I always get lots of questions when we get together on Friday, as to what each of the rides are like. So, I thought it would be useful to get some feedback from riders on past weekends as to their opinions of the rides (difficulty, scenery, things to note). Be aware that their opinions, just like mine, are very subjective (one man’s bump in another man’s mountain), but at least it should help give you a general idea of the nature of the rides. Text not in quotes is mine, otherwise these are quotes from riders on the trip.
This is probably the easiest of the two gap rides, both gaps are not as steep or long as the northern ones, and both are well paved, and have straighter downhill sections where you can "let it out."
Rider's comments:
"The Bristol-Middlebury-Lake Champlain ride was originally conceived by Diane and Larry Telford who were looking for a scenic Vermont ride without crossing gaps. It is a remote start from PowderHound, crossing over Lincoln Gap by car. The ride is fifty miles long including several nice downhills with moderate climbing. Total climbing as measured by a wrist altimeter is about 2200 feet. The terrain is typical Lake Champlain valley with numerous scenic views of the Adirondack Mountains and Vermont dairy farms. The ride is very suitable for tandems.
The ride starts in the Shaw’s Super Market parking lot in Bristol. The store has deli and drinks available and usually will allow bicyclists to use their “facilities”. The first twelve miles leads into Middlebury and is a fast and rolling ride. There is a bagel shop on Washington Street that has good sandwiches to go. At about 21 miles there is another general store for lunch purposes if desired. The rid+A1e out of Middlebury has the first of the major downhills with a little climbing in between. At 29 miles, the ride approaches Chimney Point, which is a good spot to stop for lunch and there is an ice cream store nearby. The next eight miles is flat and, with a tail wind, can be ridden at a good pace. Approaching SR22A, where there is another general store with portable “facilities” behind, the climb back up to Bristol begins. The last major hill is two miles from the end at the edge of Bristol.
The climbing on this ride is not of the “killer” category – Diane and Larry, who’s combined age is 126, have done this ride for several years on a tandem."
"We did Bristol-Middlebury on a tandem with 4 other tandems on Saturday. It was a gorgeous ride, there was an excellent bagel place right near Middlebury college for lunch pick-up, BUT I think it would be great if you could include in your description that there is a TON OF CLIMBING in the second half of the ride. the first 25 miles weren't easy, but truly rolling terrain - quite pleasant. the second 25 miles (after the lunch break) involved a TON of hills."
Rider's comments:
"- Includes significant segments of dirt roads (which should be noted). My philosophy is that it's better to go uphill on dirt roads rather than downhill -- I would reverse the direction relative to the cue sheet.
- There is a typo on the current cue sheet. At 7.1 miles, turn right onto Common (not North Rd). Common is dirt. At 9.8 miles, go straight onto North Rd. (not Waitsfield Common). North is also dirt (except for the first 100 yards or so). At some point before Rt. 100B, North turns into Pony Farm Rd. I didn't notice exactly where, but I suspect it was the last intersection before hitting 100B. (There's a road to the left -- you go straight. The left turn might be the continuation of North Rd, and straight ahead might be where Pony Farm starts.) This is important if doing the route in the opposite (clockwise) direction, as the sign on 100B says Pony Farm."
"The Duxbury Ride is a very scenic ride that parallels route 100 and offers some nice views of the valley. There is a few miles of hard packed dirt, so if this is not to your liking, you can descend back down to route 100. On Rte. 100, there is a memorial access area that had picnic tables and a beautiful swimming area. There are also some nice restaurants and shops along the way. The route is not difficult - more hills, however, than "rolling" hills."
"A fairly flat ride and a good warm down ride for anyone that is either tired from cycling the day before or wanted to start their drive home early. Took about 3 hours. The 9 miles stretch of East Warren Road was the highlight, really spectacular views and very low traffic, a few rolling hills on this road which is a good alternative to Route 100 between Waitsfield and Warren."
This is a one gap ride, avoiding a second climb by traversing East-West on Route 2 which is relatively flat. There is some climbing in the Duxbury Hills before Route 2.
"A nice ride. Route 100, especially the 7 miles stretch between 100B and Route 2 was particularly good, some rolling hills but very manageable. The next 14 miles or so were along Route 2 and I found this average. A number of fast moving cars very close to you and I crossed interstate 89 a few times, moderate views. Turned off Route 2 in Richmond and the next 13 miles, between Richmond and Hanksville were the best of the ride, very quite road (only 4 or 5 cars passed me over the 16 miles), great views and a really smooth road including a 5 miles stretch between Huntington Center and Hanksville that was resurfaced in the past few months. I stopped for lunch at the village store in Huntington Center and it was pleasant to eat and relax on the village green in front of the store. At about 46 miles, shortly after Hanksville, I turned onto Route 17 and the climb up the Appalachian Gap. This was a fairly strenuous climb, probably about 2 miles of climbing with the last quarter of a mile the steepest, but with a triple gear set on the bike, it was manageable. A long downhill from the gap passing Mad River Gen ski areas, a few sharp turns and so need to keep the speed under control, a few miles later and I was back at the Powderhound. With lunch, rests etc, it was about a 5 hour ride. Overall pleasant ride and I would highly recommend."
Rider's comments:
"- We started in Waterbury, to cut off some miles. Perhaps this is obvious, but may be worth pointing out.
- Expect heavy traffic on Rte 100 -- best to get an early start
- Remember your swim suits to cool off in Lake Elmore (Elmore State Park). If you want to avoid the park entrance fee (which applies to cyclists as well), go past the main entrance, and take the next right, which brings you to the beach area. (Cars can't pull this trick because there's no access to the parking area from this road.)
- After Lake Elmore, climb hill, then enjoy gradual downhill run pretty much all the way to Montpelier. This is the stretch that really makes the ride!
- I wasn't able to follow the cues exactly through Montpelier. (We ended up on Main St. without consciously making a right onto Main St. Rte 12 first bends to the left, then bends to the right and becomes Main St., best I could tell.) My guess is that there's a better way to get through Montpelier to avoid the first stretch of Rte. 2 (stretch leading to Rte 2?) after Main St. -- it's not much fun. However, we didn't explore an alternate route."
"Several of us shortened the Lake Elmore - Montpelier ride to 60 miles (from 87) by starting from Waterbury instead of from the PowderHound. We parked along the access road to (I think) a municipal-building complex that was off Rte 2 West, less than a mile from where you turn onto 2 from 100N and just before "downtown" Waterbury. There were plenty of on-street spaces.
Roads were in good shape, terrain was rolling, with exceptions noted below. We followed the map exactly, at the end just continuing down Rte 2 from Montpelier (a 12-mile leg) instead of taking the left onto 100B. It's a pretty ride with many potential stops. We did *not* stop for any of the craftspeople, yard sales, B&J's, Stowe. We did stop to pick up some excellent sandwiches in Morristown (first shop you come to on the right, as you come into town), then went another 4 miles (mostly uphill, the toughest climb of the trip) to Lake Elmore, where we paid $2.50 apiece to enjoy a picnic by the lakefront beach and bathhouse. The 20-mile cruise down to Montpelier was mostly downhill (I broke my land speed record). We took another break there for dessert & exploring the town.
Start and End: Waterbury, VT. We parked at Vermont State Hospital (or some such institution) on south side of Rt. 2, a few tenths of a mile east of where Rt. 100 leaves Rt. 2. Parking apparently available on weekends.
Route: 100 north past Stowe, then Randolph Road north into Morrisville, Rt. 12 up to Lake Elmore and then down to Montpelier, west on Rt. 2 back to Waterbury.
Distance: 59 miles
Terrain: 2 moderate uphills: About 500 foot climb up to Stowe on Rt. 100 north (before downhill) and about 1,000 foot climb from Morrisville past Lake Elmore on Rt. 12 south. By VT standards, moderate terrain overall.
Highlights: Randolph Road very quiet; Good food place in Morrisville (forgot name); Lake Elmore good place to stop, swim; Great, long, gradual downhill on Rt. 12 south after height of land a few miles south of Lake Elmore."
This is a ride for people who like climbing. The ride traverses four gaps, with a total elevation gain of 8000 feet over 112 miles. One of the four gaps, Lincoln gap, has steep dirt sections.
Rider's comments:
"App Gap West 20% at the top easier from the East. Lincoln Gap West 18% at the top 19 then 23% at the top from the east. Dirt road in the middle sections of both sides. Middlebury Gap West 15% start at the bottom then steep again at the top from the ski bowl. East side signs indicated 12%. Brandon Gap easiest of the four gaps with the climb from the east the tamest."
"I found Lincoln Gap not as bad as everyone said. It's 8 miles and 6 are pretty flat. The last two are harder and it is VERY steep and difficult at the top but it's not that long there and you're not wiped out when you get there from lots of miles of climbing prior to that. It's also quite shady and pretty most of the way.
The Warren loop (with or w/o the Mad King Challenge) is really a beautiful little loop. You are on a ridge and can see over to Sugarbush and get a good view of App. Gap and its radio tower. The downhill into Waitsfield is great and you wind up on Bridge St. and the nice little bakery there!"
This is one of the flattest centuries in Vermont, going generally North-South and avoiding the gaps.
Another two gap ride, this goes over Appalachian Gap, which is quite steep, and Middlebury gap, which is gentler.
This is an extended version of the Middlebury/Appalachian Gap route, adding some nice roads to make a century.
Riders comments:
"We did it backwards[Rochester gap first]. I bet this was just as much fun.
A 20-mile warmup on 100 south to Rochester,
A hard climb after a water stop,
A flat scenic ride on 12A with a stop at the Roxbury General Store,
A longer dirt climb and then a bumpy descent into Moretown
A stop in Waitsfield (we like to eat and drink) and back to the base.
Moretown Gap is the dirt road gap with Moretown Mountain Road and Cox
Brook Road both dirt. There is light traffic.
It does indeed have a decent surface, a little washboard on some parts
of Moretown Mountain. The Moretown side is steeper and shorter, and
ends with a sudden downhill stop sign at 100B after a brief bit of
pavement.
Instead of Route 12 between Randolph and Northfield we took Route 12A at which was quiet and flat as it runs along the Central Vermont Railroad and the Dog River. It is very scenic and has less traffic. It added about three miles. There's a general store in the village of Roxbury.
Rochester Gap was fun, AFTER going up Bethel Mountain Road whcih was initially quite steep. The hill from the top to Route 12 is quite long... GREAT for descending."
"We did it the wrong way 'round from the cue sheet (counterclockwise). This gets the tough climb (Rochester Gap) out of the way first, after a long 20-mile warmup on Rt. 100.
Added bonus: a well-placed convenience store in Rochester to fuel up before the climb to Rochester Gap.
We diverted onto 12A at Randolph. This adds a few miles to the route, but it's a very pleasant ride on a quiet stretch of road which avoids the high-speed traffic on Rt. 12. Very nice views of the valley throughout the ride. There's a pretty good general store in Roxbury, too, with a nice porch to take a break.
Slim pickings for lunch in Northfield. We just made it to the sandwich shop before it closed (3:00 on Saturday). It's a nice old town common (Depot Square) with some beautiful old brick blocks, but there isn't much there.
The Moretown Gap is still a good challenge after ~60 miles of riding. Again, there's a well-placed general store in Northfield Falls (corner of Rt. 12 and Cox Brook Road) just before the climb. It probably makes more sense to keep riding through Northfield center and stop here instead if you need a meal.
Cox Brook Road gives you a good chance to warm up before the climb. There was a fair amount of gravel on the road through Moretown Gap (there seems to be a lot of forest clearing activity with a lot of heavy equipment coming through), with some washboard on the downhill (western) side. One caution for folks doing this ride counterclockwise: the main road (100B) comes up fast at the bottom of the descent. Watch your speed.
The maps in the Vermont Delorme atlas are a perfect scale for riding; they xerox well, too. See pp 34 and 40 for the Rochester-Moretown route."
Due to popular demand, we now have the reverse route maps and cuesheets, going down Rte 12a instead of 12, the "Rochester-Moretown" ride.
Rider's comments:
"The Northfield loops offer a great deal of flexibility, and can be started from the north (Northfield) or the south (Randolph). These loops are on the east side of the ridge containing Roxbury Gap, and are near Rt. 89, so it is easy to head home from there. Instead of driving back to the inn to shower, you can swim in various places in the White River, the best place being off Rt. 14 in South Royalton, between exits 3 and 2 of Rt. 89. The best places for lunch on the routes are in Randolph.
The three segments of the Northfield Loops are as follows: 1) farthest west is Rt. 12A, terrain is fairly flat, one country store towards the north end of the route, 2) Rt. 12, which is a gradual, but significant uphill from either direction, followed by a pleasant downhill - one major convenience store at the junction of 12 and 64, 3) Routes 64 and 66 to Rt. 14 - there is a major climb on each of 64 and 66 (not quite a gap, but not too far from it) with Rt. 14 being a very pretty valley route including 3 convenience stores and some sort of natural water source on the west side of the road a few miles south of Williamstown."
"Getting to the ride start was easy, the cue sheet was excellent, and it was basically a great ride but there are two things worth noting: (1) people should bring their own food because with the exception of a Cumberland Farms along the way there was NO FOOD (and Cumberland just had those crappy little pre-made baloney and ham and tuna sandwiches...scary). (2) late in the ride (between the 30 mile point and the finish) there is a 4.5 mile stretch of winding uphill - we found it to be VERY VERY tough - it went on forever and there was false summit after false summit - we were dying."
"Ride Option: On the long ride, when one reaches East Brookfield one can
instead do the following:
Route 65 W to bridge (uphill, paved until just before bridge and lake).
Continue over the bridge, following signs for 65W. The road is dirt
on the other side of the lake, and is mostly dirt after that, but all
in excellent condition.
Stay on 65 W until it intersects Rt. 12
Right (North) on 12. You are now on the short ride (and have views of a very nice lake on 12).
When you join 12 A go Left (South) back to Roxbury and your car.
Total Distance: 46 miles
The 46 mile option above is quite lovely - Tom and I really
enjoyed it and felt it combined the best of the long and short
rides with the addition of the area near the bridge which is quite
lovely and spectacular scenery on the dirt road from the bridge
beack to 12A."
This was the traditional Saturday ride when Velo Vermont started. The route as mapped (Smuggler's Notch east to west, Appalachian Gap west to east) are harder climbs than going in the opposite direction. The advantage to the mapped route is that you go through Stowe early before there is much traffic, and after doing Appalachian gap, you are close to the end. The section in the valley from Jeffersonville to Richmond is very scenic.
This is basically a ride up Route 100 to Stowe, with a few scenic backroads paralleling 100. Ben and Jerry's in Waterbury is a traditional stop along the way. A popular shorter Sunday ride is riding just to Ben and Jerry's and back.
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