This weekend is our annual GRAVELCAT event, and with it our GRAVELCAT group ride!
• This Sunday, June 15
• Meet at the shop at 9:00am
• Head over to Espresso Bueno by 9:05.
• Our Goal is to be rolling by 9:30am, though we should be prepared to give the coffee shop lots of time to handle their customer flow, and our orders.
• Then we’ll head off to Northfield as a group at a casual pace. We’ll end up at Carrier Roasting in Northfield, and maybe, probably, most likely even have lunch at good measure. Then we’ll ride a bit of gravel and slight whackadoo back out of Northfield to Berlin Pond and back to Barre.
• The ride is a total of 34 miles with a LOT of climbing and some challenging terrain. While it is a slow, casual pace, it is still a challenging terrain, elevation and distance. It is a moderate ride for experienced cyclists. Bicycles should have at least 38mm wide tires.
• All the normal rules of a group ride apply to this ride, including filling out a Rider Waiver.
Here’s a link to ride rules:
Notes on joining us for a ride.
Here’s a link to fill out the 2025 waiver if you have not done so this year:
2025 Rider Waiver
What is the GRAVELCAT?
It’s a fun alleycat-style bike event on Vermont’s backroads, organized by the coffee and bike communities of Barre and Northfield.
Start at one coffee shop, finish at the other (see Rules and Eligibility below):
• Espresso Bueno – 248 N Main St, Barre, VT
• Carrier Roasting – 17 East St, Northfield, VT
Ride any bike-friendly route, or private trails with proof of written permission.
Rules and eligibility
An alleycat-style time trial with a start and end of your choosing. We do an organized group ride on the Sunday of this event for folks who want to ride bikes together with us. The details on that can be found at www.vermontbicycleclub.com/the-gravelCAT
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All participants must fill out the 2025 Vermont Bicycle Club Rider Waiver. You can find that waiver here: https://vermontbicycleclub.com/waiver/
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Beginning 8 am Saturday morning you have until Sunday afternoon at 3 pm to log your ride. (Double check each coffee shop will be open for your effort!) If your ride ends after a location has closed, you must try again when both are open. Any timestamps that are collected after a shops hours of operations will be disqualified.
** Pick your starting coffee shop, the other coffee shop will be your finish: Espresso Bueno in Barre, VT and Carrier Roasting Coffee Shop in Northfield, VT (or Burlington for the Hardcore Edition).
** 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.
** At the starting coffee shop of your chooseing, collect an email or paper receipt, this should have a timestamp on it. NOTE: Espresso Bueno ONLY does email receipts. (HINT: If you buy something ahead of the event and enter your details, you can save time when you show up to pay with teh same card on the day you choose to participate.)
** While en route 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 (see TIME BONUSES below).
** The other coffee shop is your finish. Purchase something there and get a receipt with 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 16 at 11:59 PM. Make sure the subject line says “gravelcat” (all one word, capitalization does not matter). Winners will be announced the following week.
** Obey all laws of the road. Helmets and rear flashing lights are required. 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 of 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 eBikes allowed: 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. The average speed along the flattest route (where the eBike motor can 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 offers no advantage toward 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 at least one photo of the eBike used along with your event info to verify. Make sure the photo or photos are in focus and well lit and that they clearly indicates what eBike system you have.
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TIME BONUSES
* Posting a selfie while getting your drink and tagging them and Vermont Bicycle Shop will get you a 1-minute time bonus. Doing this at both locations will award you a 3-minute bonus!
* Proof for time bonuses must be provided to Vermont Bicycle Shop when you post your ride result times. One of each bonus per rider unless otherwise noted specifically.
* A 5-minute bonus will be given to each rider who shows proof of either a $10.00 donation to Millstone Trails or a 2025 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 who 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 while 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!
* 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.
* Image Bonus: Correctly guess the band in the photo for the event for a whopping 5-minute time bonus!
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HARDCORE EDITION: Don’t do this. Just stop reading now. Run the event instead of riding by bicycle. 45-minute time bonus for running the event. So far only 1 person has completed this version of the event. She also, amazingly, completed the bicycle version of the ride in the same day!
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.
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ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST COMPLETE THE 2025 VERMONT BICYCLE CLUB RIDER WAIVER TO PARTICIPATE You can find that waiver here: https://vermontbicycleclub.com/waiver/ ****************************************