Biking the Northeast Kingdom
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It’s springtime, and one of the best ways to explore the beautiful rolling hills and vistas of the St. Johnsbury area is on a road bike.
According to Bonnie Bashaw-Cole, manager of The Club at Old Mill in St. Johnsbury and a member of the bicycling group there, biking in Vermont is a totally different experience than riding in New Jersey or Florida. “People can ride twice as far in Florida in the same amount of time because there are no hills,” says Bonnie. But even though the roads are hilly, the St. Johnsbury biking group emphasizes safety. Roads on the bicycle trips are paved and have wide shoulders.
The Old Mill hosts an informal bicycling group that goes on rides every Tuesday night in biking season, which starts when the snow leaves in late April and continues until daylight savings time comes to an end. Early in the season, the rides are about 15 to 20 miles long. As the season continues and everyone gets stronger, rides can lengthen to 30 to 40 miles. The rides take from an hour and a half to two and a half hours. The St. Johnsbury group also has informal ties to a larger group located in nearby Littleton, NH, and some members of the St. Johnsbury group also join in on the Thursday night Littleton bike rides.
Rides can go south to Barnet, and sometimes to West Barnet around Harvey’s Lake. Sometimes the group travels to Wells River and comes back on the New Hampshire side through Whitefield. St. Johnsbury riders sometimes leave from Lyndonville and take routes around East Burke, West Burke, Burke Hollow, and Sutton. Generally, all the bike rides taken by the St. Johnsbury riders are loops, starting and ending at the same location.
Spinning at the Club at Old Mill Even though the outdoor bicycling season only lasts about six months, the riders are busy during the winter. The Club at Old Mill has about 10 spinning groups to keep riders in shape when roads are too snow covered to ride. One of the more popular spinning groups is run by Joe Homer from the Littleton bicycle club. Joe teaches Dynamic Cycle Training twice a week to riders who make up much of the core of the St. Johnsbury group.
Some St. Johnsbury bicyclists love riding so much that they travel around the country for other challenges. Each spring, a group of St. Johnsbury bicyclists join other riders for a week-long tour of the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. Other St. Johnsbury bicyclists have been even more adventurous, participating in bike trips across the country.
Many bicyclists have the time to take longer trips because they are retired or semi-retired. “Some of our strongest riders tend to be older,” says Bonnie. “Some of them are former runners. They’ve found that bike riding is not as hard on the joints.” Bonnie says that bicycle running is great cardiovascular training and really helps the leg muscles.
If you're interested in biking with the Old Mill group or the Littleton, NH, Bike Shop group, call them for exact days and times. There is no charge to ride with the groups -- just the thrill of the wind on your face and the beauty of the Northeast Kingdom landscape as you give your legs -- and your gear shift -- a real workout!
