"Ride with Pride" 45-Mile Bike Ride

Our 45-mile "Ride With Pride" started in the village of Guilford at the aptly named “Blueberry Haus” ice cream stand and HOT, HOT, HOT weather well into the 80's!

Fortunately, our group of seven road cyclists from Vermont, New Hampshire Connecticut and Massachusetts had ridden together several times previously, so we all got our pace calibrated quickly and spun through a beautiful Vermont landscape of open valleys, fields, brooks and sprawling farms with early-season signs of greenery poking up through sprawling fields as we careened through Weatherhead Hollow towards the Massachusetts line.

Soon, a steady and long climb followed Broad Brook for several miles. Once we crossed into Massachusetts, all of us were rewarded with a long downhill on which some broke 48 (!) mph. This was typical of the route: with ample downhills and long level stretches, it gave much more than it took. Refer to the attached elevation profile to see what we mean by this.

Then the ride took us into Bernardston, Mass, home of the big hard red cock! Without shame, it let us climb all over it as reflected in the trip pictures.

We continued on into picturesque Gill, Mass, following rural backroads past family farms, early cornfields, dairy cows, and horses. Our pace was challenging but not intimidating; group cohesion came easily on long stretches where all we could hear was the whispering hum of rubber on tar. Our last few miles found us spinning on Route 5 parallel to Interstate 91, then we headed back to the aforementioned Blueberry Haus in Guilford for a required ice cream stop.

All in all, a great and challenging GO event to kick-off Gay Pride Month with great fellowship, camaraderie and enthusiasm!

All gathered afterward at Scott and Dave’s at Frog Meadow Farm for a well-earned (yummy and and quite yummy-looking) potluck social mixer, drinks, a hot-tub soak, and great conversation and laughs...a splendid time was had by all!

Many thanks to Marc, Daniel, Lucas, Kurt, Lew, Dave & Scott for making the day such a fun time and such a affirming way to start Gay Pride Month 2015!

Celebrate upcoming Gay Pride Month and join Scott and Dave from Frog Meadow for a 45-mile ride through the beautiful farmland & hills of Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts and the Connecticut River Valley.

This ride is like riding through a real picture postcard, passing small family farms with dairy cows in their pastures and corn fields. The ride is moderately hilly, hillier than the "Tri State Ride" that we have posted here in the past.

Click the link for a Google Map of the route:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=US-5+N%2FCalvin+Coolidge+Memorial+Hwy&daddr=Guilford+Center+Rd+to:Brattleboro+Rd+to:42.6424795,-72.6082767+to:Barton+Rd+to:Cross+Rd+to:Dole+Rd+to:W+Gill+Rd+to:Main+Rd+to:N+Cross+Rd+to:N+Cross+Rd+to:Bald+Mountain+Rd+to:Burke+Flat+Rd+to:US-5+N%2FBrattleboro+Rd+to:Keets+Brook+Rd+to:US-5+S%2FCalvin+Coolidge+Memorial+Hwy&hl=en&sll=42.810325,-72.581649&sspn=0.022007,0.045447&geocode=FQBWjQIde5is-w%3BFSUZjQIdsDus-w%3BFbdviwId_8yr-w%3BFS-sigId7BWs-ymdHNBp0yXhiTH3fRdPua9ydA%3BFf2tigId3hus-w%3BFdv_igIdTOSs-w%3BFSbVigIdUG2t-w%3BFZxZigIdExOt-w%3BFU2migId3r6t-w%3BFTbtigIdMwiu-w%3BFUsUiwIdSGWt-w%3BFXAZiwIdQySt-w%3BFd9ciwIdhQSt-w%3BFXPdiwIdyZ2s-w%3BFZYcjAIdrfur-w%3BFb1WjQIdIJis-w&mra=mi&mrsp=15&sz=15&via=3&t=m&z=15).

Participants should be experienced cyclists and have road bikes, not hybrids or mountain bikes. We will be riding at a moderate pace of 14-15 mph. Maps will be provided. We will meet in the village of Algiers in the town of Guilford Vermont at the Guilford Store (point "A" on the google Map) at noon and expect to be done by 4:00 to 5:00 pm. Afterwards participants are welcome to come to Frog Meadow for a hot tub and dip in the pond and BYOB snacks and refreshments!

If you're participating in the Outriders Boston to Provincetown Bike Ride on 6/21 this is an excellent training ride!

Note that overnight lodging at Frog Meadow is available should you be travelling from out of town and that Gay Outdoors paid members are eligible to recieve a 10% discount when booking!

Raindate: 5/31