I believe this will be my 9th New England Classic.
I have Type 2 diabetes. Riding my bike is the best way I have found to keep my disease in check. Exercise had always been difficult for me because I never was able to find "my thing" although thinking back to when I was very young I always loved riding a bike.
I found road cycling as my favorite activity and along the way I have met many great people - other riders, volunteers, etc that have truly become a big part of my life. I won't lie - this ride is NOT easy but crossing that finish line at the end of the 2nd day feels SO good that I just have to keep coming back.
New England Classic Charity Bike Tour 150/550 - 2024
The New England Classic Charity Bike Tour is a multi-day fundraising cycling event that offers two-day and seven-day options starting Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Bedford, Mass. at Middlesex Community College. The 150-mile NEC 150 and 550-mile NEC 550 travel the same route for the first two days. Indoor, air-conditioned accommodations and breakfast and dinner are included with the fundraising minimum of $500 for the NEC 150 and $2,900 for the NEC 550.
The 2024 New England Classic Charity Bike Tour will benefit the American Diabetes Association. Through research, education and advocacy, the ADA pursues its mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. More than 30 million Americans live with diabetes.
NEC 150 riders travel the back roads of the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire and along the seacoast with a destination of Durham, N.H. The Day 2 route takes riders to coastal Maine past beaches, rocky coves and quaint villages. Day 2 ends with dinner and a celebration, then riders take chartered buses back to Bedford while their bicycles are transported there safely.
After sharing the first two days of their route with the NEC 150, NEC 550 riders leave coastal Maine, heading west into the White Mountain region, where the challenge rolls north through Conway and on to the Attitash ski area in Bartlett, N.H. The journey continues Day 4 with a climb up Crawford Notch on the way to Bethlehem and Littleton, N.H., before crossing the Connecticut River into Vermont. After a night in Montpelier, riders pedal the river valleys of the Green Mountains on scenic Route 100 to the Killington area and the welcome comfort of a ski resort. The trek continues through Vermont and then back into the Monadnock region of New Hampshire with an overnight in Keene, N.H. The final leg heads to Central Massachusetts, winding its way to the finish at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Mass., on Friday, July 19.
The New England Classic Charity Bike Tour (NEC Bike Tour) is organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. The purpose of the NEC Bike Tour is to raise funds exclusively for charitable purposes in support of the American Diabetes Association and their summer camp for kids with diabetes, Camp Carefree.