Hey all – I'm planning my first (solo) bikepacking trip next week and I'm trying to gauge my limits. I'm from NYC and thinking of tackling either Roundabout Brattleboro or the PA Grand Canyon loop. Both of them are 2-nighters and about the same distance, but Brattleboro has an extra 4k ft of elevation gain.
I can ride about 65 miles in one day with 1.5k ft elevation gain on a paved trail. I only do these rides once a week and usually spend half the next day sleeping it off. However, I ride at a fairly high intensity and rarely get off the bike to rest (RWGPS tells me I take about ~6 hours total, 5:30 of which are spent moving) – so my thought process is, if I just slow down and take my time with more breaks, riding ~50 miles with 3-5k of elevation gain per day for 3 days won't be that bad, even on dirt and with a loaded bike.
My main worry is waking up on day 2 or 3 with dead legs – I haven't ridden long distance days consecutively yet. Unfortunately, my personal schedule is very tight this month and I won't have time to fit in a trial run before the peak autumn foliage season passes. In your opinion, do you think the Brattleboro route is a bit too ambitious?
Appreciate any feedback!
by objectivelystupider
1 Comment
I’ve only ridden the Brattleboro loop, but I will say the hills are steep but short. The vast majority is very nontechnical, but there are couple sections that are rough.
The biggest issue you’ll find is that the suggested camp spot on the Brattleboro loop for night 2 is currently closed due to flood damage, and they are actively seeking out cyclists and kicking them out of the campground if you attempt to stay there anyway. My group of 4 got kicked out back in July at sundown which was a real bummer because other legal camping options are limited. I did the route a little differently 2 weeks ago with longer day 2 and stealth camped it (made for a 60M day with 5k+ climbing)
It’s a great loop but the rough spots and steepness of the hills will slow you down