Brutiful Cape 2026: Experience Awesome Gravel and Fat Riding

• Location: Start and end in Eastham, MA on the Cape

• Ride Type:  Fat and Gravel adventure event ride! Mtbs have great fun on the gravel routes as well!

• Date & Time: Saturday, October 24, 2025 (a VERY special 100 mi fat ride is on Sunday, October 25!)

• Distance: 50km, 100km, 100mi options for gravel/mtn bikes AND

  50km option for fat bikes on Saturday; 100 mi on Sunday for fat bikes only.

• A 100 Mile VERY SPECIAL Fat Ride is happening on Sunday, October 25! 5th Annual running of this ride! This option is $30, also available on BikeReg - open to NEER members only so become a member by October 15 if you want to get in on this exceptionally special experience!

• Price:  $65 now for early bird registration, prices start going up September 1

• Registration deadline: Thursday, October 22 at 11:59pm. No registration will be allowed after this time for any reason.

• Camping option offered upon checkout (at BikeReg) - stay right where the ride starts & ends!

• Register at BikeReg.com - link will be live soon

Details

This very special ride takes cyclists to many interesting trails, dirt roads, and pavement that connects the dirt sections on the Cape. Fat bikes go to some sandier places and a few beautiful beaches for extra fun. This is a sandy place meaning the trails dry very quickly if they get wet and there is sandiness on the trails in general. The chances we would need to cancel this ride due to the weather are very small. We expect to ride rain or shine and will only cancel if the weather appears dangerous to riders or trails.

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.

Keep reading, there’s a campsite near the start of the ride if you want to bikepack out to the ride or drive from somewhere that’s further away.

100 Mile Fat Bike Option offered for NEER members

If you are a fat bike rider interested in a 100-mile fat bike ride option, we have this running separately on Sunday, October 26. The 100-mile fat ride is open to NEER members (become one in advance to join in) and registration is $30 for this option. Riders will self-support via stores and have the ability to access the parking lot/one’s personal vehicle mid-ride.

100 mile Fat Bike riders experience the very best of fat riding on glorious stretches of beach, sandy trails, back roads, and just have a full day of joy on their bikes!

What You Get

• Ride a beautiful place not all that far from civilization nor too far from where you started. It’s off-season on the Cape but before everything closes for the winter - a perfect time to be there!

• 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 with plenty of dirt, cool trails and beautiful beaches.

• The chance to share the day with your friend group, ride with a group of people we match up based on expected pace, or ride solo without feeling alone.

• A hearty, warm meal at the end of the ride to finish feeling satisfied from riding and not being hungry!

• No clock: this is not a race, it’s an opportunity to enjoy riding your bike, take the time you want to out there, ride as fast or slow as you wish.

• Get your friends together to do the ride and enjoy camping together right at where the ride starts and ends, it’s a mini-vacation for everyone!

Get your Friends Together to Ride Together!

We’re offering a separate rollout time for all friend groups so you can start together and stay together. Get your friends together and when you register, tell us their names. Your start time will not be more than 30 minutes different from the start time for the category you register for unless you request a different time for your friend-group rollout. We’ll accommodate as much as possible, just ask!

If you don’t have friends who want to do the ride, that’s fine, we are grouping riders of similar paces to ride together or you’re welcome to ride solo. We prefer to start solo riders nice and early so you’re seeing others throughout the day and not be the last rider out there.

Start Time Requests if different from the category start time

We’re happy to accommodate anyone’s start time requests unless it looks like it’ll get you back too late so please tell us your requests in your registration information. If you’re riding with a friend group and you request a specific time, we’ll assume everyone in your group is on board with this request.

Pace

If you choose to ride with a group of friends you or one of your friends puts together, ride the pace your group prefers! We offer a start time for your group so that you can start separately and stay together.

If you’re riding solo, you’re welcome to ride the pace you want as long as you have time to complete the route before we stop serving food. If you’re wondering about your pace and timing, email us.

If you select to ride with a group of people we assemble, then you’ve told us your pace and hopefully those who we match you with are around the same pace. There’s always a risk of the group being a little faster or slower than how you want to ride so come with the route loaded and be prepared. Our rides typically attract people in this category who want to ride with others so will alter their pace to appease others in the group so as to have a group experience.

Start Times

Start times that you see when you register are all approximate. We will roll out groups of friends, groups we assemble, and solo riders separately. You'll get an email with exact rollout times by 7pm Thursday evening prior to the ride.

Your roll-out time will be within 30 minutes of the time you’ve registered for and it’ll probably be a bit closer than that.

We expect all riders to be done riding by 6pm, that’s when the sun sets. We don’t want anyone out riding after dark.

Distance Options

Distances offered for gravel & mountain bikes are 50km, 100km & 100 miles.

A 50km fat bike option is offered on Saturday.

A very special 100 mile fat bike option is offered on Sunday. We offer this separately in order to give adventure fat bike riders a special day of riding and it’s a way for adventure fat bike riders to find each other prior to the winter since there will be many other adventure fat rides happening that this ride is great prep for! NEER membership is required to participate on Sunday’s 100 mi fat ride.

Parking

The ride starts and ends at a lovely campground on the Cape where we’re serving coffee, a light breakfast, and after-ride warm, hearty meal. There will be plenty of chairs, places to sit and enjoy time together.

We’re offering a camping option at the campground (more details are further down this page) so you can park and start/end right there & be near us too (if you want!) We highly recommend you and your friends camp together the night before and night of the ride; we’ve had lots of people do this in previous years and have enjoyed a mini-vacation together doing this.

If you’re driving to the ride the day of the event, there will be ample and free parking offsite. It is 0.4 miles from the start on the same side of the road. Those staying at the campground can park their vehicles at the campground.

Bathrooms, water at the start & end

With the start at the campground, bathrooms and clean water are abundant. You’re welcome to all of the services a comfortable campground offers.

Route & Route Notes

The routes will be emailed to all who register no later than 7pm Thursday evening prior to the weekend of the ride. Please don’t email prior to this asking for the route.

This is a sandy area. Both gravel and mountain bikes are welcome for the gravel-version of the ride. Gravel cyclists not familiar with sand will have the opportunity to get familiar with it! 40mm or larger tires are recommended. The terrain is special and really fun to ride.

For the fat bike routes: fat bikes are required with a minimum of 3.8” tires in order to properly enjoy the beaches included.

Terrain Description & Which bike to ride?

The routes may evolve prior to them being finalized. 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

Plant life on the Cape & Tall Socks

Cape plants are tougher than usual mainland plants, so they can be scratchier to your skin. We recommend wearing tall socks to protect skin from these plants and any insects, etc as well. There are some places where you’ll be riding through trails with plants that are a little overgrown into the trail.

Food & Water During the Ride

There are quality food stops on the route with stores that are open at this time of year that provide water and tasty food if you’d like to get extra things to eat while you’re riding. Free water is available at a number of stores so it doesn’t need to be purchased.

We charge less for this ride so that you have $ to buy food at local establishments. The routes we provide and pre-ride notes discuss nice places to stop for food and the route directs you through the front door of these places so you can’t miss them.

Our pre-ride email will include information on places to stop to refuel during the ride.

Support on the Route

There are no support vehicles on the route, be prepared to deal with the usual mechanicals by bringing tools and supplies. Have a plan if your body or bike won’t allow you to finish the ride. The Cape is quiet this time of year, but it’s not shut down, either. Cell reception is generally decent in places where we’re riding, though it can’t always be depended on.

After the Ride

Bring a change of clothes and a lawn chair so you can enjoy a bunch of social time post-ride! We bring chairs, there are tents to block the sun and any precipitation, we keep a fire going in the mid afternoon through evening Friday and Saturday.

We’ll provide a hot, tasty after-ride meal for all riders. We’ll be serving food until the sun sets and hanging out until everyone is done enjoying themselves. Be sure you have completed your ride prior to sunset which is 6pm.

The end of the ride is at a campground so enjoy the atmosphere, campfire, food together, and if you bring a bag with a change of clothes for the end of the ride, you can change and stay awhile!

What happens if it rains?

This runs rain or shine. Dangerous weather cancels and we’ll offer a partial credit for a future ride based on expenses already incurred by the time we need to make the decision.

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news via BikeReg.com so make sure you get communications from BikeReg!

Contact Information

Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

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.

Camping Option

We recommend staying at the Atlantic Oaks Campground if you’d like to camp at the start. We’ll be hanging out there Friday and Saturday evening.

We offer camping options in your registration if you want to stay next to us, right where the ride will start/end.

Otherwise, you will want to make your reservation with this campground via calling them. If you try making the reservation online, it makes it look like the sites are full or that a 3-day reservation is required. It’s $43/night this time of year per site. Their phone number is (508) 255-1437.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

The insurance for this ride requires a signed waiver. This will be shared with all who register to sign via an email from BikeReg.com.

Proper bike & Equipment

For the Gravel Routes: A gravel bike or mountain bike with 38mm tires which are minimum. Riders are typically happier with 45-50mm gravel tires or mtb tires on hardtail mountain bikes. It all depends on how technical of a rider you are as to which bike you’ll have the most fun on. The terrain is varied and really fun!

For the Fat Routes: A bike with tires 3.8” or wider is required due to the beaches these routes include.

For ALL Riders:

• Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time

• Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking.

• Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals such as:

• Flat fix tools and at least one spare tube (yes, even if you’re running tubeless tires), air via CO2 or hand pump, multi-tool

• Nice to have: Extra chain link, chain breaker, chain pliers

• Spare derailleur hanger if your bike needs a spare

• Extra clothes and storage capacity so adding/taking off layers is easy

• Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements)

• Required: Two full water bottles at the start of the ride (there is running water at the start so you can fill up)

• Required: Front and rear lights if there is any chance you’ll be riding in rain or before the sunrise/after the sun sets

• Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets

Martha’s Vineyard Off-Road Adventure Tour with Mike and Mary - Spring 2026

• Location: Martha’s Vineyard, MA

• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Adventure - ride trails, dirt roads, ancient paths, and back roads with the day catered by Mike and Mary with homemade, tasty food to delight hungry riders

• Date & Time:  Re-scheduled to Spring 2026 when it’s warm and Mike & Mary are back in town!

• Distance:  ~40 miles

• Max attendance: Registration is capped at 35 riders

• Price:  $125. Register at BikeReg.com. Open to everyone! (NEER membership not required.)

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If you’re interested in doing a private ride or tour of the Island with Mary at a separate time, please email Mary at:

marymcconneloug at fastmail.com (replace “at” with “@” when you email her!)

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Details of this Special Adventure Tour with Mike & Mary

Come join mountain bike legends, Olympian Mary McConneloug and pro Michael Broderick, for a fun day of riding bikes on and off road on charming Martha’s Vineyard! They are taking riders on a mixed terrain tour showcasing some of their favorite quiet back routes over ancient trails and roads with an emphasis on cool trails that are hiding all over the island. Highlights include full immersion into the natural island beauty, cycling to remote areas, offering views from a favorite high point and a beach stop to take in the Atlantic Ocean. Riding will be fun at a moderate pace; all riders will enjoy a solid day on the bike at a moderate (not slow) pace. This should not be a rider’s first gravel or mixed terrain ride, participants should be experienced cyclists with experience riding on dirt and mixed terrain.

What You Get

• An exciting full day adventure on bikes with Mike & Mary, professional cyclists who have a lifetime of adventures to share and who continue to live their dream racing all over the world. 

• A day to just ride and enjoy nature, experience the incredible mixed terrain riding on Martha’s Vineyard.

• Nice welcome gathering with refreshments to start the day.

• Hot, homemade meal served at the end of the ride.

• All diets and preferences are accommodated.

• Opportunity to enjoy ferry crossings of the Vineyard Sound which offer picturesque calm during the trip to/from the island. (Tickets for the ride aren’t included in event price.)

• A morning greeter where you park in the morning prior to catching the ferry.

• There are 3 ride guides and 2 professional mechanics on the ride so you’re well taken care of though we want you to come with tuned and ready bikes!

• An intimate cycling experience with locals, a chance to meet some new friends and gain knowledge of special places to ride off-road on Martha’s Vineyard!

Food & Water During the Day

After arriving to Martha’s Vineyard on the ferry, Mike and Mary will greet riders and treat everyone to coffee and tea and some homemade wholesome treats to eat.

There will be food & water stops during the ride where riders may fill water bottles or purchase food if desired.

Riders will enjoy something to eat prepared by Mary prior to departing the ride/catching the ferry for those who are taking it back to the mainland.

All dietary preferences are accommodated, we ask for this information when you register.

Martha’s Vineyard riders having the time of their lives with Mike and Mary and crew!

Price

$125 for the experience, ride, and everything Mike & Mary are providing in terms of homemade food, hot drinks and baked goods at the start of the ride, hot tasty food at the end of the day and mid-ride food too.

Refund Policy

Cancellations up to 2 weeks in advance will be refunded 50%. If the ride can’t be run due to dangerous or miserable weather (forecast of light rain doesn’t cancel), a rain date will be announced and if participants can’t make the new date, a 50% refund & 50% credit will be issued.

Parking for People Coming from the Mainland & Ferry Details

For riders coming from off-island, there are a number of free parking lots a short bike ride away from the ferry. Everyone who registers will receive detailed information about where to park, where to meet up with each other and when to ride over to the ferry. A NEER Super Domestique will be at the lot to get everyone together for the ride to the ferry terminal.

Riders will be taking the 9:30am ferry which arrives Vineyard Haven at 10:15am.

At the end of the day, riders will be back at Vineyard Haven around 3pm making the 3:45pm ferry the earliest ferry ride possible to return on. Be prepared to take the next ferry in case it’s not possible to get back in time for the 3:45pm departure or if you’re having such a nice time you want to stick around a little longer.

Ferries run nearly every hour until the last ferry which is ~9:30pm.

Route, Distance, Pace

This is a guided experience so no one needs to have the route, but a route file will be provided and a shorter option will be provided as well via GPS file. No one is getting dropped or lost. The route will be appropriately adjusted if the weather or time requires. The route length is 40 miles.

The pace will be moderate throughout the day, it’s important to keep riding to stay warm. The ride assumes riders have the ability to ride 15-17 mph on a road bike (this is not a road ride, it’s just a way to state speed/fitness levels), and the ride assumes riders have experience riding mixed terrain (mixed terrain is a little more twisty, turny and sandy than gravel), but this is not an overly technical route. As long as riders have experience riding some dirt on a gravel or mountain bike and fitness for a 15-17mph road pace, this ride is within the scope of riders’ abiities.

Terrain Details

Mostly off road paths, trails, dirt roads, and some pavement, very light traffic. Most trails are not overly technical, but there will be more emphasis on super fun trails this year than in previous editions of this adventure ride. There is a fair amount of sand on the roads and trails. You’ll see some secret spots very few people have visited!

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Proper bike & Equipment

• Required: A bike with tires 38mm wide or bigger. The bigger, the better!

• Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking.

• Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals such as:

  • Flat fix tools and at least one spare tube (yes, even if you’re running tubeless tires), air via CO2 or hand pump, multi-tool

  • Extra chain link, chain breaker, chain pliers

  • Spare derailleur hanger if your bike needs a spare

• Extra clothes and storage capacity so adding/taking off layers is easy

• Required: Cell phone

• Required: Two full water bottles at the start of the ride

• Required if coming from off-island: Front and rear lights that have at least 1.5 hours of run time.

• Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets

About Mary McConneloug!

Mary is a 2 x Olympian (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), 4 x US National MTB Champion and also the 2017 Masters Enduro MTB World Champion.  She loves to get creative in the kitchen, fueling their days with good healthy foods.  Mary loves the outdoors, riding in new places where the car cannot go.  She manages many of the fine details necessary to run their professional race team. 

Mary loves to cook, garden and is learning to surf.  She is an advocate for healthy active lifestyles, and sharing that with others!  She has coached herself from the beginning and has her own coaching and mentoring business.  She holds a nutrition based philosophy combining lifestyle balance and periodization training techniques to reach fitness goals.

About Mike Broderick!

In Mike’s 30+ years of competitive bike racing, he has ranked among the top of his field in Cross Country, Cyclocross, mixed team stage racing (with Mary) and most recently in the Masters Enduro World Series. Legendary for his technical handling skills and fitness, Mike has raced on the US National Team for over 10 years alongside Mary. He earned the Masters Enduro MTB World Champion Title in 2016. His mechanic skills have stood by him as he continues to tune and refine both his and Mary’s race machines. He earned his University degree with a Bachelor in English and minor in Art from Springfield University, MA (1995). Mike was born and raised in Chilmark, MA and has always enjoyed riding in the woods, shredding dirt and surfing waves since he was a kid.

More about Mike and Mary, The A-Team!

Mike was born on Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Mary was born in Fairfax, CA. They met at a MTB race in Northern California during the Spring of 1999.  Their first date, a 70-mile road ride out to Point Reyes National Seashore set the back drop for a life time of adventures on the bikes - which they continue to enjoy today.  Their second date was a week long road trip to race at the NORBA National XC in Big Bear, CA…. They were smitten from the start, by each other and the challenge of racing, riding bikes and pushing their limits to improve.  They have supported each other, creating their own 2 person team, alongside a handful of great companies (which includes Seven Cycles), pursuing many disciplines of off road cycling - mainly XCO, cyclocross, stage race and Enduro.  For the past 26 years Mike and Mary have built their life around sustaining a career in racing bikes and continue to be involved at domestic and international events and sharing the ride.

Still going strong, both Mike and Mary were the 2024 USAC Masters 50+ Enduro National Champions in their respective fields!

Express your interest in attending this event now! Once registration opens up, you’ll be the first to know (we’ll email you)!!!

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