Classic Routes

The Bombay Bicycle Club has over forty years of experience with developing some of the best routes for cycling in the Madison area.

Our Ride with GPS account lists upcoming ride events and provides a searchable route library. If you want to get a sense for what our routes look like, we've assembled a selection below of what we consider classic club rides.

Before each club ride, members receive information about the ride, including a map and cue sheet.  Some examples:

Maps and Cue sheets for classic Bombay Routes (see Ride with GPS for current routes):

• Pedal around Paoli – Short route is the classic Paoli ride, medium routes adds 20 hilly miles.

• Fear of Barlow – Climb one of the steepest hills in Dane County.  As a bonus, you also get to do Sutcliffe from the west.  Fuel up in Black Earth.
• Cambridge Cruise – A easy east side scenic ride to Cambridge, Deerfield, and Cottage Grove.
• Paoli - New Glarus – From the town pump in Paoli, spin east and south on roads we seldom travel for a stop at Albany; then push on to New Glarus for lunch. Return via the scenic Primrose ridge. The short loop travels through the lovely Sugar River watershed, passing near Belleville.
• Black Earth Hilltopper - A classic Bombay summer favorite. Get a new perspective on Western Dane and Eastern Iowa Counties. This scenic, hilly tour includes rest stops in Black Earth and Cross Plains.
• Blue Mound View - Enjoy a spectacular panorama from the top of Blue Mound on this hilly ride, followed by an exhilarating descent down Mounds Park Road. Shorter routes to Cross Plains and Mount Horeb
• Bike for Bagels - Cruise through Cottage Grove, meander through Marshall, and wind through Waterloo to a Banana-Bagel Brunch. Medium ride does Deansville enroute home. Long ride continues south round Lake Ripley, through Cambridge countryside, hits Hope, and back to Olbrich.
• Tour of the World - Experience a unique tour of Amish community businesses including bakery, grocery and furniture stores. Longer loop ventures up to the historic town of Evansville.
• Indianford Escape - This ride to Indianford on the Rock River is a spring classic. A few rolling hills is just what you need. The short route takes you to Lake Kegonsa and the Medium route goes to Cooksville.
• Hyde and Seek - A scenic tour through Iowa County. Bring a picnic lunch to eat at our destination, the picturesque Hyde Mill
• Martinsville Meander - A Bombay classic, heads north of our usual routes west, refresh in Mazomanie; return via Vermont Church and Braun; Alpe d’Huez option over Reeve, Fesenfeld and Sutcliffe.
• Indian Lake County Park Ride - Head north to Fish Lake and bring and enjoy a break at Fish Lake County Park or add extra loops and eat at the Roxbury Tavern or in Sauk City. Short option to Martinsville or Indian Lake Park if you add a mile or two.
• Lodi is Lovely - Enjoy a lovely cruise north to Columbia County to check on Susie the duck in Lodi. Return route passes the scenic Lodi Marsh. Medium route visits Hamlet of Dane.
• Southern Splendor - Ride south and east on roads we seldom travel around the south side of Lake Kegonsa to Stoughton, and then south and west from Stoughton to return. Short ride goes to Oregon.
• Swiss Scene - Take this scenic ride to the Swiss village of New Glarus, with shorter routes to Paoli and Belleville. Sample the delicious selections at the New Glarus Bakery
• Tour de Bison - The long and medium routes pass through the McKenzie environmental Center at Poynette. The long route also takes in some scenic shoreline of Lake Wisconsin and the Rowan Creek wetlands. Food available in Poynette.
• Freedom Train Ride - Celebrate independence and ride to freedom – North Freedom, that is.  The route is 100 miles round trip with shorter loops to Devils Lake and Roxbury.
  
  

Special thanks to Wisconsin Department of Transportation for base maps.