Greater Boston and New England Area Cycling

Join us for a wonderful ride to charmingly rustic Hilltop Cafe in Wilton NH, where we will stop for about 1 hour- 1 hr and 15 minutes to have lunch. Start and end at the Ayer MBTA commuter rail station. (Ride start timed to start at arrival of commuter rail from Boston at 8:48 a.m. and to meet the return train at 4:53 p.m.). Aprox 11-12 mph. Part of the route is on the Ayer rail trail.
Hilltop Cafe in Wilton NH. 53 miles & c 3000 elevation gain. 11 mph. Will be one other stop on the way there around one on the way back.
Route:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/225690806
Hilltop Cafe
https://g.co/kgs/bF5K48G
Food is delicious, reasonably priced and the atmosphere is great
I have made reservations for for 5 for lunch at 12:40, so it is ESSENTIAL that you sign up. We will stay there for about an hour or a bit more for lunch, i.e, we will start cycling back around 1:45 or so .Temperatures are expected to be nice in Sunday
, but if there will be cooler weather I will propose a different ride on Sunday.

RECOMMENDED BICYCLE TYPES: Road or hybrid. The route is paved but there are quite a few Hills , so tandem or very heavy bikes are not recommended.
NOTE 1: In order to take advantage of as much daylight riding as possible, the posted ride time is the START/DEPARTURE TIME of the ride time, NOT the "show up at the meeting location" time. The ride will depart at the start time regardless of who is not there at that time.
You must arrive ahead of time to prepare and make any last minute adjustments to your bike as early as you think you need (the earlier the better) to be ready to leave at the start time.
NOTE 2: You MUST have a helmet, a working rear light attached to the back of your bike (either on your bike bag (see further on), your seat post, the rear of your bike frame or the rear of your helmet), and a bike bag containing:
-at least one spare tube in case you get a flat
-a patch repair kit or CO2 cartridge(s) and inflator (or have a small bike tire pump on your bike)
-tire removal tool(s)
You should know how to either repair a flat or replace the tube.
It also is highly recommended you have at least one front light in case it gets dark
NOTE 3: You must have some type of GPS on your bike to be able to ride the route turn by turn (in case for whatever reason you get dropped or lost somehow). If you don't have a GPS, you must have some type printed cue sheet you can refer to. Riders who don't have these will not be allowed to ride the event.
NOTE 4: As a condition of attending this Meetup event, you agree to hold harmless, and indemnify the organizers and their relations and heirs, and all members and participants of the Meetup group from any and all claims for injury, illness, death, and/or property damage including those caused by negligence, ignorance, inexperience and other reasons. You also agree to assume all mental, physical, financial, and/or other risk associated with this meetup. Cycling poses inherent risks and dangers. Participation is voluntary and dependent upon your own personal judgment. As organizers, we make no claims regarding any expertise for this outing. This is not a guided tour.
NOTE 5: Rain or threat rain or other bad weather may require cancellation and possibly rescheduling this event. I will keep attendees posted as the event date gets closer.
If you need to reach me, call or text me at 617-818-7841. I'm

Spring is here and its time to start our regular Thursday night ride (TNR) series for 2025.

This ride will start near the Alewife Craft Food Hall/Alewife Garage for a 20 mile ride out to Burlington and Lexington. The route will use the vine brook path as we circle back to the start and finish along the Minuteman path as we return through Arlington. We'll keep a pace of about 14 mph on the average, slower on the shared pathways and faster stretches along Mystic Valley Parkway . Overall climbing will be about 550 ft. This is intended to be a no-drop ride, but it is expected that you are in shape to keep up at close to the average speed. We will wait near the top of the few hills and before we turn after long fast stretches to that everyone can ride at a pace that works for everyone.

While we should gets back to the start comfortably before dark, you're encouraged to bring lights. Make sure that your bike is in good working order before you leave home. Helmets required.

If you sign-up, show up. No shows and late droppers may excluded from future rides.

I will offer a brief safety talk before we depart promptly at 5:45. If rain is in the forecast, I will cancel the ride by 4 pm.

For those who are interested, we can gather for a beer and munchies at the food hall post ride.

If anyone is traveling by car, there is parking in the Alewife Garage and some free parking in the lot at the Summer Shack.