Cycling around Ludlow, MA?

[mrezra]

Hey, I'm going out to Ludlow, MA this weekend for a wedding, and was thinking of brining my road (pedal) bike. Does anyone know what the roads are like out there? Traffic? Pavement quality? Any good climbs? Suggested routes? I guess I could also take the mt bike if anyone knows any good off-road spots.

[Paul_E_D]

Do you want to ride in ludlow? or is nearby OK? Ludlow is a bedroom community with no real hills. I guess A good route would be to ride to Amherst over 116N for a little climb, then take a left on Bay Rd. at Atkins farm market (stop for eats), then left on 47 and back to ludlow through S. Hadley.

If nearby is OK, drive to Historic Deerfield and do a loop up into Shelburne and back. Big climbs are everywhere and great descents as well. If that's what you want to do, let me know, I can get more specific...

[Paul_E_D]

There's fantastic Mt. biking of Batchelor St. in Granby. Find Amherst St. near Aldrich lake (near jct with 116). Go a half mile down bachelor St and park at the turn off. Some burly technical climbs and descents as well as some great rollercoasters.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,0.110378&z=13

[mrezra]

Thanks for the input Paul. With the miles I have been putting in this week, including some hill workouts (one still to come) I'm thinking two days off might do my body good. I'll see... If my buddy brings his mt bike I might give your off-road suggestion a try. Thanks again.

[Paul_E_D]

Batchelor St. is really a local gem. Serious network of trails, all named and marked. Some good technical knar. If you cross 116 just north of the summit and take your first left, you enter Earl's trails which are fast and flowy. I guess I'm spoiled, but these 2 areas are top notch.

What hills are there on the vineyard? I'm not sure we're speaking of the same thing when we say "hill"!

My Mt. bike is down with a cracked swingarm, otherwise I'd show you around on Sunday.

[mrezra]

Hills around here are short leg breakers. Nothing long, but I have a couple of 2.5-3 minute accents with some decent grades that are awesome for good interval training. I've ridden out west, so I know what real climbs are, and I wish we had more of that around here. I'm no climber, but I'm a glutton for punishment. I lost a lot of my cycling fitness last year, but am working on getting back to form this year... I mostly ride on the road, but try to keep some time for the mountain bike, just to keep my (extremely limited) bike handing skills from completely falling by the wayside.