Ian and Gretchen Boswell know a thing or two about cycling. Ian’s a pro cyclist and UnTapped athlete. Gretchen, while not busy raising three little kiddos, is also the logistical mastermind of the annual Peacham Fall Fondo, a celebration of cycling and community in their quintessentially Vermont town of Peacham, which just happened this past weekend. 

The event started as a way for Ian to build connections with his new community when he moved to Peacham but was away for large chunks of time on the pro cycling tour. Since then, the event has taken on a life of its own and become a central part of the local community. 

We sat down with Gretchen and Ian as they prepared to welcome 300 riders to their home, and talked about how it started, why its grown, and why they couldn’t stop it now, even if they wanted to. (Spoiler alert: they don’t want to). 

Ian Boswell: I was kind of the instigator. We moved to Peacham in 2017, but I was living in France, so I wasn’t here that often. Gretchen quickly got very involved in the community. It’s a small town, 700 people, so it really takes the community to keep the town moving forward. I just felt like, “How can I contribute? I ride bikes and I’m sure I could probably bring a lot of cyclists to town.” My passion is sport and I know the beautiful, amazing roads we have here, and it’s just so cool to be able to share our town and our roads with everyone.

Gretchen Boswell: I was totally supportive because I also really like the community feel. I also like the backend of things, the organizing and bringing different groups to work together. That’s my role in all this: facilitating. We’re a great partnership and it’s worked out really well. The Fondo has evolved over time and I like that. It’s a little different every year. 

Ian: When we first did the event in 2018, we didn’t really know how many people would show up. I just thought, “Hey, if 50 people show up, it’ll be a fun ride.” The Fondo is not a bike race, it’s a bike ride. It blows me away we have so many returning people year after year. Because it’s not a race, it’s attracting a different crowd of cyclists who want to just come and ride with friends and be part of the cycling community.

Gretchen: That was a huge motivator in starting it, because he was still on the world tour and he said, “What do I actually want to do when my season ends? I just want to do a nice ride with friends in a beautiful area.” 

Ian: It’s crazy. There’s been now at least three participants who’ve actually moved to Peacham since doing the ride. Obviously, I think mid-September’s the best time to see Vermont. It’s amazing. They might curse themselves come winter. 

One thing that’s so amazing is how much the community buys into this. The town is off the main route; no one just drives through Peacham. So for us to bring in 300 riders has become instrumental, especially for the library that hosts the pie stop halfway. It’s their biggest fundraiser of the year, similar for the fire department and the parent-teacher association, and there’s all these little Kingdom Kids we’re supporting again.

Gretchen: I have to give credit to the Farm to Fork Fondo. Ian got invited and I came along and I thought it was just the bees knees to have pie in the middle of a ride. One of the spots where we stopped was a farm store and they served pie and I just thought that was the greatest. I said, “How about if we do pie for the Fondo?” It really started as apple pie with cheddar because Cabot Cheese is one of our partners. And now it’s evolved to buttermilk cream pies and gluten-free pies and chocolate cream pies and all these delicious flavors.

Ian: Peacham is a quintessentially Vermont village. There is a church, a library, a cafe that’s open sometimes, the town hall, and that’s it. But for some reason, maybe because we are off the beaten path, we have an incredibly tight-knit community. People call it Peacham Pride.

Gretchen: Over the years, we’ve started to figure out how to incorporate different organizations so that we can essentially run this as a nonprofit. 

Ian: I just got a text from the farmer who hays the field where the parking is. There’s just a million moving parts. 

Gretchen: I make the dilly beans for one of the aid stops. That was something that started early on and people wanted again. In the spring, I was like, “I’ve got to plant green beans for the dilly beans.” Silly stuff like that. 

The first couple years before UnTapped came on, we were doing maple syrup shots in a little cup, and UnTapped has made it so easy and people love all the different flavors. My mom also makes an energy ball for one of the aid stops that’s become a tradition.

Ian: For me, riding the roads through the maple trees that provide the fuel for my racing, and obviously for the people out riding, it’s just so great. With UnTapped, it allows riders to actually have the fuel they need between stops so they’re staying on top of their nutrition and hydration.

Gretchen: When did I realize the Fondo had taken on a life of its own? Maybe the second or third year, it sold out in 10 minutes, which was crazy. It’s still the case today where it sells out so quickly. That was the moment we’re like, “Oh, wow, what have we built here?” Even last year we thought, “Oh, maybe this will be our last year,” but people just love it and the community loves it. 

Ian: When we started in 2018, I had just raced the Tour de France, so there was maybe a draw for people who were cyclists who followed me to be like, “Hey, I’m going to go to the event.” Now, the fact that I’m involved is almost irrelevant. People are like, “The Peacham Fall Fondo is a great event.” It’s cool to bring in these people to my world of cycling, but who maybe aren’t following the sport at the highest level. They just love riding bikes and have found an event that really suits their needs.

One of the things I love most about bike riding is the conversations you have on the bike, and I think endurance sports in general is a very shared experience, whether it’s a fun run or you do a big challenge with a friend. It’s those memories that really stick with you. My thought process in how we design the course is how do you keep people together? You’ll come to the pie stop halfway, and there might be 150 people just sitting on the grass eating pie, and so it slows people down. Also how do we create this energy at the finish line so everyone is there around the same time? That’s the real key. There’s food trucks and creemee machines and live music. 

Gretchen: It totally fits the vibe of fall foliage and you’re riding through these beautiful trees that are actually providing the fuel for your ride. Now I’m thinking we should probably start to do a maple cream pie with UnTapped. 

Ian: That’s a good idea. I think also with UnTapped, and the Peacham Pride thing I mentioned earlier, we’re all very proud of where we live and incorporating as much Vermont flavor as possible. Whether it’s Cabot Cheese or the hospitality of a small community. Maple syrup’s obviously the most iconic emblem of Vermont, maybe outside of Phish or Ben & Jerry’s. It really just fits so well with the flavor of this event. Especially for folks who come from out of state, they’re like, “Whoa, this is a really special place.” It’s all these little details that make Vermont special, and I think UnTapped’s a huge part of that.

Gretchen: We have this really iconic photo of a dad who towed his son for part of the ride, and they found one of the gnomes that we put on course. They had this great story to tell, and now they come back every year. Those little stories keep me wanting to do it and bring people together. There’s all these really sweet humanizing moments. That’s my favorite part. 

Ian: My favorite part is Saturday night at five o’clock when everyone is finished. We did it again and we finished safely. Everyone is like, “We had a great time, see you next year.” 

We’re so fortunate to live here. It’s so cool to have other riders afterwards be like, “Oh, you’re so lucky to ride these roads,” and just be able to share a little piece of my life with 300 strangers.

Gretchen: ‘Fondo’ is Italian for a group ride. In Europe, they always end with some sort of celebration, typically a huge meal. Also, “Fall Fondo,” there’s kind of a ring to it. It’s funny though, especially the old-time Vermonters and farmers are like, “When’s the fondue coming again?”

Ian: One other thing that’s been cool to see is how many people locally have started to ride because of the Fondo. Seeing people in our community get into cycling has been really the proudest thing, just to see neighbors who train every year now. It’s cool to see more people living a healthy lifestyle because of the Fondo.

Want to ride the Peacham Fall Fondo next year? There are two registration windows. The first 150 spots open on March 21, 2027, and another 150 spots open on June 21. Good luck. 

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