Buffalo to Lake Placid to Boston
This challenging 15-day tour is steeped in history. If you like riding hills then you will love this tour. The tour begins in Buffalo and follows the historic Erie Canal trail for the first several days. The trail is unique because towns built up around the canal so the trail passes through small towns and bigger cities alike. Most of it is unpaved but is a very smooth surface to ride on even with skinny tires.
In Rome (NY not Italy) the route heads north into the Adirondack Mountains and the climbing begins. There will be time to visit the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake and a rest day in Lake Placid to enjoy some of the many tourist opportunities: Guided lake tour to see the historic summer homes, ride the gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain for spectacular views, visit the winter Olympic facilities (the view from the top of the ski jump will give you more respect for the sport), and much more. From there the ride continues south through a bit of Vermont to Massachusetts and the Berkshire Mountains and all the way across Massachusetts to Boston.
Riders should be comfortable with the hill climbing and descending and riding on 2 lane roads with traffic. There is also a bit of urban riding. If that isn’t enough, you can continue on with the next tour from Boston to New York City to Philadelphia.
There will be van SAG support to transport luggage, provide water and snacks at rest stops, provide help with routine repairs, and provide transportation when needed.
You can look at the route for each day with RidewithGPS.com which can be downloaded and installed free of charge. The maps offer Google Maps functionality on your computer, including street view, satellite images, etc. Below are the links for the daily routes. NOTE: the street view is not always current and may show construction that has been completed or not show current road construction.
Day 1 - July 2
Miles: 43 | Climb: 600 | Buffalo to Niagara Falls to South Lockport
Day 2 - July 3
Miles: 65 | Climb: 806 | South Lockport to Rochester
Day 3 - July 4
Miles: 27 | Climb: 405 | Rochester to Palmyra
Day 4 - July 5
Miles: 69 | Climb: 1,596 | Palmyra to Syracuse
Day 5 - July 6
Miles: 47 | Climb: 621 | Syracuse to Rome
Day 6 - July 7
Miles: 48 | Climb: 2,846 | Rome to Old Forge
Day 7 - July 8
Miles: 36 | Climb: 1,945 | Old Forge to Blue Mtn Lake
Day 8 - July 9
Miles: 63 | Climb: 3,927 | Blue Mountain Lake to Lake Placid
Day 9 - July 10
Rest Day | Lake Placid
Day 10 - July 11
Miles: 58 | Climb: 3,280 | Lake Placid to Ticonderoga
Day 11 - July 12
Miles: 49 | Climb: 2,765 | Ticonderoga to Glens Falls
Day 12 - July 13
Miles: 83 | Climb: 3,358 | Glens Falls to Pittsfield
Day 13 - July 14
Miles: 44 | Climb: 2,167 | Pittsfield to Northhampton
Day 14 - July 15
Miles: 51 | Climb: 3,403 | Northhampton to Worcester
Day 15 - July 16
Miles: 42 | Climb: 1,529 | Worcester to Boston
Boston to NYC to Philadelphia
This 9-day tour begins in Boston at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The route starts off with a ride to historic Plymouth and then on to Falmouth on Cape Cod where riders will have a free day to explore the Cape, or visit Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard by taking the ferry, and yes, you can take your bike. From there it is on to Rhode Island and Connecticut to catch the ferry from New London to the eastern end of Long Island and then on to New York City. Riders will take the ferry from NYC to New Jersey for a short ride to New Brunswick and then on to Philadelphia via a combination of roads and canal trail. Riders should be comfortable with big city urban riding and unpaved trails. The ferry rides are generally very smooth and fun.
There will be van SAG support to transport luggage, provide water and snacks at rest stops, provide help with routine repairs, and provide transportation when needed.
You can look at the route for each day with RidewithGPS.com which can be downloaded and installed free of charge. The maps offer Google Maps functionality on your computer, including street view, satellite images, etc. Below are the links for the daily routes. NOTE: the street view is not always current and may show construction that has been completed or not show current road construction.
Day 1 - July 18
Miles: 44 | Climb: 1,562 | Boston to Plymouth
Day 2 - July 19
Miles: 40 | Climb: 807 | Plymouth to Falmouth
Day 3 - July 20
Miles: 45 | Falmouth to Falmouth
Day 4 - July 21
Miles: 21 | Climb: 1,171 | Falmouth to Narragansett
Day 5 - July 22
Miles: 44 | Climb: 2,154 | Narragansett to Greenport
Day 6 - July 23
Miles: 47 | Climb: 1,172 | Greenport to Stony Brook
Day 7 - July 24
Miles: 60 | Climb: 1,622 | Stony Brook to New York City
Day 8 - July 25
Miles: 44 | Climb: 968 | New York City to Princeton
Day 9 - July 26
Miles: 48 | Climb: 985 | Princeton to Philadelphia