Our Barre Wackadoo is fast approaching (this Sunday!) and we’ve got some details and cool stuff to share with you. I’ve also crafted a safety notes list for the 3 routes below.

First, thank you so much for choosing to join us! The morning of the ride we will be doing a quick rider check in before the rider meeting. We’ll be looking to make sure folks have completed the 2026 Rider Waiver form. If you have already done so, please come down to the shop (if possible) before Sunday to pick up your 2026 Vermont Bicycle Club sticker. That’s how we identify quickly if you’ve filled out the waiver. If you have not yet filled out that waiver, it can be found here:

Follow this link to fill out the rider waiver form:

https://eu1.documents.adobe.com/public/esignWidget?wid=CBFCIBAA3AAABLblqZhBJVFJJEtmgcJ26AJrj9D4QP6Fnj5r__g-fItLqyZpqtRE5bnCKnXe6jCyejQW9qJU*

About that:

Listen, it’s annoying, it is also important, our rider waiver is a part of how we can have people join us for bicycle rides. If you join us for a bicycle ride and you haven’t signed it and something happens, *you* may be a nice person and not try to sue us, I promise though, that your insurance company is *not* a nice person and they will. Our insurance will protect us, only if we have folks sign a carefully prepared waiver. When you don’t sign this waiver you put our ability to have cool and free bicycle rides. If you don’t sign the waiver we will have to inform you that you can’t ride with us. We won’t be able to provide any support on the ride to you, and it will generally just be awkward. So don’t be a wise ass, just sign the waiver:
https://eu1.documents.adobe.com/public/esignWidget?wid=CBFCIBAA3AAABLblqZhBJVFJJEtmgcJ26AJrj9D4QP6Fnj5r__g-fItLqyZpqtRE5bnCKnXe6jCyejQW9qJU*

Sag Support?!?

Mark will be out at the parking lot for the Cross Vermont Trail near the Humane Society (the halfway point of the 18 mile ride) with water and some other refreshments! He will also be available as a phone bail out! That’s right, if you get a little ways through the ride and you don’t have any other options for getting back to the bicycle shop, Better Call Mark!

We will be handing out small business cards with his number the morning of the ride. We typically will save these for folks on the 70 mile loop. If you are on the 18 or the 35 mile loop the ride leaders will have these cards and can hand them to folks who feel like they need them. It’s important to know that Mark is not an emergency responder, and he is not someone you can call to come fix your flat tire so you can continue the ride. He is only available to pick people up who need a ride back to the bicycle shop because of a non-emergency. If you have an emergency, call 911, then notify Mark or your group ride leader that you had to call 911 and why. Please remember that this is a self supported ride and you are responsible for your own safety.

Trek Ride Club Rewards

One aspect of this ride is to celebrate the launch of a collaboration between Vermont Bicycle Shop and Trek Bicycles in creating a 70 mile, 7400 foot ride route challenge for their amazing Ride Club app. It’s a unique challenge and currently the only one active on the East Coast of the United States. The challenge will be available to folks beginning April 31 and run until the end of the year. So you’ll have plenty of time to attempt the full 70.

A part of these Route Challenges Trek is issuing special edition medals!
We came up with (and tested) the route for the Trek Ride Club crew.
We were also able to participate in the design of the medal and we’re very excited to share it with you.

We do expect to have a few of these medals on hand to give to folks who qualify on the first day. What does it take to qualify? You need to sign up for the Vermont All the Things Challenge on the Trek Ride Club app. Then on the day of your attempt you need to use the Ride Club app or qualified connected service (Garmin, Strava) to track your ride. An important note is that you must pass through the beginning of route GPS markers. This is in front of our shop on Summer St.

To find the Challenge in the app:
Head over to the Trek Ride Club app, hit the Challenges button on the bottom of the app.
Hit the filter button on the top left of the app.
Under Type hit the Route button and then hit the Apply Filters button.
Our challenge should be the only option.
It looks like this:

Medals are only provided to folks who finish the 70 mile route.

Some Safety Notes

This is not a race, we are not interested in races. Racing is fine, it’s for another place and time though. We’re here for some adventurous fun. If you will be watching your heart rate more than the amazing scenery you are more than welcome to join us at the same time if that sort thing causes issues for other riders or creates anything but a fun and festive atmosphere we may ask you to tone it down. Our 18 mile and 35 mile routes will have a rider leader and will generally be no-drop. We will be stopping or ensuring the entire group make every turn and we’ll regroup a few times through each section of the ride. We’re a social group, so we may sit and chat on a stunning hill top for a little longer than most folks do. The 70 mile ride is self supported. Mark will be available for sag support in the event that you have no other option. He is not tech support and cannot help you with repairs or bring you spare parts or fix a flat. If you call Mark, it is because you need a ride back to the bicycle shop.

Other notes: I am hearing impaired. Often I cannot hear traffic approaching. To that end, we have taken to calling out “car back” when a car is approaching from behind, when you hear someone say it, you should repeat it, we make a point of having fun with it and shouting it like fools. It makes it heard by all and safe for us. We do the same to indicate a car from the front by calling out “car front”. We also call out “slowing” or “stopping”. When you hear someone else say it, you should repeat it. It’s fun.

Some of us will also point out hazards in the road. We will only do so if it is safe for us to let go of the handlebars to do it. We will point, or circle, a spot with out hands. We also may indicate if a section is extra bumpy as well with a hand motion.

It is extremely important that we never cross the center line of a road. You will be on back roads where people are not used to coming across anyone else at all. They will be driving a little fast and in the center of the road. They will not see you. Stay right and never cross the center line of the road.

Terrain and other safety notes:

Applicable for the 18, 35, and 70 loops:

  • There is no municipal or other type of support for this ride. There are no traffic controls or any kinds of signage, guidance, or any other kind of traffic safety. This is a self supported bicycle ride.
  • The ride starts in the Vermont Bicycle Shop parking lot, we will then roll out through the rehab gym parking lot to Buzzell Pl. where we will turn left onto Summer St.
    This is to ensure everyone passes through the GPS “gate” for the ride.
    This will require careful and slow riding and feature frequent stops to ensure rider safety.
    Here is a map of what that will look like:
  • Leaving Barre, Summer St. is a regularly traveled road. It will be important to keep single file here.
  • We will use the right turn lane to turn right on Maple ave and immediately left on North Seminary St. At this point traffic will be lessened.
  • Pine Hill Road has a steep descent that ends at a stop sign while the grade of the hill is still at a steep angle. Use caution descending as the Stop intersects with Vermont Rt 14.
  • We will turn right on Rt 14 and travel a few hundred feet and immediately turn left. Be sure there is room to both exit Pine Hill Rd and occupy the entire lane so that we can turn left immediately onto Plainfield Brook Road without interacting with car traffic as best we can.
  • Turning left onto Mitchell Rd. from Plainfield Brook Road presents a slight visibility issue, beware.
  • East Hill Rd is a steep descent with a small flat just before the stop sign at the bottom.
  • We will be on a high speed section of Vermont Rt 14 for just under a half a mile before we turn right into the Cross Vermont Trail Parking Lot. We will have a snacks stop set up here so there will be riders stopped, chatting, and general may not be paying attention, use extreme caution and go slow through here.
  • At the end of this section of the Cross Vermont Trail, the 18 Mile Loop riders will turn right, the rest will turn left, be aware of rider confusion and poor attention as well as traffic on this road.

This is where the 18 mile riders will split from the rest of the group. 35 and 70 mil riders proceed to the End of 18 Mile Loop Notes section below.

  • There is a stop and a short rest at Cummings Road and Sunset Road where cross traffic does not stop and is often speeding.
  • While there is a stop sign at Camire Rd and Camp St. cars do not stop here. So be very caution as you approach this intersection.
  • There is a concrete barrier here that riders may need to dismount to navigate, beware.

End of 18 Mile Loop, 35 and 70 Mile Notes Continue Here

  • Country Club road descends down to US Rt 2 a high speed two lane highway. Use caution crossing this road.
  • As a safety point, we enter the parking lot of Orchard Valley Waldorf School (unless there are children present). This allows us to cross VT Rt 14N with minimal interaction. This is a high speed highway with inattentive motorists in this section, beware.
  • There is a short section of rough trail leaving Chickering Road. There are rocks and ruts that are obscured by the grass. At the bottom of this trail as we approach Foster Rd there is a large bicycle size hole, stay right and single file here.
  • At the turn from Sodom Pond Rd to Adamant Rd we will detour slightly in order to have a rest stop at the Adamant Co-Op. 5$ limit on credit cards so bring cash!!

This is where the 70 mil riders split from the 35 mile riders. 70 Mile riders proceed to the section below.

  • Exiting Factory St. for VT Rt 214 is a busy-ish intersection, beware.
  • Exiting Goddard Campus we will have to ride on US Rt 2 for half a mile. It is a narrow section of highway. It is posted at 30mph, cars rarely honor that speed limit here. Single file riding will be necessary. We will turn right into Plainfield Village.
  • There is a stop and a short rest at Cummings Road and Sunset Road where cross traffic does not stop and is often speeding. Pull into the small gravel lot on the right.
  • While there is a stop sign at Camire Rd and Camp St. cars do not stop at this stop sign as the road for oncoming traffic is closed. Be very caution as you approach this intersection.
  • There is a concrete barrier here that riders may need to dismount to navigate, beware.
  • We will enter the Cow Pasture Conservation Area from Park St. this will be a very steep short hill and riders will be dismounting and walking, beware. This section is mountain bike single track and has a small creek crossing. The terrain may be rough.

End of 35 Mile Loop, 70 Mile Loop Notes Continue Here

  • The intersection of Martin Rd and County Rd can sometimes have fast traffic. Traffic is usually considerate to cyclists.
  • Apple Hill Rd to Emslie Rd is a steep descent that may have a fresh layer of loose gravel, beware.
  • Thistle Hill Rd intersects with US Rt 2 and you must ride on US Rt 2 for less than a quarter mile, the shoulder is wide at the same time cars are traveling in excess of 55mph.
  • Maps indicate that Old Rt 2 is paved, it is not paved, it is gravel. This may be the last time you have cell service until you reach Plainfield, which is 20 miles of wilderness.
  • At the end of Peacham Pond Rd is an ok-at-best marked multi use trail that is slightly wide single track. Signage indicates and the parks department has confirmed that cycling is allowed on this trail. I only mention it because there are a couple of Air BnB cabins near here and you can occasionally meet or come across trail use amateurs. Just smile and nod and be on your way.
  • There will be a muddy section on this trail.
  • Exiting New Discovery Cove riders will turn left and be on VT Rt 232 for a a little under half a mile before entering the parking lot for the Cross Vermont Trail Connector Trail on the right side of the road, the trail is on the south west corner of the lot. This trail can be very bump with large rocks and ruts hidden by grass.
  • On the Railroad Bed West/Cross Vermont Trail Rail Bed after the Nasmith Brook Rd crossing there will be some significantly muddy sections.
  • Positive Pie in the Plainfield village is open from noon to eight pm on Sundays, cell service typically picks up here.
  • There is a stop and a short rest at Cummings Road and Sunset Road where cross traffic does not stop and is often speeding. Pull into the small gravel lot on the right if you want a rest.
  • While there is a stop sign at Camire Rd and Camp St. cars do not stop at this stop sign as the road for oncoming traffic is closed. Be very caution as you approach this intersection.
  • There is a concrete barrier here that riders may need to dismount to navigate, beware.
  • The route enters the Cow Pasture Conservation Area from Park St. this will be a very steep short hill and riders will be dismounting and walking, beware. This section is mountain bike single track and has a small creek crossing. The terrain may be rough.
  • As you arrive back at the shop be sure to ride on Summer St. and then ride into the bicycle shop parking lot. This will ensure that you pass through the end of the GPS route.

Reach out if you have any questions!