Frequently Asked Questions

We have an online database of ride cue sheets, containing the routes for most CRW weekend rides, and many others. Bear in mind that some of these routes are very old and may not be exactly as described.

I'm looking for information about routes from Boston to another city or about biking in a certain area - can you provide it?

This is another kind of question that is best posted to the CRW email list. You have to join the list to post. See the Internet Mailing List page for details.

I'm participating in a fundraising ride - will the club support it or publicize it on its web site?

See our "Rides Run by Charitable Organizations" page.

What's the club policy on posts to its facebook page?

This is our policy on posts:

Other than sponsors and group rides by other clubs, CRW (via its admins) will NOT use Status Updates to promote commercial entities such as bike shops, tour operators, bicycles, clothing, gear, nutrition, and so on.
CRW will announce sponsors with a Status Update once when they first sign on.
Roughly a week before each century, CRW will post a Status Update pointing people to the CRW sponsors page:
http://www.crw.org/SiteSponsors.php
On an ad hoc basis, CRW may use a Status Update to mention group rides sponsored by other clubs (e.g., The Flattest Century in the East, Seacoast Century).
Within reason, CRW will allow individuals (including CRW volunteers and members) to post to CRW's Wall messages with mention of commercial entities. CRW reserves the right to delete posts that CRW in its sole discretion determines are not "within reason."

What's a century ride?

A century ride is a ride of 100 miles. Our century events, Spring Century, Climb to the Clouds, and Fall Century feature shorter rides, metric centiry (62 miles) and 50 mile rides, typically.

When are the century rides?

The Spring Century is usually the 3rd Sunday in May. Climb to the Clouds is the 3rd Sunday in July. The Fall Century is usually the 3rd Sunday in September. Check the calendar for current dates.

What time do the rides start?

Right after registration closes, there will be a short informational talk which will give details on food stops, and other features of the ride you should be familiar with. The talk for the century riders will be at 8:00AM, and for the other rides at 9:30AM.

Can I start before the official start?

After you have registered, you are free to leave whenever you want.

Will there be a support vehicle?

We will have a sweep van for emergencies, but you should be prepared to complete the ride barring accidents or mechanical breakdown.

What is provided at the food stops?

The food stops provide water, and a variety of food: bananas, cookie, chips, bagels, peanut butter sandwiches. You should carry your normal energy bars, etc. to tide you over between food stops.

Where are the food stops?

The location of the food stops is indicated on your cue sheet. Generally for our centuries the food stops are around the 50 and 75 mile marks.

I tried to preregister, but it wouldn't let me?

We close preregistration a week or so before the event so that we have time to check registrations, and prepare the lists for the volunteers at the century.

I preregistered, but didn't get a confirmation. How can I tell if I am preregistered?

When you have completed the payment on the PayPal web site, PayPal sends you a confirmation email with the transaction number. If you do not receive this, then then the did not complete the transaction and need to try again. We will send out an email to all preregistered riders a few days before the century with information on what to do when you arrive.

I'm preregistered, can I just get my cuesheet and go?

Preregistered riders do not need to sign the release form, since your online application contains this. You will need check in by giving your name to the volunteers doing preregistration, and pick up your cue sheet and wrist band.

Why do I need a wrist band?

The wrist band identifies you as a rider on the century. You will not be served at the food stops unless you can show your wrist band. You should put the wrist band on your left hand.

How long does it take to do a century?

That depends on your level of fitness, how much mileage you've done previously, and the terrain of the ride. Racers can do a century in well under 5 hours, but normal riders can several hours more than that.

Are the rides arrowed? What do the arrows look like? Where are they?

All our centuries are arrowed. The arrows are on the pavement before each turn, two or more before the turn and one after. The arrow shape is indicated on your cue sheet.

Where are the bathrooms (on the rides)?

There are portajohns at each of the food stops, and at the ride start.

I just joined online but the web site doesn't recognize me as a member.

Your membership application is processed offline by our membership coordinator. When she receives notice of a PayPal payment or check, your membership will be processed. Every two weeks she uploads the latest membership database to the web site, at which time you will be able to access online member features, like mileage, and century registration.

So when do I get my membership card so I can get discounts at bike stores?

After your application is processed, the information is sent to another volunteer who is in charge of mailing letters and membership cards. This might take another week or so to happen.

I've got other questions

If you have other questions or problems concerning your membership, try this page. If you don't find the answer there, click here to send an email to our

What's the best way to become a faster rider?

If you want to get faster, you have to ride faster. A few suggestions for getting there:

Ride with fast riders.
Do the fitness rides (Sat, Tue, Thu). Go out with the lead group and try to hold on as long as you can. As time goes by, you should be able to hold on longer and longer. If you get dropped, try to hook up with other folks who've been dropped and ride together in a pace line.
Ride the hills. And ride them hard. Last year a bunch of NEBCers did hills on Wednesday nights - the route typically included about 6 moderate climbs (1/3 - 2/3 mile, 300 - 400 feet) and the group waited at the tops until everyone made it. Working to get up the hills as fast as possible really strengthened my hill riding.
Do the NEBC intro-to-racing series. This will give you some riding skills (pace lines, cornering, sprinting, etc.) and will allow you to do some faster riding with a group of people who are just learning how to do it. Even if you never race, this is a good way to learn more about riding.
If you've got to ride alone, set some realistic goals and work toward them. If you've got a 60 mile ride that you do regularly, keep track of how long it takes. If you're normally finishing it in 4 hours, set a goal of 3:50 and really go for it. Keep track of how you're riding to see if there are places you could ride harder. If you get to the 3:50 time, set another goal of 3:40. Etc.
Find a weekly time trial (NEBC does one, but there are others around) and do it every week. These are typically fairly short (10 miles or so) and you just ride them as fast as you can.
Practice speed work. Find some flat road somewhere and do a few intervals on it. If you've got a stop watch, pick standard start and stop points and see how quickly you can cover the ground. Do several reps each time, with recovery times in between.
Ride fast.

(answer courtesy of Dave Jordan)

What's the deal with women's saddles and bicycle fit?

All will be revealed by checking out Pamela Blalock's web page on the subject.

How do I find information about tandems?

Again, all you'll need to know about riding tandems is explained on Pamela Blalock's web page on the subject.

What are the pros and cons of tubulars?

Pros: Light weight, fewer pinch flats, more comfortable, better handling Cons: Nearly impossible to repair, messy, some of the weight differential given back by having to carry one (or more) complete spare(s), may be more expensive for comparable tire quality (you probably don't want to ride on cheap tubulars)

What are the riding differences between clinchers and tubulars?

As mentioned, tubulars tend to both handle better and be more comfortable. In general, they handle better because they've got a circular cross section. I think the comfort factor is related to the cross section and to the fact that you may be able to avoid pinch flats while running at a relatively lower air pressure.

(answer courtesy of Dave Jordan)

What about on road repairs of tubulars?

Rip 'em off, stick 'em on. You're not likely to be able to "repair" a tubular on the road (or, for that matter, in the comfort of your home). So you just pull the old one off, fold it up, and put the new one on. This all takes some prep work: the spare tire is usually one that you've riden on before so that it's been properly stretched; and both the rim and the tire have to have been pre-glued (with a tire contact cement) so the tire will stick once mounted. Also, it can be difficult to get the old tire off, if it's really glued tight. Finally, once the replacement tire is mounted, it takes a little fiddling around to get it centered (side to side) all the way around the rim. Experienced tubular changers can usually do this operation faster than replacing a tube on a clincher.