The Ride

The Noble Pursuit is a tour of a different sort. It’s a bold statement, but think of it as the greatest time you will ever have on a bicycle. The ride itself is a self-supported team (4 riders/team) ride taking place on Sunday, July 28. In the Noble cycling spirit, and being a team ride, all members must cross the line together, so keep ‘all for one and one for all’ in mind when choosing your team.

The route is a closely guarded secret, revealed to great fanfare (and the odd weak knee) on the morning of the event. Up front, you can be assured of several things. First, the Noble Pursuit is a self-supported ride. Ensure that your team is well-equipped with food, water, spare tubes, tools and a healthy dose of gumption.

Second, it will be long — around 170km — so make sure the tank is full the morning of the ride.

Third, that 170km will be of greatly varying road conditions. Silky smooth asphalt will cozy up with rolling gravel roads, then in a snap, drop ’em for some unassuming farm lane or ATV trail. If nothing else, the Noble Pursuit will alter your perception of what road cycling entails.

Fourth, bring your navigation skills. Each team will be provided with a map and turn-by-turn directions describing the route in detail, however, the route itself will be unmarked.

Finally, we repeat — the Noble Pursuit is self-supported. Meaning, whatever happens on the road you, and your team, must find a way to deal with it together. There will be no sag wagons, no emergency pick-ups. Do not get a friend to drive around the route with your team to pick up the pieces.

Teams will be timed, but this is no time-trial. Some teams will ride with speed, some will ride for the camaraderie, some will ride with the most simple hope of finishing. There will be teams that finish “first” or “second” or “eighth” but where you place doesn’t matter. The Noble Pursuit is simple in premise. Ride in whatever manner suits your team, and arrive at the the Ashburnham Ale House fully prepared to regale fellow riders with epic stories, fables, legends-in-the-making or out-and-out BS, all while enjoying delicious food and cold drinks in earnest.

Trust us, you’ll have earned it.