Bike ride on June 14th with on-site registration open at 8 am.
This is a charity ride to benefit the East Quabbin Land Trust, an organization that Cares for the Land that Sustains Us. The ride tours through rural, central Massachusetts towns giving participants beautiful views of active farmlands, deep woods and multiple town commons. The route follows local roads with light traffic. Road conditions are generally good, though there are a few segments with worse conditions. The Long loop is a 46.4-mile ride with 3,800 feet of climbing and includes two sections of dirt road or rail trail. The Short loop is a 23.1-mile ride with 2,100 feet of climbing and one section of dirt rail trail.
The ride starts and finishes at Farmer Matt’s, 860 West Brookfield Road, New Braintree. After the ride, locally-sourced Farm-to-Table food is available. Receive a $5-off coupon for a hamburger, hot dog or veggie burger with your choice of sides from Farmer Matt’s. See his delicious menu at https://farmermatt.com/. Take-home options are available too!
The rest stop for both the short loop and long loop rides is at the East Quabbin Land Trust’s headquarters, 120 Ridge Road, Hardwick, with sweeping views of the Ware River valley, bathroom facilities and snacks to refuel on. Other tour highlights include passing EQLT properties of Wendemuth Meadow (25 Bates Street, North Brookfield), Mandell Hill (660 Barre Road, Hardwick), Deer Park Preserve (Barre Road, Hardwick), Patrill Hollow Preserve (Hardwick Road, Hardwick), Pynchon’s Grist Mill Preserve (165 Wickaboag Valley Road, West Brookfield), and Eva’s Woods (Ware Corner Road, Oakham).
Start times are flexible, with the Long loop heading off around 9am and the Short loop heading off around 10am. Following those times, we expect the riders to be back to Farmer Matt’s around noon time.
