Northeast - Quiet Country Roads near Boston for 30ml+ rides?

There are lots of informative threads about rides near Boston, but I find myself in the "info overload" mode. I am looking specifically for some rides along quiet country roads, where I can pick up speed and not worry about traffic too much. I am going stir-crazy on the Minuteman Bikeway, but hate riding with traffic and smelling car exhaust.

I have also heard that there is a "system of back roads around the small Massachusetts colleges", but no one is able to tell me where exactly they are. I am guessing these are around Wellesley?

If anybody could be nice enough to suggest specific roads and routes, that would be extremely appreciated.

Check out the North Shore Cyclists web site. They run Sunday Rides every week that are usually "quiet country roads". I'm sure that there are other groups in Metro West and the South.

http://www.nscyc.org/event

Thanks mr_antares, it's great how many cycling resources the Boston area has to offer. I'm not so much interested in going on group rides, though -- I'd just like to know the names/numbers of a few roads that sound like what I am looking for. The maps provided by the organisations do not really make this clear, and often include stretches of what I recognise to be busy or commercial roads.

Check out CRW's Saturday Morning Ride (www.crw.org). They have 19, 28 and 42 mile loops for this route. All on pretty quiet roads. There still will be cars passing you by not that many. CRW site should have a cue sheet. If not let me know, I have one for their 28-mile loop. Or just go to Nahanton Park in Newton (near Exit 19A on I-95) and look for inverted "T" marker on the road - that will show you where to go.

CRW also has other rides plus links to other cycling clubs around boston which have more rides =)

Another option is to search for routes on Bikely.com or MapMyRide.com.


Enjoy your ride.
Misha

If you're going to plan a ride on unfamiliar roads, I would caution to check the applicable DPW site for any road construction going on.

Bay road in Southeastern, MA has a very high rating for biking on the Rubels map, but is actually closed in Canton. The detour will eventually take you down 138, which is not all that bike friendly.

Actually the Rubels map offers information on different routes in the area, at least major roads and also information about bikeways. Most bike shops carry them.