May 11th 300 & 200k: Info and ride report
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Jake Kassen
May 5, 2024, 9:46:56 AMMay 5
to NERds
May 11th is NER's "Boston" area (Concord) 300k with a separate 200k option. I really like both routes! I really think 50 Barns is one of the best 300ks anywhere and Royal Athols 200k is great too if you want some really out of the way places in the eastern half of the state.
For registration, we're tying out a new RUSA membership verification system. Register by going to https://ner.bike/reg and enter your RUSA #. It will give you a password to use on the BikeReg page.
For the 300k, one minor route change is that it now skips Amherst center and instead stays on the bike path for a few extra miles and uses a shopping center just south of downtown. Should make for a faster stop at the expense of less interesting food options. There's also a small route change in Gilbertville to account for a bridge being out. (The bridge would be crossable but requires a bike portage.)
The 300k was ridden last weekend by Rosy who reports everything is in good shape except some horrible pavement on the return, particularly around Ashburnham when some people will be riding after dark. More on that below.
I rode the Royal Athols 200k yesterday and here's my report:
---
I started the 200k in earnest from the West Concord Dunkin after having battled a [toy] alligator for my breakfast. Another patron expressed shock at seeing a bike with a front disc and rear rim brake. I like my brakes like my surfaces: Mixed. Having been fed and victorious, I crossed the new Rt. 2 bike bridge and headed northwest.
The first 40 miles of the route is doozy. It starts off calm enough but quickly turns into a roller coaster of progressively steep climbs. Once you get into Lunenburg the excitement really begins. I don't think there's another section of any NER route that is as steep with such bad pavement. Taylor Road in Ashby is the peak.
The good news is that there are almost no cars, perhaps because of how rutted the road is. But I still enjoy this section in the forest, slowly climbing and picking my line. At the top is a lot with about a dozen old semi trailers. How did they make it there? Seems like they won't fit on the roads.
There's a few more steep climbs before making it to Tweedos. Don't think the climbing is done for the day but the unrelenting sections are mostly over. Speaking of being done, Tweedos is under new ownership and now opens at 11am -- too late for many on the 200k. If you want food, stop in Ashburnham center or keep going to Winchendon and make a minor detour. Tweedos was open when I arrived and they had plenty of drinks but almost no food. I think I bought the only small bag of chips on the otherwise bare shelf.
After Winchendon the route zips around Tully mountain, lake, and dam. This is another section I really enjoy. Very steep, fun descent. (Sorry 300k riders, you're climbing this.) The route uses a small library in Orange as a control. The library is only open for a few hours on Saturday and I missed the closing by about 60 seconds. I've been told the librarian is awesome and likes meeting riders. Just take a picture for the official proof of passage.
It's a fast descent into Athol where you pass 5 bars ("Social clubs") in about 3 blocks. At this point all I had on my mind was the awesome food at Petersham so I skipped the $3 Bud Lights and powered ahead.
The Petersham Country Store is one of the top cycling destinations in the state. Great food and nice people. Amazingly the cashier remembered my name. I had a nice chat with a few other customers. One very friendly couple rode there on expedition motorcycles but wanted to start bikepacking. (On bicycles.) I like how 100+ miles on a motorcycle in a day is also considered a "long ride".
It's 50 miles back from Petersham and the weather was cooling off quickly with a growing headwind. I know this section well but still need a GPS/cue for the web of roads in Harvard and Boxborough.
Finished the ride exactly 3 minutes quicker than last year so my fitness must be really improving. I would have been better off using the 3 minutes to stop and put on some warmer clothing earlier in the day but it still was a great ride and enjoyable day on the bike.
Jake
For registration, we're tying out a new RUSA membership verification system. Register by going to https://ner.bike/reg and enter your RUSA #. It will give you a password to use on the BikeReg page.
For the 300k, one minor route change is that it now skips Amherst center and instead stays on the bike path for a few extra miles and uses a shopping center just south of downtown. Should make for a faster stop at the expense of less interesting food options. There's also a small route change in Gilbertville to account for a bridge being out. (The bridge would be crossable but requires a bike portage.)
The 300k was ridden last weekend by Rosy who reports everything is in good shape except some horrible pavement on the return, particularly around Ashburnham when some people will be riding after dark. More on that below.
I rode the Royal Athols 200k yesterday and here's my report:
---
I started the 200k in earnest from the West Concord Dunkin after having battled a [toy] alligator for my breakfast. Another patron expressed shock at seeing a bike with a front disc and rear rim brake. I like my brakes like my surfaces: Mixed. Having been fed and victorious, I crossed the new Rt. 2 bike bridge and headed northwest.
The first 40 miles of the route is doozy. It starts off calm enough but quickly turns into a roller coaster of progressively steep climbs. Once you get into Lunenburg the excitement really begins. I don't think there's another section of any NER route that is as steep with such bad pavement. Taylor Road in Ashby is the peak.
The good news is that there are almost no cars, perhaps because of how rutted the road is. But I still enjoy this section in the forest, slowly climbing and picking my line. At the top is a lot with about a dozen old semi trailers. How did they make it there? Seems like they won't fit on the roads.
There's a few more steep climbs before making it to Tweedos. Don't think the climbing is done for the day but the unrelenting sections are mostly over. Speaking of being done, Tweedos is under new ownership and now opens at 11am -- too late for many on the 200k. If you want food, stop in Ashburnham center or keep going to Winchendon and make a minor detour. Tweedos was open when I arrived and they had plenty of drinks but almost no food. I think I bought the only small bag of chips on the otherwise bare shelf.
After Winchendon the route zips around Tully mountain, lake, and dam. This is another section I really enjoy. Very steep, fun descent. (Sorry 300k riders, you're climbing this.) The route uses a small library in Orange as a control. The library is only open for a few hours on Saturday and I missed the closing by about 60 seconds. I've been told the librarian is awesome and likes meeting riders. Just take a picture for the official proof of passage.
It's a fast descent into Athol where you pass 5 bars ("Social clubs") in about 3 blocks. At this point all I had on my mind was the awesome food at Petersham so I skipped the $3 Bud Lights and powered ahead.
The Petersham Country Store is one of the top cycling destinations in the state. Great food and nice people. Amazingly the cashier remembered my name. I had a nice chat with a few other customers. One very friendly couple rode there on expedition motorcycles but wanted to start bikepacking. (On bicycles.) I like how 100+ miles on a motorcycle in a day is also considered a "long ride".
It's 50 miles back from Petersham and the weather was cooling off quickly with a growing headwind. I know this section well but still need a GPS/cue for the web of roads in Harvard and Boxborough.
Finished the ride exactly 3 minutes quicker than last year so my fitness must be really improving. I would have been better off using the 3 minutes to stop and put on some warmer clothing earlier in the day but it still was a great ride and enjoyable day on the bike.
Jake
Jas Dembinski
May 6, 2024, 9:41:32 PMMay 6
to New England Randonneurs
Looking forward to this ride, Jake. I tried printing out the cue sheet and got nowhere--the print is way too small to be functional for me and I don't have the know-how to expand it with Adobe editing/reformatting tools, etc. Is it possible to reformat those cue sheets we can download to have directions in 14 font size print? Thanks, Jan
Jeff
May 7, 2024, 9:22:21 AMMay 7
to jp...@sover.net, New England Randonneurs
Will this work?
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Jas Dembinski
May 8, 2024, 2:53:47 PMMay 8
to New England Randonneurs
Works for the 300k. Can you replicate for the 200k? Merci!
Jeff
May 8, 2024, 2:56:34 PMMay 8
to jp...@sover.net, New England Randonneurs
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ne-randonneurs/05330052-ed5b-46ba-a7ac-f350dafca64dn%40googlegroups.com.
Jas Dembinski
May 8, 2024, 6:46:54 PMMay 8
to New England Randonneurs
Works beautifully! I can set those pages up for easy and quick reads--if need be--on the trip-bars. Thanks, Jeff
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