Old Saybrook Fleche & Trace - May 16-18
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Jake Kassen
Feb 7, 2025, 11:08:36 PMFeb 7
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Hey NERds. It's time to talk about the Fleche & Trace happening on the weekend of May 16th.
This year is a new destination: Old Saybrook, CT. Last spring I stayed overnight in the city and rode a heavily modified perm (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46897699) and found it would be a good Fleche and Trace city. It has Amtrak service to Boston & NYC, a wide variety of route options, great Pizza, and ample motel options that aren't crazy expensive. And for many riders, it will be a chance to see new places. It should also be at least a few degrees warmer than northern NE options.
Teams can start from the location of their choosing and finish anywhere in the city of Old Saybrook. On Sunday we'll gather at a restaurant to chat about our rides. While the Sunday meeting is optional, it is fun when a bunch of teams are present so please stick around.
As always, Teams can select their own members and design their own route. But new for this year we'll also have the option to sign up for open invitation Fleche and Trace teams and use a route I've designed. I've heard from a number of people over the years that they wanted to participate but didn't have a team or route so this is a way of joining a team without the organizing.
The open invitation Fleche team ("The Coasters") uses a loop route starting/ending in Old Saybrook and takes in about 35 miles of the CT coast, hence the team name. The draft route has nearly 100 miles of bike paths. Start time is tentatively 7pm on Friday, May 16th. The team can decide if they want to ride it clockwise (all bike paths at night) or counter clockwise (climbing at the start). IMHO, this should be a fun route and services are well spaced.
Early draft route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49653969
The open invitation Trace team has a route that starts at Alewife station in Cambridge MA and heads south to downtown Providence RI. From Providence, it heads straight to Old Saybrook, cutting though Norwich along the way. About 15-20 miles of dirt roads and bike paths but nothing technical or challenging. Total distance is around 145 miles and the team has all day Saturday to finish.
Early Draft route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49653344
Important note about these two routes: I'm designing them as a starting point but they won't be pre-ridden and heavily vetted like normal NER routes. The teams should still discuss in advance and modify as needed or desired by the team.
If we get a lot of interest in these open invitation team options, additional teams and routes can be added.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the Fleche and Trace. Many riders find these to be the highlight of randonneuring so it's worth a try.
Jake
PS. As of this email, the website has yet to be updated but that should happen soon.
This year is a new destination: Old Saybrook, CT. Last spring I stayed overnight in the city and rode a heavily modified perm (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46897699) and found it would be a good Fleche and Trace city. It has Amtrak service to Boston & NYC, a wide variety of route options, great Pizza, and ample motel options that aren't crazy expensive. And for many riders, it will be a chance to see new places. It should also be at least a few degrees warmer than northern NE options.
Teams can start from the location of their choosing and finish anywhere in the city of Old Saybrook. On Sunday we'll gather at a restaurant to chat about our rides. While the Sunday meeting is optional, it is fun when a bunch of teams are present so please stick around.
As always, Teams can select their own members and design their own route. But new for this year we'll also have the option to sign up for open invitation Fleche and Trace teams and use a route I've designed. I've heard from a number of people over the years that they wanted to participate but didn't have a team or route so this is a way of joining a team without the organizing.
The open invitation Fleche team ("The Coasters") uses a loop route starting/ending in Old Saybrook and takes in about 35 miles of the CT coast, hence the team name. The draft route has nearly 100 miles of bike paths. Start time is tentatively 7pm on Friday, May 16th. The team can decide if they want to ride it clockwise (all bike paths at night) or counter clockwise (climbing at the start). IMHO, this should be a fun route and services are well spaced.
Early draft route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49653969
The open invitation Trace team has a route that starts at Alewife station in Cambridge MA and heads south to downtown Providence RI. From Providence, it heads straight to Old Saybrook, cutting though Norwich along the way. About 15-20 miles of dirt roads and bike paths but nothing technical or challenging. Total distance is around 145 miles and the team has all day Saturday to finish.
Early Draft route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49653344
Important note about these two routes: I'm designing them as a starting point but they won't be pre-ridden and heavily vetted like normal NER routes. The teams should still discuss in advance and modify as needed or desired by the team.
If we get a lot of interest in these open invitation team options, additional teams and routes can be added.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the Fleche and Trace. Many riders find these to be the highlight of randonneuring so it's worth a try.
Jake
PS. As of this email, the website has yet to be updated but that should happen soon.
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