian Harp Pre-ride
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Roger Hillas
Aug 6, 2026, 10:55:24 AM (10 days ago) Aug 6
to New England Randonneurs
Dear NERs,
I pre-rode Aeolian Harp on Tuesday and came back with only three minor cautions about the route:
1. There are some cracks in the pavement descending Gonzo Pass from about the Ravine Lodge (mile 10.5) that are not serious in themselves, but combined with the steep gradient and twisting road they will require either local knowledge or a little extra caution on your part.
2. There is a half mile or so of genuinely bad road climbing Tucker Hill Road leaving Thetford Center (mile 47.3). The grade is steep so you won’t be going fast enough to hurt yourself, but you will want to be aware of traffic coming up behind you. I had a truck pulling a horse van push me right onto “pavement” that was so bad I was worried about falling even at quite low speed.
3. The gravel on the Strafford Road at mile 58.2 is mostly firm and smooth, with only some bits of loose gravel. But there is construction going on higher up the road, and I did have one or two large, loaded dump trucks descend towards me.
Otherwise, the news is all good:
Other than Gonzo Pass, the pavement is New Hampshire is all somewhere between good and excellent. Just don’t get so comfortable that you miss the right turn onto Dame Hill Road at mile 30.9
US-5 from Fairlee down to East Thetford was paved last summer and is wider and smoother than it used to be. US-5 from Bradford up to Newport later in the ride is in good shape as well. Best of all, the bridge repair work that shut sections of Interstate 93 the last few years is done, so anyone in a hurry to get somewhere is on 93, not 5.
As a final reward for completing the long (not steep) slog from the Connecticut River crossing (mile 100.9) to the top of Kinsman Notch (mile 119.3), you'll do the screaming descent down to Woodstock on pavement that was laid within the last week.
There are some spectacular views on this ride:
From the wayside near the top of Gonzo Pass at mile 8.7, you can look east to the southern Franconia Range in the near distance and Mt. Washington further back.
From the high point of the Strafford Road between Strafford and Tunbridge at mile 60.5, you can look south to Killington Peak, Vermont’s second highest mountain.
From pretty much anywhere on US-5 north of Bradford (mile 93.5) there are good views of Mt. Moosilauke to the east.
All the controls have food options, except for the Congregational Church in Thetford Hill. (There is a convenience store off route just north of the post office control in North Haverhill NH.)
Bonne route,
Roger
202-306-5846
I pre-rode Aeolian Harp on Tuesday and came back with only three minor cautions about the route:
1. There are some cracks in the pavement descending Gonzo Pass from about the Ravine Lodge (mile 10.5) that are not serious in themselves, but combined with the steep gradient and twisting road they will require either local knowledge or a little extra caution on your part.
2. There is a half mile or so of genuinely bad road climbing Tucker Hill Road leaving Thetford Center (mile 47.3). The grade is steep so you won’t be going fast enough to hurt yourself, but you will want to be aware of traffic coming up behind you. I had a truck pulling a horse van push me right onto “pavement” that was so bad I was worried about falling even at quite low speed.
3. The gravel on the Strafford Road at mile 58.2 is mostly firm and smooth, with only some bits of loose gravel. But there is construction going on higher up the road, and I did have one or two large, loaded dump trucks descend towards me.
Otherwise, the news is all good:
Other than Gonzo Pass, the pavement is New Hampshire is all somewhere between good and excellent. Just don’t get so comfortable that you miss the right turn onto Dame Hill Road at mile 30.9
US-5 from Fairlee down to East Thetford was paved last summer and is wider and smoother than it used to be. US-5 from Bradford up to Newport later in the ride is in good shape as well. Best of all, the bridge repair work that shut sections of Interstate 93 the last few years is done, so anyone in a hurry to get somewhere is on 93, not 5.
As a final reward for completing the long (not steep) slog from the Connecticut River crossing (mile 100.9) to the top of Kinsman Notch (mile 119.3), you'll do the screaming descent down to Woodstock on pavement that was laid within the last week.
There are some spectacular views on this ride:
From the wayside near the top of Gonzo Pass at mile 8.7, you can look east to the southern Franconia Range in the near distance and Mt. Washington further back.
From the high point of the Strafford Road between Strafford and Tunbridge at mile 60.5, you can look south to Killington Peak, Vermont’s second highest mountain.
From pretty much anywhere on US-5 north of Bradford (mile 93.5) there are good views of Mt. Moosilauke to the east.
All the controls have food options, except for the Congregational Church in Thetford Hill. (There is a convenience store off route just north of the post office control in North Haverhill NH.)
Bonne route,
Roger
202-306-5846
Jacob Layer
Aug 6, 2026, 2:55:34 PM (10 days ago) Aug 6
to New England Randonneurs
Thanks Roger! Hopefully it doesn't rain too hard going up the hills.
Jacob
Anyone interested in a pre-ride dinner friday night? La Vista Italian? Pizza?
Best,
Jacob
Jacob Layer
Aug 6, 2026, 3:18:00 PM (10 days ago) Aug 6
to Roger Hillas, New England Randonneurs
❤️
Jacob Layer reacted via Gmail
On Thu, Aug 6, 2026 at 3:08 PM Roger Hillas <roger.h...@gmail.com> wrote:
Jacob,
Thanks for the reminder.
Come Saturday, the finish is at Lahout’s in the center of Lincoln, but I’ve arranged for Basecamp Brewery across the street to host us afterwords.
Cheers,
Roger
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