Location: The Cape, Eastham & surrounding towns
Ride Type: Fat, Gravel, Mixed Terrain
Date & Time: Saturday, October 22 with a 4am Grand Depart and rollout time options from 4am-2pm depending on your distance & speed
Distance: 100 miles, 100 km & 50 km options
Price: $40 for registrations Oct 1-Oct 16. $50 for registrations Oct. 17-20. Register at BikeReg.com.
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Latest updated info on this page since you last visited:
10/6/22 - Added terrain information, scroll down to see the complete table of terrain details!
Details of this Brutiful Ride
This is the first ride of many in our Brutiful Ride Series! It’s also an exceptional opportunity to do a big ride before the weather turns.
This very special ride takes cyclists to many interesting trails, dirt roads, and a little pavement on the Cape. Fat bikes get to some sandier places and a few beautiful beaches.
This is a never-before ridden route, 100% new experience for both gravel and fat bike riders!
If you’re a bikepacker and want to test your gear, strap it to your bike and come along! If you just want to enjoy a lovely autumn day on the bike without hoards of people on the Cape, this ride is for you, too.
If you’re riding the 100 mile version, we recommend staying nearby the night before and the night of the ride considering the big effort and fatigue you’re likely to feel.
What You Get
Neutral support: we have a roving mechanic so if you have mechanical trouble, you’ll have someone not too far away to help.
A well-vetted route that takes you to places you’d never know to ride otherwise.
An opportunity to ride your gravel or fat bike in a unique place with plenty of dirt, cool trails and beautiful beaches.
The ability to share the day with your friends or ride solo without feeling alone.
A simple, warm meal and treats at the end of the ride to finish feeling satisfied from riding and not being hungry!
Newly Added! SPECIAL TREAT! Professional Cyclists Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick will be serving up the post-ride meal & after-party! They’ll be riding the 100km gravel route prior to serving food so you may have the opportunity to ride with them too.
Food & Water During the Ride
In the spirit of self-sufficiency and training the stomach and mind for many events that involve self-sufficiency which are many, food and water will need to be purchased by riders along the way. Sometimes this means selecting the best options from a convenience store and having to train the stomach to handle non-ideal ride foods. Bringing what works for you is certainly an option too!
Price
$40 per person if you register in early October. $50 for registrations the week of the ride.
Because the price is so low, we aren’t making money on this ride. We will not be issuing refunds for any reason since this costs too much time to manage. If you register and can’t attend, we’ll consider your registration a donation to fund future group rides. We want to be able to continue offering you special rides at little to no cost, so we have to keep the management of the ride as simple as possible and put time into scouting and being thorough in how we organize and run the ride.
Distance
There are three distance options: 50km, 100 km, and 100 miles. Fat bikes will be able to ride on beaches, the gravel bikes will be kept off the unrideable sand so all will have a great time!
Parking
We’ll send details of all-day parking to registrants. The ride will begin and end where everyone parks.
Route
The routes will be shared with all who RSVP. The routes will be available to all 1-2 days prior to the ride so that they are thoroughly vetted and any last-minute changes will be included.
If you’re interested in the routes to ride at another time if you’re unable to attend, feel free to register in order to receive them.
Estimated Ride Time
~4 hours to 14 hours, depending on route length chosen, bike type, and rider speed.
Riding with Others
A number of people have registered asking for others to ride with. Please include information in your registration if you’d like to ride with people so that we can thoughtfully group people together at the start. If you want to ride solo, that’s certainly fine! We won’t try to pair you with other people. We want you to get what you want out of this ride and have the riding situation that you want!
Start & End Time Important Details
Grand Depart: 4am
The Grand Depart is 4am for anyone wanting to take on the Fat Bike 100 mile option. You are welcome to start anytime from 4am-2pm based on what you want your day to look like. We have suggested start times when you register based on likely rolling speed averages and have allowed for ~1-3 hours of stopped time based on the distance. If you know you’ll be faster, you’re welcome to start later. If you expect to be slower, please start earlier.
If you are a faster rider and start too early, you might arrive back at dinner too early. Please plan accordingly.
We’re serving a simple, warm meal from 4pm-8pm.
9pm We Leave. You need to be in absolutely no later than 9pm.
If you arrive back to the start after 9pm, food and organizers will have left. We ask that you plan your arrival back before 8pm so you make it to get hot food and get to see people before the day is over. We are concerned for your well being and safety! We will check in with you before we roll out, but in the interest of everyone getting rest and being safe getting home, we can’t stay later than 9pm.
Route Notes
These will be shared with all who register at the time the routes are shared. Included in the notes are places to stop to refill water and food as well. Note that some businesses that we will recommend visiting are open on October 22, but may close for the season in November or later.
Terrain Details
The route will continue to evolve over the next two weeks. Weather may change the route at the last moment, too. Last minute road work also sometimes requires re-routing. The point is, these percentages are estimates and may change.
Percentages are by shown by distance, not time.
Percentages are very similar regardless of route distance. The fat bike class is the exception; see those differences below.
Total climbing: 4,300 ft.
| Cars/No Cars | Terrain | Percentage | Ideal Bike |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars Likely | Pavement, roads | 20% | Gravel bike w/30mm slick tires |
| Cars Allowed | Dirt roads | 5% | Gravel bike w/30mm slick tires |
| No Cars | Pavement that's car-free, abandoned roads, closed roads, and bike paths | 10% | Gravel bike |
| No Cars | Fire roads and access roads | 20% | Gravel bike w/40mm tires |
| No Cars | Smooth Singletrack | 15% | Gravel bike w/40mm knobby tires |
| No Cars | Rough, abandoned, washed out, and class 4 roads | 10% | Hardtail Mountain Bike |
| No Cars | Singlegrack, tight, rocky, or overgrown | 15% | Hardtail Mountain Bike |
| No Cars | Trail Sand | 5% | Gravel 40mm knobby or wider, depends on how rainy it is just prior to the ride |
| No Cars | Beach Sand | 0.3% | Fat tires 4" or wider, Probably not rideable on a mountain bike tire. Definitely not rideable on a gravel bike tire. |
| For the Fat Bike Routes: | No Cars | Beach & Sand | 20% | Fat tires 4" or wider | This % replaces some of the above terrain |
What is the Brutiful Ride Series all about?
Ride HQ founder, Patria Vandermark, is preparing for Jay Petervary’s Fat Pursuit, a 200km endurance fat bike winter ride in Idaho at the beginning of January. This is one of many training rides established to assist her and everyone who has a big endurance goal to reach said goal! And anytime we can be on our bikes all day, why not ride all day?!
If you’re interested in the Fat Pursuit, in addition to the 200km option, there is a 60km option for anyone who wants to dip a toe in winter endurance cycling while being introduced to exceptionally knowledgeable winter/endurance cyclists.
Camping & Staying on the Cape
We’ll be staying at the Atlantic Oaks Campground Friday and Saturday nights, Oct 21 & Oct 22 where tent sites (allowing 1 car per site) are ~$35/night. This is a great weekend to stay there considering most of the Cape is closing for the season just after this weekend.
Join in on the campground fun! We’ve got a chuck wagon circle gathering around the fire, making s’mores and hanging out 6pm-9pm Friday evening, Oct 21. Ride Headquarters will be there, Mike & Mary will be there, it’ll be a great time!
Everyone brings their own dinner food. We’ll be bringing hot cocoa and s’more ingredients to share with you!
When you register for this ride, we’ll send an email with information as to where we recommend you reserve a tent site.
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.
Inclement Weather Plan
In case of inclement weather that makes the ride unsafe for riders, we’ll move the ride to the following day, Sunday, October 23. If the entire weekend does not allow for a safe situation for riders, we will reschedule to the next available Saturday. Registration funds will roll forward for those who can make it on the rain date. No refunds will be given since the costs incurred for the ride will be incurred regardless of what the weather does (it will cost us more if we have to move the ride) and this will allow us to offer this ride in the future as well as plenty of other low-or-no-cost rides.
Contact Information
Email - connect@rideheadquaters.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.
CALL us if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.
Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules.
Waiver
Ride Headquarters requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.
Proper bike, Equipment, Things to Bring
35mm knobby tires minimum if you’re doing the Gravel Version. Wider tires are nicer! Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see gravel bikes, mountain bikes, and fat bikes at this ride, the majority of bikes will likely be gravel bikes.
3.5” or wider tires if you’re doing the Fat Version.
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats.
Lights - If you’re starting before sunrise or expect to finish after sunset, you’re required to bring front & rear lights that will last for at least 2 hours longer than you think you’ll need them. We highly recommend riding with a rear light throughout the ride for visibility.
A Tuned Up Bike: A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes. It is MORE IMPORTANT than ever at the end of a long season to verify your bike is in good condition with a professional and double check your gear to be sure your spare tube doesn’t have a hole in it, etc.
Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers (very important since these are different for nearly every bike), a multi-tool, tubes, multiple CO2 cartridges or a hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike. We do have a roving mechanic, but don’t expect him to be near you when you have an issue.
Food and water. We’ll let you know where food and water stops (such as convenience stores) will be found along the route, but you’ll want extra calories and carrying capacity of at least two large water bottles. There aren’t a ton of options off-season on the Cape.
Neutral Mechanic Support: What it is and isn’t
The roving mechanic is around to help you get your bike riding again so you can complete the route or at least return to your vehicle. The roving mechanic has bike shop tools in his vehicle and has years of mechanic experience.
The roving mechanic will not transport riders anywhere regardless of the situation, so have a backup plan if your legs or bike decide not to get you back to the start
If you’re tired, head back early instead of getting in over your head
If you cut the course and have a problem, it will be harder for the mechanic to find you. Please let us know if you’re cutting the route so we know where you are.