First tour: New Haven to Provincetown

Route: We used the East Coast Greenway (ECG) and Ride with GPS heatmaps to plan the route. We followed ECG for the most part with some detours to avoid unpaved trails. It was a nice mix of mixed-use trails and quieter roads, with the occasional higher traffic road (the ECG map indicates “high-stress” sections). Crossing the Sagamore Bridge was the worst part. We split the route into 6 days of riding and 2 rest days in Providence. Full ride data here: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/272755596?privacy_code=Mcoad7j6P25hwZoa89ulti8YSumREx5f

Bikes and gear: My partner and I both bought our C lines for commuting in NYC, but we were inspired by other Brompton tourers to try a longer trip. I switched out the stock 50T chainring for 44T for easier climbing, though we still found anything above a 10% grade pretty hard. Thankfully we didn’t get any flats or other mechanical issues. We went credit card-style and stayed at motels + BNB’s, so we just carried the essentials with some room for groceries. For the bus plus train trip back to NYC, we packed the bikes in Dimpa bags with some cardboard and bubble wrap that we bought at our destination.

Some highlights:
– Quiet country roads in Connecticut leading to and from Willimantic, and the forested roads crossing into Coventry, RI
– Waterfront views throughout Cape Cod, and beach views from Wellfleet
– Favorite coffee stops: Story and Soil (Hartford), Nitro Bar (Providence), Snowy Owl (Sandwich)
– Sweet bread french toast at Al Mac’s Diner in Fall River