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A
deluxe full-featured fall foliage bicycle tour of the
Berkshires, southern Vermont, and upstate New York. Available
by request for fall 2009, groups of 6 or more  This
beautiful late season fall foliage road
bike tour of the Berkshires with surrounding Vermont and New York
State is is recommended for upper intermediate to expert cyclists.
We'll be based two nights at the Williams
Inn in Williamstown,
Massachusetts ("The Village Beautiful") and two nights at the Windflower
Inn in popular Great Barrington, MA. Price is $1295, with 4 nights lodging (double occupancy), continental breakfasts
,great dinners, plus guided rides with maps and cue sheets.
The rides are 35-45 miles, with occasional climbs, and with shorter and flatter loops available every
day, plus full van support. See below for
half-tour options.
 Monday:
Check-in at the Williams Inn
in Williamstown and ride to Natural Bridge. Check-in
begins at 1 pm. At 3 pm, we'll take a 16
mile ride, starting along the foot of Mount Greylock. A short
climb brings us to two reservoirs and a view of Williamstown
in the valley below. A quick descent takes us to North Adams,
where we'll visit amazing
Natural
Bridge before taking the
back road to Williamstown. Dinner tonight is at the Water
Street Grill in Williamstown.
 Tuesday: Bennington, Vermont: We take a very
scenic ride to Bennington, Vermont, with a climb along wide-shouldered Rt. 7,
and a beautiful ride on Barber Pond Rd. to Bennington.. Stops include the Bennington Fish Hatchery and
the old car museum . We have lunch today at
All Days and
Onions before riding past the
Bennington Monument and through 3 covered
bridges! We have a scenic return through pastoral Hoosic, NY and Pownal,
VT to Williamstown. Today's ride is 45 miles, with rolling hills and long gentle
ascents. A 20 mile short version breaks away before
Bennington, taking beautiful rolling North Pownal
Rd. For the climbers among us, there is an alternative for an extra 4 mile
climb and descent of Petersburg Pass. Dinner tonight is
at Hobson's
Choice in Williamstown.
While in Williamstown you might enjoy visiting the Clark Art Museum
, the Williams College Museum of Art, and Mass MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art)
 Wednesday
morning ride: Around Brodie Mountain.
Thie morning's 32 mile ride starts out with a grand view of Mount Greylock, the highest peak in
Massachusetts, with the Green River valley below. A
steady but moderate climb on wide-shouldered Route 7 takes us along
Brodie Mountain, offering some of the most exquisite views in New
England. You'll be rewarded with miles of continuous descent all the way back to
Williamstown, with a stop at the Store at Five Corners.
A shorter and easier 10 mile options is available.
Afternoon:
After the morning ride, we check out of the Williams Inn and take
the van and our cars on a one-hour drive to Great Barrington in the
southern Berkshires. Our hosts for the next two nights are the
Windflower Inn near
South Egremont. After checking in at the inn, you'll have the
option to join us on the afternoon ride below.  Wednesday Afternoon ride: Along the Taconics
This
great 25 mile ride takes us to nearby North Egremont, then along the
foot of the Taconic Mountain Range in rural
Alford. A shorter loop option
returns through Great Barrington Dinner
tonight is at the Barrington
Brewery and Restaurant. Thursday: Umpachenee Falls In the morning we
ride out along the
flood plain of the Housatonic River valley toward the southern foothills of the
Berkshires, through the villages of Sheffield, Mill River, Clayton, and
Southfield. ( A long route option takes us to Southfield
for a visit to the Buggy Whip Factory Antiques, which seems more
like a museum of colonial period antiques. ) After a stop at Umpachenee
Falls, we ride through the hamlet of Mill River on our return along the Housatonic River to Great
Barrrington. Today's ride is 35-45 miles.
Dinner tonight is at the Old
Mill Restaurant, just a mile away in South Egremont.  Friday:
Mount
Everett and New York State Our final day of cyling offers an
opportunity for the "climbers" among us, a 5
mile ascent along the second highest peak in Massachusetts, Mount Everett.
Van support will be available throughout the ride. After reaching rural Mount Washington, you'll
enjoy a great descent to Copake in New York State, riding past
remarkable Bash Bish Falls. We ride a few miles on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
and then cycle several miles through upstate New York farm country,
before crossing the Taconic Mountains again on our return to Great Barrrington .
This ride is about 40 miles with sustained climbs and descents at the
beginning and end. We suggest availing yourself of
a van assist for the first few miles. After arriving
back at the inn in the early afternoon, we say our farewells.
While
in the southern Berkshires, we recommend a visit to Edith
Wharton's home in Lenox the Mount
, the
Berkshire
Botanical Garden. the Norman Rockwell
Museum, and Chesterwood, home of sculptor Daniel Chester French.
What's Included? Price: $1295
for full 5 day, 4 night tour, $695 for either half tour option
(2 nights and 3 days of cycling)
Inns:
We stay at the Maple Terrace Motel in Williamstown.
Massachusetts and the Windflower
Inn in Great Barrington, MA. All prices are double occupancy. Add
$70 /night if requesting single occupancy. We may be able to assign a roommate if you are traveling alone.
Meals:
Light continental breakfast is provided by the inns. We
pay for our own lunches. The price includes dinners at
fine restaurants in Williamstown, Great Barrington and South
Egremont.
Rides and options: Morning
rides generally start about 9 am, and afternoon rides at
approximately 1:30 pm. Guides are Gordon Harris and Barb Lampron. Maps and cue sheets are provided for each ride.
We will be in the height of the Berkshire fall foliage season, so
please come prepared for the probability of cool or damp
weather. Rides may be rescheduled, changed, or cancelled due
to weather conditions. If no ride is possible on any day due
to weather, we will substitute a visit to one of the area's many
fine attractions, or a hike on Mount Greylock , Mount Everett, or
Monument Mountain.
Van Support: Full van support is provided for this tour, with one guide riding ride with participants. We also offer a short and long version each day.
Bike Rentals:
Jamis
Coda road bikes with straight handlebars are
included in this tour when requested, at no extra charge.
For further
information or to reserve this tour for your group,
email Gordon Harris
at Bike New England, or call him at (978) 312-1006, or by cell phone at (978) 979-6598 
email Bike New England
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