Quote Originally Posted by traveller_62 View Post
1. River Road and Evans Notch, NH (Rt 113) (45 miles roundtrip).

We rode from Sunday River ski area down River Road to Rt. 2 and then picked up Rt 113. Rt. 2 is fine. River Road is clear and is jam-packed with little rollers so it makes a nice training ride for practicing relatively short climbs.

Rt. 113 was actually in good condition. The Maine DOT folks were out sweeping it on Friday. However, the gate is across the road just before you enter the White Mountains National forest.

We went under the gate to see if we could ride to the top of Evans Notch. The further we rode the more debris (branches, etc.) there was on the road. Near the top of the Notch there were still patches of slush and snow and ice.

It was great to ride with no cars on the road but all of the junk in the road prompted us to turn around before the top. If you have a mountain bike then it would probably be no problem and I suspect that the road will be open all the way across the Notch in the next week or so.
I think you actually went out North Rd (from your description). This is an AWESOME road for riding - little traffic and some great rollers. I figured there might still be some snow/ice/slush up there - sounds like after this week though it should be all gone!

Quote Originally Posted by traveller_62 View Post
2. Sunday River to Rangeley, Maine (67 miles one way)

On Saturday we rode from the Sunday River up Rt 2 to Rumford and then picked up Rt 17 out towards Mexico. After awhile Rt. 17 doesn't have a shoulder but there was little traffic. (That said, It is probably not a good road to ride in the summer when there are a lot of tourists about.) We rode Rt. 17 over a beautiful pass (killer climb!!!). We then picked up Rt. 16/Rt. 4 into Rangeley. There were several long, steep climbs on the approach to Rangeley.

Our plan is to do this ride again but take 16 back through Erroll, NH and Grafton Notch back to Sunday River to make a loop. But the climbing and headwinds were too much this past weekend and neither of us could face another 40 miles of climbing. So we got picked up by car and called it a day.

Although Rt 2 is a major road with a fair amount of traffic, the section from Bethel to Rumford is actually a nice flat section and good for time trial training or just for a nice flat recovery ride.
Nice ride! Something to think about as well, is to ride from Rangeley back around and down to Mexico, making a loop. This nets you about 100 miles total (we've done this on tandems, starting from Walmart in Mexico), and winds through heavy moose country with VERY little traffic - even in the middle of summer! I'll have to find the exact routes for you....

That killer pass is called the "height of the land" on 17, heading into Oquossuc.

Rte 2 between Bethel and Rumford is awesome for riding. There is also a great road on the other side of the river - Intervale Rd from Bethel to Rumford Pt, and then follow the river to Rumford. This has less traffic, and is a little more "rolly" than Rte 2.

Quote Originally Posted by traveller_62 View Post
3. Sunday River to Jordan Grand Resort Hotel (15 miles round trip)

Sunday we did even more climbing. If you are looking for a really long steep climb for training you don't have to look any further than the road up to the Jordan Grand Resort Hotel. Just take Rt. 2 to the Sunday River Resort Road and look for the turn off..I think it is the same road that takes you to the Sunday River golf course.

The road to the Jordan Resort Hotel is about 4.5 miles long and has some wicked steep sections ---but also some places to recover.

So there you have it..it was an epic training weekend. Now I get to rest for a few days!

-traveller
UGH! I don't like DRIVING that section of road! DH and I have often said that it would be a killer climb on bikes. Good for you for giving it a go!

Sounds like you had a great weekend of riding! Not only lots of miles, but also lots of climbing. I love riding up there - little traffic, beautiful scenery and a great workout.

SheFly