| Routes for the 2004 Rides |
| Notes from the Route Committee |
| As most of you are aware, the Green Mountain Getaway for 2004 is based in a different location and therefore is using a whole new set of riding routes. Since there won't be a cadre of people who have ridden the rides before to serve as an information source, we thought it might be helpful to offer a little descriptive overview. Detailed descriptions of the routes with accompanying maps will be issued to each rider at the time of registration. These are the only sources that you should use while actually riding and making decisions about turning left, right, or going straight ahead. Maps and route descriptions that you find on the internet are subject to change. (Last year we had the experience of road construction, necessitating a change in one of the routes one-week prior to the ride.) |
| The routes will be marked by arrows on signposts, and spray paint on the pavement. The 40 mi. ride will probably be marked by green and blue. The 75 and 100 mi. routes will be marked by orange and yellow. Each day the routes will consist of three loops, starting from and returning to Castleton State College. The length of the loops will be 40 to 45 mi., 75 mi., and 100 mi. The Saturday rides will generally be in a southerly direction and the Sunday rides will head to the north. |
| On Saturday all three rides will head south to Poultney and then to Granville, New York, through an old but still active slate mining area. Then it's up the Mettawee River Valley to the lunch stop at the Mettawee school. Here the 40 mi. route returns north through the village of Wells, along the shores of Lake St. Catherine, through Poultney to return to Castleton. From the lunch stop the 75 and 100 routes head south and then east to return to Route 30 and continue on it south through East Rupert to Dorset. The 100 mi. route here makes a 5 mi. loop that includes a stretch of about one mile of firmly packed gravel. This section is a gradual downhill, and should not be of any concern. However, thin tires on gravel always require extra caution. Both rides then head back north to East Rupert. There is a rest stop here and make good use of it. The next section for both rides is a significant climb. In the next 2.5 mi. you'll climb approximately 830 ft. This is about a 7% grade. This is more of a climb than we have had on a ride, but there was not a good alternative. Just gear down and enjoy the anticipation of about 15 mi. generally downhill stretch to the next rest stop. This will be a return to the previous lunch stop at which point the 75 and 100 routes rejoin the 40 mi. route to Poultney. From here, the 75 mi. route follows the 40 mi. route back to Castleton. The 100 mi. route takes a loop to the east and then to the north to West Rutland before returning to Castleton. This loop involves a pleasant, gradual climb of a little over 700 ft. in eight miles. There is a long downhill to West Rutland and then it is basically flat back to Castleton. |
| The road surfaces in this area are generally good. Route 22 A in the southern part of the state has nowhere near the traffic volume that some of us from the north are accustomed. There is one section on all three of these rides that merits special caution, which is getting onto and traveling along the 1.75 mi. stretch of Route 30 beside Lake St. Catherine, north of Wells. This stretch is winding and has a narrow shoulder. Caution is essential here! Walk the bike across Rt. 30 to get on 30 north is strongly advised. |
| The routes on Sunday, while they don't have anything like the Rupert Mountain climb, will generally be more hilly. The routes will generally travel north on Route 30 to Sudbury. The 75 and 100 routes will reach Route 30 via a gradual 325 ft. climb, which the 40 mi. route has been diverted around. On Route 30, there are two climbs of about 100 ft. and one of about 240 ft. In Sudbury, the 40 mi. route continues north to the junction of Route 73 heading east to Brandon. In Brandon head less than a mile north on Route 7 to the lunch stop. After lunch, the route continues south through several back streets of Brandon to the town of Florence and then south to Route 4 A. returning to Castleton. On this route, just south of the town of Florence, there is a significant climb of approximately 280 ft. The total elevation gained on this 40 mi. route is little bit under 2000 ft. The 75 and 100 mi. routes leave Sudbury headed west on Route 73. There are several hills and dips getting to Orwell, but then some open Champlain Valley country. The routes continue together to the intersection of Route 74, when they turn right and head back to east through Shoreham and eventually to Cornwall. After crossing the Lemon Fair River there is about a 300 ft. climb. There are gradual stretches at the beginning and at the end so that the actual real climbing is limited to about 150 ft. The routes head south from Cornwall on Route 30 to the village of Whiting. There they turn left and head east to a "T" where the 75 mi. route turns right and heads south to the lunch stop at Brandon while the 100 mi. route jogs north and then continues east, crossing Route 7 and following a loop around Lake Dunmore. It then also returns south to Brandon to the lunch stop and with the 75 mi. route rejoins the 40 mi. route back to Castleton. The total elevation gain on the 75mi. ride is about 3975ft. (It’s hard to find 75mi. in Vermont that are flat!). The added century loop is pretty flat. |
| There are a lot of beautiful Vermont country road miles on the Sunday rides. Areas that merit special rider awareness: the road surface on Rt. 30 north to Sudbury has a few rough spots (cross your fingers- they’re resurfacing sections of it currently, and this notation may be unnecessary by ride time); 40mi. riders need CAUTION crossing Rt.7 in Brandon just before the lunch stop (this should involve a dismount to cross the road); the 75-100 mi. routes have a 6 mi. section on Rt. 30 south from the rest stop in Cornwall that, although the road is straight and level, the shoulders are narrow; there is a section south of Brandon where there’s broken-up pavement for 1/2mi. (essentially no traffic). |
| There is mention of “climbs” and “elevation gains”. People are increasingly interested in this, we’ve found. For those who have ridden recent Green Mountain Getaways- some references are offered: |
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Climbing from Sand Bar to the top of Bear Trap Rd.--------270ft. Jeffersonville south toward Pleasant Valley-------------------450ft. Pleasant Valley south to the top----------------------------------520ft. The “Home Free Climb” from Johnson to the college-------260ft. |
| Elevation Gains are harder to come by. One bit of hard data: the total for two century days was 7200ft. The Grand Isle loop (25mi.) was only 265ft. each day, meaning the previous 75mi. routes averaged about 3335ft. per day. If anyone has input on the recent 40 mi. routes, we’d love to see it. |
| All in all, this year’s Sat.40 mi. will be much flatter and Sun. a little hillier than last year’s ride. Elevation gains for this year will be very close to: |
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Sat. 40 mi.--------1085ft. 75 mi.--------2750ft. 100 mi.-------3900ft. Sun. 40 mi.-------1850ft. 75 mi.--------3975ft. 100 mi.-------4200ft. |
| Come join us in the Vermont Countryside for a GREAT cause, and some wonderful visual memories! |
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