[bike] Harvard Fruitlands card

[dmaze]

nuclearpolymer has the full set of "Beyond the Minuteman" laminated route cards, and proposed doing the longest of those this week, a 56-mile route from Bedford up to Harvard. narya had a houseguest so I couldn't take the car all day to start in Bedford, but biking home to Bedford to Harvard to Bedford, and then getting a ride home, seemed like a plan (68 miles vs. last week's 63). In the end we would up taking the short route from Concord to Bedford (Carlisle is so blah these days), knocking a couple miles off the card route, and I had enough energy to bike home (started to lose steam past Arlington, but I made it in the end).

Vital stats: 75.80 miles, bringing my bike up to 517.8. Bike computer claims just over 6 hours in motion, but I left home at 7:45 and got home around 5:15, so three and a half hours stopped (!), for moving and total averages of 12.6 mph and 8.0 mph, respectively. Route map

This was a pretty nice ride, for largely keeping to back roads. There's a nice view of the Fitchburg/Shirley/Wachussett area from northern Harvard the ride took us through. Harvard is, in fact, Big Thigh Country, but it's also quite pretty. There was one really substantial climb after we left the Still River area, but once we did that we joined up with the Climb to the Clouds route for the nice downhill bits. But if hills bother you at all (the route card said "some rolling hills, some not-so-rolling hills") this might not be the ride for you. I did okay with them, though I did wind up needing to stop on the really big climb a couple of times.

(And after all that I was still able to maintain 12-13 mph on my own on the "uphill" part of the Minuteman coming back into Lexington, which was a good sign.)

Comments

[fanw.livejournal.com]

I did this route last year just as you describe, adding on the Minute Man to the listed route. It was lovely, though very long! At the time I was trying to work up to 100 mi and 70 seemed like a good point to reach, but now I think I may just do the 56 and enjoy it a little more.

[dmaze]

I guess if I'm working up to anything this year it's the Granite State Wheelmen's Seacoast Century, which nuclearpolymer wants to do. That, and meta-goals like "get 1,000 miles on my bike this year" and "actually do a century". But there have got to be more ways out of Boston than the ones I've found and keep using.

[nuclearpolymer.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of disappointed that we still can't get up all the hills on the tandem without walking, but maybe next year. At least we didn't have to call someone for a pickup this time.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

I actually tried to do the Seacoast last year with zmook, ukelele's downstairs neighbor. The weather didn't cooperate and so after 50 miles of rain and a flat tire, we called it a day. Hopefully this year will be much better!

BTW, the Best Bike Rides of New England (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Bike-Rides-New-England/dp/0762701641/ref=sr_1_1/102-4137799-7851314?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185196848&sr=8-1) book has some good suggestions, and there are similar books for smaller regions, such as rides in the Berkshires and the like. I can also recommend two other rides:

1) The ride out to Provincetown is a full day ride, but a delightful one. I took the commuter rail out to Plymouth to cut off the worst of the city traffice and it was 88 mi to the end of the Cape.

2) Take the commuter rail up to Rockport or Newburport and bike along the coast. You can always take the train back if you get tired before you reach Boston.

Anyway, good luck with the Seacoast Century and all your goals for the year!