2024 gravelCAT

Vermont Bicycle Shop Gravelcat Group Ride

As a part of the gravelCAT event Vermont Bicycle Shop does a group ride.

This is a relaxed fun ride from Barre to Northfield and back. Because of the elevation, terrain, and mileage involved it is considered a moderate to advanced ride. If you find yourself riding 17-25 mile rides at least once a week and are comfortable with rougher gravel roads or camp paths and steep hills you will be comfortable on this ride.
This ride is best suited with a bicycle that has at least 37mm wide tires with some kind of slightly knobby tread.
Some folks make arrangements to be picked up in Northfield by friends or family. Otherwise, the official ride will be a 33 mile loop with a mixture of pavement, gravel, and dirt roads, as illustrated in the map below.

We will gather at Vermont Bicycle Shop, parking out back, at 9:30 and will head down to Espresso Bueno at 9:45 with the hopes of departing Espresso Bueno at 10am.
We expect to arrive at Carrier Roasting at 12pm. We plan to have some kind of small lunch break there before heading back by bicycle to Barre. We are allowing 2 hours ride time for the return trip. The return trip is a harder ride with slightly longer mileage at 19 miles and a little more elevation.

You can also see the route details at this link:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3231304280671952206

Details:
Saturday, June 15 and Sunday June 16, anytime you want (Be mindful of each coffee shop’s hours).
A rambunctious and wack-a-doo fun alleycat style bike ride event on the backroads of Vermont put on by the coffee and bicycle communities of Barre and Northfield.

An alley cat style time trial with a start and end of your choosing. Either start at Espresso Bueno in Barre, VT and end at Carrier Roasting Coffee Shop in Northfield, VT, or start at Carrier Roasting and end at Espresso Bueno.
You can ride any route you want as long as it’s where bicycles are allowed or if you provide proof of written permission to access private land for your route.

Pick either coffee shop as your start, collect an email or paper receipt (this has a timestamp on it)
Espresso Bueno ONLY does email receipts, if you buy something ahead of the event and enter your details, you can save time when you show up to pay on the day you choose to participate.
Then on to the next coffee shop. While enroute to the finish you must take a selfie at a scenic hilltop view somewhere on your chosen route. There will be time bonuses for certain activities or actions before or during the event. The other coffee shop is your finish. Purchase something there and get a receipt which will have a time stamp.
Send all data, photos, and receipts to darren@vermontbicycleshop.com after you are done, the deadline for submitting your event details is June 17 at 11:59 Monday night. Winners will be announced during the following week.

Wan’t to know about the Hardcore Edition? Scroll to the bottom of the page, keep in mind all rules still apply.

Prizes:

1st place is a $50.00 gift card from Vermont Bicycle Shop.
2nd place is a gift card from Espresso Bueno and some sweet fresh roasted beans from Carrier Roasting!
3rd place is a pat on the back and some left over eye brow trimmings from Darren.

Rules:

Class 1 eBikes allowed*(Details below)!
Obey all laws of the road.
Be courteous to other cyclists and road users at all times.
Be polite to the coffee shops. It’s not their job to help you get the best time. Your choice on when to go will certainly be a part of the strategy of the event, if anyone is rude to either coffee shop they will be disqualified.

*Class 1 eBike details:
Motors? That’s not fair! Yes it is:
After some careful route inspection and research, we’ve found that the average speed of class 1 eBikes is significantly slower than the top 5 times from every year we’ve hosted this event and will have no significant impact on the outcome of this event. Average speed along the flattest route (where the ebike motor is able to provide maximum assistance) with a class 1 eBike set at maximum is 7.8 miles per hour. The average speed of most participants was 7.3 miles per hour. The 5 fastest average speeds from each year have been consistent at around 12.5 to 12.8 miles per hour riding over much larger hills than the flattest route. So while most folks may find it easier to compete, it certainly offers no advantage towards winning. Bring your eBikes and have fun!

Rules for eBikes:

-eBikes must be Class 1 with no modifications.
Class 1 eBikes are eBikes where the motor is only active while pedaling and do not have a throttle or “cruise” control. Class 1 eBikes also have a maximum assisted speed of 19.8 miles per hour. You must send a photo of the eBike used along with your event info to verify. Make sure the photo indicates what eBike system you have.

Start and Finish Rules:
You can start from either Espresso Bueno, in Barre, VT or from Carrier Roasting in Northfield anytime these locations are open for business. If your ride ends after a location has closed you must try again when both are open. Confirm hours of operation ahead of time if you aren’t confident. Do not ask them to stay open late for you.

How Times are Logged:
You must make a purchase at both coffee shops. They will provide you with a receipt. Espresso Bueno can only provide receipts by email. You must submit your time stamps by 11:59pm on June 17 along with links or proofs for your time bonuses. Submit those to darren@vermontbicycleshop.com make sure the subject line says gravelcat all one word, capitalization does not matter.


To start the event purchase something from either Espresso Bueno or Carrier Roasting. Both places can provide a time stamped receipt to your email or even via text message. Make sure you get it. *Posting a selfie while getting your drink and tagging them and Vermont Bicycle Shop will get a 1 minute time bonus, doing this at both locations will award you a 3 minute bonus!


Choose any route you want as long as you do not pass along restricted or private land without permission. (Have a letter of permission from a landowner on your route? That’s a paddlin’ er, I mean that’s a 3 minute bonus, details below)


During your route find a scenic view and take a selfie. Selfies must be posted to the Vermont Bicycle Shop facebook page or tagged on instagram or emailed the day of your ride with links or attached to the email you submit your results and receipts.

The ride is finished when you make a purchase from the second of the two locations. The time stamp from your first receipt and your second receipt will be used to determine your ride time.

In the event that riders finish with the same time (as your receipt timestamps only post to the minute and not in seconds or hundredths of a second!) a video posted dance off to either the Vermont Bicycle Shop Facebook or Instagram will decide the winner.

Time bonuses:

Proof for time bonus’ must be provided to Vermont Bicycle Shop when you post your ride result times. 1 of each bonus per rider unless otherwise noted specifically.

A 5 minute bonus will be given to each rider that shows having made either a $10.00 donation to the Millstone Trails or purchased a 2024 VMBA membership with Millstone Trails selected as your local chapter. Email, Facebook, or Instagram proof to Vermont Bicycle Shop.

A 3 minute bonus is awarded to each rider that presents a letter of permission to use private land for bicycling in the immediate vicinity along the rider’s route. Email, Facebook, or Instagram proof to Vermont Bicycle Shop.


Did you volunteer at a local trail building day in Vermont this year? Show us your proof and get a 3 minute bonus. Email, Facebook, or Instagram proof to Vermont Bicycle Shop.

There is a time bonus if you take a selfie getting your purchase at either location when you start and/or finish the ride. Selfies must be posted and Vermont Bicycle Shop, Carrier Roasting, and Espresso Bueno must be tagged to qualify. Qualifying posts on social media get a 1 minute time bonus. If you post and tag both your start and finish photos you will get a 3 minute time bonus. The selfie must contain your purchase in the location!

Image Bonus: Correctly guess the band in the photo for the event for a whopping 5 minute time bonus!

HARDCORE EDITION:

Don’t do this. Just stop reading now.
Run. Run the event instead of riding by bicycle. 45 minute time bonus for running the event.

OR

The Burlington Option. Instead of the Northfield location for Carrier Roasting you go to/from the Burlington Location instead. A 1 hour and 45 minute time bonus for the event, must also provide proof via a Strava/MapMyRide/Garmin activity file to qualify.