Location: Starts in Ayer, MA, Ride to and camp in NH, then return the following day
Route: Bikepacking, mixed terrain, plenty of dirt under your tires
Ride Type: Mixed Terrain
Date & Time: Saturday & Sunday, 2-3 May 2026
Distance: 75 miles in one day, or ~150 miles over two days
Price: $95 if registered by April 10, $125 after this until the registration deadline of April 29 if there campsites available at that point.
MUST BE A NEER MEMBER to participate since NEER membership insurance covers this ride. This helps keep ride costs reasonable. Become a NEER member today for all of the benefits membership offers for a full year.
No late registrations will be accepted. This ride is likely to fill up. If there aren’t spots left at camp, we can’t accept further registrations.
Non-Riding family/friend option! See details below.

Description: The Maneha is a two-day and one-night event that covers ~150-miles of diverse terrain in New England. This ride is equal parts challenge and fun. The event is part bikepacking and part adventure ride.

It’s early season and the best time to start bikepacking. We’ll be spending April hosting training rides and clinics so everyone is ready when it’s time for this ride!

We’ve got a really fun route together, this is real bikepacking, nothing crazy technical, but a nice mix of terrain. There are a lot of enjoyable dirt roads and trails for both days.

This is a great way to have a full weekend of riding, test your bikepacking setup, enjoy camping with others of similar cycling interests, and share the experience with your friends and family as well.

Enjoy ~150 miles of mixed-terrain riding over two days
Arrive to the start easily from Boston or Porter, Belmont, Waltham, Lincoln or Concord via the commuter train for the 9am departure (a $10 weekend pass pays for you and your bike!)
We’re providing campfire and campfire treats
You’re bringing camp food you want to enjoy at camp, and breakfast to enjoy around the campfire, cooked with your camp stove or water you boil using the fire.
Self-sufficiency is important! We are not providing ride support. You are expected to be able to fix mechanical issues or ride with friends who can help each other out.
We’re providing a comprehensive packing list so you know what to bring and are prepared for this and any bikepacking trip. You receive this in your inbox as soon as you register!

Photo from a warm 2017 Maneha fire and post-ride feasting/post-ride food coma Saturday night.

This is the ride that started it all. First scouted in 2010, the Maneha has evolved over the years and has brought a terrific bikepacking experience to riders of all backgrounds and experience levels together and to cool places.

This ride is equal parts challenge and fun.

Warning

The Maneha 150 is a serious ride. Sign up and participate only if you truly respect the challenge, your body, the landscape, and your equipment. Your speed doesn’t matter! Your confidence does. Ask us if you’re nervous about any aspect so we can work with you to get you prepped and ready in advance!

Overview

The Maneha 150 is a bikepacking endurance ride on a mixed-terrain route. We're riding everything from primitive 'goat trails' to good paved roads.

We’ve lightened up the rough riding so it’ll be more on the “gravel” end of the spectrum rather than mixed terrain or mtb. This will help your riding speed as well, it won’t take quite as long to get to camp though expect with the climbing and dirt roads, it will take hours still.

Route Information

Distance: About 150 miles. 75 miles on Saturday and 75 miles on Sunday. We’ll tell you the specifics of the route as we finalize the route. We’ve done a lot of scouting and riding in the areas you’ll be for Maneha so can confidently say you’ll be on at least 50% dirt (lots more time spent on dirt than pavement) and there will be ~75 ft/mile elevation gain on average. Sunday is an easier route back than Saturday.
Territory: Ranges from deep woods to town centers.
Riding Options: Two day, Saturday only, Sunday only - if you have a non-riding friend or loved one coming up to meet you, you’re welcome to ride one day up and get a ride home. We are not transporting anyone to the start or from the campsite back to the starting lot.

When:

2 & 3 May 2026. Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s Grand Depart happens between 7am and 9am.

Sunday’s ride back begins when riders want to get moving, no later than 10am.

Where:

The Grand Depart is in Ayer, MA. There’s a parking lot for your car to stay overnight in Ayer. This is at the commuter train lot, so it’ll be easy for all who take the train to the start.

We’re camping in a nice campground in Hancock, NH, then riding back to Ayer. The route is a loop, not an out-and-back so both days offer a variety of mixed terrain riding.

We have a whole section of the campground reserved for riders so there is privacy for our group and everyone will have a nice area to pitch a tent and relax. There is a group fire ring for a big fire and individual fire pits are available for everyone as well.

Why:

Bikepacking trips are hard to find and it’s nice to have the opportunity to test your equipment, figure out how to pack your bike, and isn’t it fun to get two big days on the bike early in the summer?!

How:

Must be a NEER member, it’s worth being a NEER member for a full year of rides, at least 1 weekly email with good advice, tips, tricks, news of upcoming rides, discounts on event rides, gear and bikes & much, much more! Register at Bikereg.com.

Questions? Email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com

Register now

Who can do the Maneha 150?

Any fit and competent cyclist with equipment that meets our minimum requirements and who is willing to abide by basic riding safety rules may participate in the Maneha 150. This is a difficult ride. Riding 75-miles of mixed-terrain feels about three times that amount of road riding. If your bike is loaded, it feels even further. There are no time cut offs, you’re welcome to take your time. We do want you to be in to the campsite before sunset which is around 7:45pm.

All who register to participate in this ride will receive the following pre-ride:

Equipment Checklist: This is a comprehensive list of what NEER recommends for participants to have on bike and body. It also includes a list of items we find useful on self-supported multi-day rides for your knowledge and you’re welcome to add whatever you wish for this ride.
Logistics, Route & Route Notes by 7pm April 29: You’ll understand how the ride is being run, where you’re headed, where to be when.
This information will help you prepare your bike, mind, and spirit for the adventure ahead. It includes recommended food and rest stops along the route. The information also includes tips on how to navigate difficult trails.
Waiver: This ride is being insured by NEER. You’ll see a waiver to sign electronically before the ride, it will likely show up in your inbox.

All details subject to change, all who register will receive every communication by way of BikeReg.com email so be sure you’re receiving BikeReg.com emails.

"The staff did a remarkable job on a complex event. I can't wait until next year!" - C.B.

Ride with Your Friend Group

You can ride the Maneha 150 as a solo rider, with a team/self-organized friend group, or ride with a NEER leader who is riding at an “endurance” pace and will be the last group to depart. Both ways of participating are fantastic. Solo riders and slower groups will be sent off earlier so as to have as much cross-over with other riders throughout the day.

A Maneha team consists of as many riders as you want to assemble to take this on together.
The team must have at least two people with GPS units for navigation along with backup batteries for the GPS units.
The team members commit to riding together and finishing together.

Solo Riders

Solo riders must have their own GPS navigation device with backup battery to charge the unit if necessary.
Ride as fast or slow as you wish, we just want you to be at camp no later than 7:45pm.
We hope you’ll want to start earlier in the morning so as to have groups riding behind you, it’s safer and should something happen to your bike, it’s easier to have others somewhere near on the route.

Display your location

We will have ALL riders display their location on the route via Life360 (not necessary to pay for an account for this), it helps us know where everyone is. This will take a little more battery life from your cell phone, so a backup battery is essential.

Camping

A Maneha rider sorts her stuff prior to rollout Sunday morning.

We’ll be staying at a nice campground in Hancock, NH. This campground has a big area for all of the Maneha riders to stay within close proximity of each other. It has nice facilities and plenty of space for our group.

There is a salt-water pool for swimming if you’d like to take a dip! Bring your swimsuit if you want to use the pool. There are nice bathroom and shower facilities and an indoor recreation area near where we’ll be camping so it’s really comfortable.

Non-Riding Significant Other Camping Option / Bringing your Family

Your non-riding spouse or significant other is welcome to join you for the weekend at the campsite. This option is found within the BikeReg.com registration and is priced to assume you both will share a tent. If you’d like this to be a bigger family affair (that necessitates more than 1 campsite), we’ll ask you to make a reservation with the campground on your own.

Each campsite is big enough for 6 people and two tents.

We’ll credit you for the campsite space you won’t be occupying. Email us separately if this applies to you and we’ll figure it out.

The Meaning of "Maneha 150"

Maneha: [ˈmä-nāʹ-jə] An abbreviation of the two states through which the route meanders: Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

150: The total route distance in miles; about 75 miles on Saturday and about 75 miles on Sunday.

Parking

Parking is at a commuter lot in Ayer. Overnight parking is fine and it’s a covered parking garage and uncovered lot space as well. It’s $8 to park for the full weekend.

Sunday After the Ride back in Ayer

We’re expecting riders to arrive back at their cars at various times. Most people will be tired from the long weekend and just want to get home. It’s nice to have a welcoming committee, but don’t expect one.

Everyone who registers for this ride automatically receives train schedules for Saturday and Sunday so you can see when the trains back to Boston depart. In the past, there has been a 5pm and 7pm train. One of these should work for everyone. The return ride will take less time than the ride up since it’s a little more downhill than up on Sunday.

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

There are quite a few bikes and setups that work great for bikepacking and gravel riding on terrain you’ll find on this ride. Your choices will potentially impact your speed relative to others. We don’t care how fast/slow you ride, this is up to you, as long as you are on a safe bike with minimum basics and arrive before sunset on both Saturday and Sunday.

Required: A bike with 35mm tires or wider. Mountain, gravel, fat, CX bikes are all acceptable. Ideally, the bike will have 40mm knobby tires or bigger.
Required: Flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.
Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time if you’re riding solo. If you’re riding with a friend group, the group must have 1 GPS computer. Friend groups should plan to ride together both days.
Required: Backup battery to charge GPS computer and phone during the ride. (There is electricity to recharge things at camp, bring wall outlets for your charging cables!)
Required: Sign-on to Life360 or other service that you share with us so we can see your location you when you’re riding. We’ll share connection info with you in the pre-ride information email.
Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride. Squeaky chains and noisy bikes are unacceptable because it means there is something wrong with your bike and more might be wrong.
Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals such as:
Flat fix tools and at least TWO spare tubes (yes, even if you’re running tubeless tires), air via hand pump, multi-tool
Very nice to have: Extra chain link, chain breaker, chain pliers, Spare derailleur hanger if your bike needs a spare
Extra clothes for riding and for camp along with storage capacity on your body/bike 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/other vessel with at least this much water at the start of the ride
Required: Front and rear lights, reflector on ankle or pedal (this is now required per MA law at dusk and later). Visibility is always a good thing for safety regardless of weather or time of day.
Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets to get you to stores where you can buy more.
Change of clothes to wear after the ride at camp and for sleeping so you’re comfy!
Nice to have: Camp chair that you carry on your bike up to camp! There are spaces to sit at camp, but camp chairs are more comfy.
FOOD: Dinner and breakfast are foods you bring with you or buy at a store not far from camp. Pre-ride instructions will tell you about a market not far from camp so you don’t have to bring these meals with you if you don’t want, but you will want either a backpack or extra room in your bags to carry groceries to the campground!

Register Now

Maneha 150 Bikepacking Weekend