Sugar Shack Spin

Sunday, Mar 19, 2017
Florence, MA, United States
Recreational

Get your sweet tooth on!

Let’s face it, winter in New England can really drag. Fortunately, it’s got a few things going for, one of which is Maple Sugar season. Forget that corn syrupy type stuff; we’re talking the real deal straight from Mother Nature.

Maple Syrup.
Maple Sugar Candy.
Pancakes.
Dirt Roads.
3 routes to choose from.

Did we mention the fresh, locally tapped maple syrup?

Welcome to the second annual Sugar Shack Spin, your excuse to fill yourself up with pancakes and maple syrup and feel completely justified about it!

Choose your flavor:

Maple Sapling Meander: This is the shortest of the three (roughly 15 miles total) and designed for those folks who want to come along but want to skip the dirt roads and not make a whole day of it! We will be starting this route around noon and visiting Steve’s Sugar Shack mid-ride with a pancake lunch planned! Please note that although this ride is short in terms of mileage, there are a fair share of hills you’ll be tackling to earn your pancakes, so by no means think this is simply a pedal in the park!

When: Check in between 11:45 and 12:00 pm, with ride starting at 12:00

Where: Starts at JFK Middle School in Florence, MA, visits Steve’s Sugar Shack

Route: Roughly 15.5 miles (same route as last year) (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/967631413)

Includes: Lunch (see below), DRINKmaple water, Mad Alchemy PRO+ Chamois Cream samples (for comfort!), free 6 month membership to Adventure Cycling Association, on-Route support, and transportation for any purchases you make along the way for pick-up at the finish.

Medial Maple Meander: At roughly 24 miles, this one will also stop first at Steve’s Sugar Shack for a pancake lunch but then go on to visit Zawalick’s Sugarhouse (think maple sugar candy for dessert) before returning to the start. For those of you who rode the Medial Maple last year, the first third of the route will look familiar but the rest will be new roads!

When: Check in between 12:15 and 12:30 pm, with ride starting at 12:30

Where: Starts at JFK Middle School in Florence, MA, visits Steve’s Sugar Shack and Zawalick’s Sugarhouse

Route: Roughly 23.6 miles (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1412350579)

Includes: Lunch (see below) and samples at Zawalick’s Sugarhouse, DRINKmaple water, Mad Alchemy PRO+ Chamois Cream samples (for comfort!), free 6 month membership to Adventure Cycling Association, on-Route support, and transportation for any purchases you make along the way for pick-up at the finish.

Mighty Maple Meander: Just like with the Medial Maple, we’ve re-vamped the Mighty Maple to give you new roads and new sugar shacks to enjoy! BUT, to qualify for Mighty Maple status, you need to pedal 49+ miles, which will include up to 3 sugar shack stops, dirt roads, and a day full of fun! Just to make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy the day, we’re starting this route first thing in the morning: 8:00 am! For those of you who rode last year, while we might have cut down on the mileage, we’ve added even more climbing this year (roughly 4,400’+) and it’s not for the faint of heart! There are some long, sustained climbs, with some equally long downhill descents. Trust us, this is a challenging route so early in the year!

When: Check in between 7:45 and 8:00 am, with ride starting at 8:00

Where: Starts at JFK Middle School in Florence, MA, route passes Steve’s Sugar Shack, High Hopes Farm Sugar House, and Windy Hill Farm.

Route: Roughly 49 miles w/dirt roads http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1408797469 – includes dirt roads, not suggested for road tires)
Roughly 48 miles without dirt roads (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1448147392? )

Includes: Buffet Breakfast (see below) and samples at Windy Hill Farm, DRINKmaple water, Mad Alchemy PRO+ Chamois Cream samples (for comfort!), free 6 month membership to Adventure Cycling Association, on-Route support, and transportation for any purchases you make along the way for pick-up at the finish.

Breakfast Menu:

Mighty Maple riders will enjoy an all-you-can -eat buffet at High Hopes Farm Sugar House which will include pancakes (gluten free available upon request), French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, sausage, ham and our own pure maple syrup. There is also toast and English muffins to sample their maple cream on and maple sugar. Available beverages include orange juice, coffee, tea, milk, and hot chocolate.

Sound like a lot? Trust us, you’ll earn it!

Lunch Menu:

The Maple Sapling and Medial Maple include the following meal choices at Steve’s Sugar Shack:

-2 pancake, 2 pieces bacon or sausage
OR
-2 French toast, 2 pieces bacon or sausage

AND BEVERAGES – Your Choice: Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Bottled Water, Milk, Soda, Orange Juice, Juice Box, V8, or Chocolate Milk

For Gluten intolerant folks, there WILL BE gluten free pancakes available. In addition, you of course may order other food at your own cost, and tips for the servers are welcome and appropriate!

Contact Information

Sean Condon

[email protected]

413-650-2977

Start Location

JFK Middle School