Men's Journal

The Tour of the Valleys route encounters quiet roads, polite people, and delicious food. That said, it'll still keep your heart rate up and your legs working hard. Photo credit: Map by Alan Kikuchi

Team Garmin-Slipstream’s CEO Jonathan Vaughters earned his reputation riding the most stunning road routes across the U.S. Here’s one of his favorites.

5. Tour of the Valleys
Putney, Vermont (62 miles)

This one is as much a sightseeing tour as it is a bike ride. Along the 62-mile route, you’ll make your way past a historic covered bridge outside of West Dummerston and centuries-old cemeteries around Westminster; two cheese factories, including the acclaimed Vermont Shepherd cheese farm that has a cheese cave you can tour; and an old-timey general store in Saxtons River where you can lounge on the porch and talk with the locals. This ride makes the list not because of its difficulty, but because the roads are quiet, the people polite, and the food delicious. That said, the consistent small climbs will still keep your heart rate up and your legs working hard. A belly full of sheep’s milk cheese won’t help you on the last ascent, up Kurn Hattin Hill, but the picturesque view at the top — fields teeming with the very sheep that made your cheese — makes that small amount of suffering worthwhile.

This is the last of our five rides. Click here to see route four — Mount Haleakala, in Maui, HI. And you can click here to see route number three — The Peak to Peak Highway, starting from Boulder, CO. Click here to see route number two — The Gila Monster, starting from Silver City, NM. Or click here to see route one — From Orange Groves to the General Sherman, starting from Visalia, CA.

This article originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.

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