If you happen to live near any farmland, I would encourage you to head in that direction when you’re seeking a route for your next bike ride. While it likely won’t provide any epic climbs, it’s usually light with traffic, sparsely populated with buildings, and full of beautiful views. If you’re lucky you’ll find some dirt roads too, which are always fun to ride.

Last week I set off into the farmlands of Western Massachusetts. After a very harsh winter in New England, this was one was of the first truly warm weekends of the spring so far.

South Amherst and Hadley are home to several small farms. While the fields weren’t a lush green just yet, there was the unmistakable feeling of spring in the air. While there aren’t large climbs around here, there are rolling hills which keep it interesting. 1000 feet of climbing in 20 miles was enough to warm up the legs.

The best parts of the ride were the dirt roads. With knobby 33mm tires and disc brakes, this is what my custom built Montague FIT was made for.

I recommend stopping by one of the local dairys for a mid-ride ice cream.

New friends.

Pictured is a grain silo which is filled with dried corn to feed the cows during winter. Many of the nearby fields grow corn with the very purpose of stocking these silos. Look closely, bicycle provided for scale.

First ride of the season without leg warmers, and that sun felt good.

After a great weekend of riding I was able to fold my Montague FIT for the car trunk and head back to Boston. Monday morning I was back to riding in busy city traffic on my way to Montague HQ, but it sure was nice to get away.