This trip was not to take pictures, admire scenery, & smell flowers. It was about one goal only: arrive Portland before train departed back to Boston.
Visit more of Maine: rocky coast, lobster, lighthouses, diners, Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park.
| Edition | Route | Gravel |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 original trip ➡️152.49km ⬆️591m | Commuter rail from Boston North station to Newburyport. Bicycle north to Portsmouth, Wells, gravel Eastern rail trail & Portland. | Maximum trail maximum gravel—about 30km. Can be rough at times. Recommend 32mm tires. |
| 2019 repeat of 2018 route ➡️153.02km ⬆️671m | Despite headwind & rain threat of Hurricane Dorian. | Identical to 2018 |
| 2020 covid edition ➡️210.41km ⬆️1,259m | Last train from Portland left early. We opted to extend the route of previous years to start directly from Boston, without commuter rail to Newburyport. | Identical to 2018 |
| 2021 extended coastal route ➡️173.12km ⬆️954m | Train schedules aligned to allow for extended coastal route, avoid gravel rail trail & view many lighthouses. | Minimum gravel section 5km can be managed with any tire size |
| 2022 wind sailing edition ➡️219.12km ⬆️1,140m | Strong southwestern wind in a straight line to my direction of travel all day. | Minimum gravel 2.5km can be managed with any tire size. That section of trail was well maintained with regular use. |
4 July 2018
I had bicycled this route twice with both of my young sons over two days & three days. Now the challenge was to complete it in one day: bicycle 150km in 8 hours or overall average of 19km/h.
I was on a short trip back from Hong Kong with at least three adventures in mind:
- Beat the Ferry: a twist on Cape in a Day with a new route, trails, coastal views, bakeries, & a challenge.
- Beat the Train: this trip.
- Hut Traverse: hike all eight AMC high huts in the White Mountains.
All in one week.
Followed the East Coast Greenway from Newburyport along the coast with most beautiful views to Portsmouth. Continued along the coast to York, Nubble light house, until Wells. We were two-thirds of the way.
The remaining stretch was mostly on trails—hard packed gravel trails. Services were rare all the way to Portland for plenty of choices for dinner, meat, & beer ahead of boarding the train.
We met in Boston North station to roll bicycles on board MBTA train at 9:30 to Newburyport arriving at 10:34. We ate breakfast on the train, got bicycles ready, & started at 10:42.
We kept a comfortable pace. This was going to be a long day. It was about endurance. We compensated for speed by taking very short fast breaks. There was no need to sprint, push hard, or keep sustained high effort. Except all the way at the end, for the final 20km. Ben & I sprinted ahead for an opportunity to meet his friends, drink beer, & feast on meat at Salvage BBQ.
We loaded bicycles without any changes or disassembly onto bicycle car. Amtrak train left at 18:55 arriving in Boston at 21:25:
Booking train ticket was mandatory in advance of starting on the ride. Train has limited space for bicycles.
Bail out points included:
- Concord Coachlines bus from Portland offered late trip at 19:45. Their policy is friendly to bicycles, allowing drivers to load them in empty luggage compartment.
- Taxi, Uber, & Lyft.
- Hotels & motels to spend the night in Portland.
We arrived in time for music from Boston Pops & Fourth of July fireworks.
There were many options on route for bakeries, ice cream, & convenience stores along the way. They were very quick stops for: orange juice, protein shake, V8, chocolate milk, & energy bars.
We relied mostly on drinks to replenish both liquid & calories. I swallowed 8 electrolyte capsules.
Stops were:
- Cumberland Farms just before Portsmouth at 42km: the “new concept” stores are excellent bicycle quick stops, with plenty of options for drinks, soda fountain, energy bars, nuts, pickles, & sandwiches.
- Dunne’s ice cream at 68km: it was hard to resist the stop for kahlúa fudge brownie, but we should have skipped it. It was a long stop there. Waiting for Cumberland Farms in Wells would have been a better choice.
- Bread & Roses bakery at 80km: Fourth of July cup cakes.
- Hannaford supermarket at 123km: multiple bottles of juice & water.
- Salvage BBQ in Portland, near train station, at 150km: meat & bear.
Recorded 4 July 2018 10:42 on Suunto & Strava ➡️152.49km ⏩19.1km/h 🔄7:58:24.3 ⬆️591m ⬇️571m ↗️4m/km ⏬KML & GPX:
Handlebar bag to carry light jacket, gear, snacks, USB battery, lights, & hydration tablets.
7 September 2019
Repeated the trip with Charles River Wheelers club. Hurricane Dorian kept us guessing about weather forecast, not sure that we can keep the trip as scheduled.
We battled headwind for the first two hours. By early afternoon, clouds started to clear & wind started to calm:
We kept a good comfortable schedule all the way to the end, in time to quickly grab chili beans from Salvage BBQ & finish at the train station.
Recorded 7 September 2019 10:42 on Garmin & Strava: ➡️153.02km ⏩19.3km/h 🔄7:55:44 ⬆️671m ⬇️676m ↗️4.4m/km 📶20.9ºC ⏬KML & GPX.
19 September 2020
Naturally, the trip got bigger & better.
Amtrak last train back from Portland to Boston departed one hour earlier at 17:58. That did not leave us enough time from first train in Newburyport at 10:35. Our choice was to start the challenge directly from Oak Grove orange train station in Boston.
The route touched many beaches along the way. We had to add a cold water plunge:
Group worked together in big effort to arrive at Salvage BBQ for dinner: satisfying brisket sandwich, chili, & Citizen Cider infused with ginger.
Recorded 19 September 2020 5:16 on Garmin & Strava ➡️210.41km ⏩18.1km/h 🔄11:36:45 ⬆️1,259m ⬇️1,272m ↗️6.0m/km 📶14.3ºC ⏬KML & GPX:
31 May 2021
Train schedules aligned to allow for extended coastal route, avoid gravel rail trail, & view many lighthouses.
New this year was an early train from Boston at 7:30 to arrive Newburyport at 8:35. Amtrak last train back from Portland to Boston departed one hour earlier at 18:28. That gave us 10 hours to connect the two trains. Enough time to take a meandering route along Maine coast, rather than the direct Eastern gravel trail.
That gave us a chance to visit more sites. Despite the cool temperature, later in the ride we needed a boost of sugar energy from Garside ice cream:
Along with the usual stop at Nubble lighthouse, & new for this year a stop at Portland Head lighthouse:
We skipped the opportunity to dip in Kettle Cove beach. Meat & beer were on our mind instead:
Recorded 31 May 2021 6:07 on Garmin & Strava ➡️173.12km ⏩18.3km/h 🔄9:27:48 ⬆️954m ⬇️957m ↗️5.5m/km 📶13.0ºC ⏬KML & GPX:
6 November 2022
Wind sailing edition. Gust 50km/h. In a straight line to my direction of travel. All day.
Arrived well ahead of my schedule to meet friends for beer at Bissell Brothers Brewing Company.
I opted to try Concord Bus service instead of the train:
- Non-stop service from Portland to Boston
- Faster by a third
- Arrived at South Station which connected me directly to the red line subway
I stored the bicycle in its own luggage compartment with friendly assistance from staff. Bicycle was not strapped or secured. Just there. Similar to my trip earlier to Mount Greylock on Peter Pan Bus. This was probably my tenth transport on a bus like this. No problems whatsoever.
Recorded 6 November 2022 4:28 on Garmin & Strava ➡️219.12km ⬆️1,140m ↗️5.2m/km ⏬KML & GPX:
MCCCXXV 
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