Shortish rides around Waitsfield Vt?

[moose8]

Anyone have any recommendations for good routes say 50 miles or less in the Waitsfield area? My fiance and I are going up there tomorrow for a few days and bringing bikes - she is not into the riding all day thing, so shorter is in order. Also, routes with fewer cars would be good as she really doesn't like riding on roads with lots of cars.

[eippo1]

Going to Yestermorrow?

[moose8]

Going to Yestermorrow?

Nope - just spending a few days at a bed and breakfast for vacation.

[tv_vt]

Well, RT 100 is being torn up and repaved this summer, so the nice ride south through Granville Gulf is out. What you could do is take the road from Waitsfield east out of town (through the small covered bridge) and go through East Warren and down to the Warren store for lunch, and then just go back the way you came. Not too far, though - maybe 15-20 miles tops.

If you want a climb, go west on RT 17 over App Gap to Bristol and back. That will finish you off bigtime. Don't think your fiance will be up for that one, though.

Could ride north on RT 100, and do the Rt 100A-Rt2-Rt100 loop. Stops could be at Green Mtn Coffee Roasters in Waterbury or RedHen in Moretown on Rt2.

If you're into good beer, ask at the Warren Store about the delivery day and time for Lawson's Finest. Think it's Thursday am, but not sure. Good stuff.

Don't forget Fitwerx is in Waitsfield. You gotta go there to get your fix of dream bikes and gear. Right on Rt 100 in the village.

Cheers,

Thom

[moose8]

thank you for the excellent suggestions, particularly the one about Lawsons. Our first stop is at the Alchemist.

[jh_on_the_cape]

this is a place to start
http://www.madriverriders.com/index.html

Appalachian gap is a nice ride if you like climbing.

like the other guy said, Rt100 is rough.
try up west hill rd, golf course rd, down german flats, then close the loop on rt 100. add up and down app gap on 17 if you want.

lovely area. i will be up visiting my folks on july 4.

from warren go up towards the roxbury gap road, you can ride up there but it's dirt, or continue on and ride... just bring a map and go nuts.

[tele]

Warren store does get their delivery from Lawsons on Thursdays, but the time can vary...be sure to call ahead and then drive like a rally car racer to get there.

[tele]

west hill rd is a beyotch of a climb atmo but once up there are lots of nice options. Plunkton Rd around Blueberry Lake is a really nice dirt road on the "other side" of the valley of Warren/Waitsfield and it easily connects back into downtown Waitsfield through the old covered wooden bridge almost across from Fitwerx.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Warren store does get their delivery from Lawsons on Thursdays, but the time can vary...be sure to call ahead and then drive like a rally car racer to get there.

I was there a week ago and they had this Smokey Maple Lager from Lawson's but brewed under license by Jack's Abbey in Framingham MA.
They had other Jack's Abbey brews which were excellent.
What's the deal with the Lawson's Finest label on the 'Bacon Beer' as we called it?

Lawson's law of limits: 4 bottles per customer. So bring a friend!

[alessandro]

Does your fiancee like hills? Dirt roads?

Route 100 & 100A are somewhat busy; Rt. 100B has much less traffic. East Warren Road (across Waitsfield covered bridge) is highly seconded--great views and very quiet.

Suggestions:
1. Moretown Gap/Montpelier loop.
Ride up Rt. 100, take 100B to Moretown, go up Moretown Mountain Road (dirt), over the (small) gap, through the three (3) covered bridges, north on Rt. 12, then west, staying on the south side of the Winooski River, via Dog River Rd/Junction Rd/3 Mile Bridge Rd, to Middlesex and return on Rt. 100B. Alternative: Drive to Moretown to start the ride.

2. Middlebury-Brandon Gap loop
Drive south on Rt. 100 and park in Hancock, at the intersection of Rt. 100 and Rt. 125. Once you get to East Middlebury, take a left on Upper Plains Rd. to Lake Dunmore Rd. About 45 miles. Beautiful, plenty of climbing, very few cars on Brandon Gap.

3. After a sandwich at the Warren Store--take it out by the brook--ask how to get to Warren Falls. After a hot afternoon ride, go for a dip at this spectacular swimming hole.

4. Dinner at American Flatbread in Waitsfield, Thurs.-Sun.: Go early. The wait for dinner on summer weekends can be up to three hours. They often have Lawson's on tap, and the keg usually kicks early too.

[fiamme red]

I went for a weekend in Sugarbush last December with a friend who's a skier. I don't ski, so I spent a lot of time walking around the back roads off Route 100. It's a beautiful area for cycling, if you like hills and dirt roads.

[jh_on_the_cape]

4. Dinner at American Flatbread in Waitsfield, Thurs.-Sun.: Go early. The wait for dinner on summer weekends can be up to three hours. They often have Lawson's on tap, and the keg usually kicks early too.

I don't go to Lareau farm anymore. the wait is ridiculous, fun out drinking by the fire, but with kids it was crazy long.

if you like nice food, try the common man. they also have lawson's on tap at times. they do some prix fix stuff which was very good.

local folk smokehouse is more low key at the corner of 17 and 100. next door to a good bike shop, too!

[alessandro]

I don't go to Lareau farm anymore. the wait is ridiculous, fun out drinking by the fire, but with kids it was crazy long.

I get the whole 'that place is so crowded nobody goes there anymore' thing. That's why I don't go at peak times--I live in VT, so I have the luxury of going on a Thursday or Sunday night, when the line for a table is negligible. If the wait is >1 hour I would just go elsewhere. And if you show up before 6:00 it's not too bad--you get the whole experience of drinking by the fire, hanging out in the fields, tossing disc or playing bocce, and drinking Lawson's. :)

[moose8]

Anyone with knowledge know if this is a good one? http://ridewithgps.com/routes/450433

And thanks for all the great suggestions.

[alessandro]

Moose, I've only driven that route, about 5 years ago, in the opposite direction, in leaf season with the family. I remember it as nice, fairly wide, dirt roads. And hilly: If you do that route, you'll be climbing, on dirt, from mile 4.5 to 11.7.

The descent--Number 9 road is steep! :)

Here's a 26-miler from that same ridewithgps poster:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5652

I repeat myself, but on the roads on the east side of Rt. 100, you'll have great open views, half of them are pavement, and very few cars.


Other, longer ideas for if you really like dirt and climbing: Here are three versions of the Roxbury Gap-Moretown Gap route.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/442461
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/502250
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1257788

[572cv]

Your timing on the major paving project in the area, Rt 100 from Warren to Waitsfield, could not be much worse, sorry to say. That stretch is like a new dirt road, not yet well packed, dusty when dry, and potholed when wet. This is going to be great in the long term, but for now.... not so much. It is a basic link to a lot of the rides in the valley and beyond.
North of Waitsfield is ok, and south of Warren too. The down and back from Warren to Hancock to Rochester through Granville Gulf is a really nice ride, on Rt 100. North from Waitsfield up to Moretown and Middlesex is also pretty, AND, you can go to the Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex. Go once, you'll go again. If you wanted a longer loop, you can go from Middlesex west on Rt 2 over to Waterbury then back south on Rt. 100. Moderate climb, but nothing too tough.
Over on my side of the mountains, to the west, there are great rides and less paving going on. Addison County (Bristol, Middlebury, Vergennes area) is bucolic.
Have fun, come back when the paving is done!

[moose8]

This is a great area to visit. Didn't end up getting to bike very much, but did do the bike path in Burlington and it was beautiful along the lake. The Old Spokes Home also had a super cool bike museum.

Waitsfield looked like it'd be perfect for riding, and the bikes at Fitwerx were pretty amazing. Mad Taco was also a nice late night meal, and the beers available there were great. I plan on returning and trying some of the rides mentioned.

[jh_on_the_cape]

I will be there July 4 weekend with my mtn bike. PM me if anyone wants to ride. It would be up on the mountain, the part behind Win Smith's House.

I generally don't join the Stark Mt bikeworks rides because I don't want to ride all the way down to the valley and back up.