It was raining when I left home, but the showers had passed through Providence, R.I. an hour earlier. Tonight was the ride with the mayor of Providence. It’s a quarterly group ride that is increasing in popularity as bikes become more and more a transportation preference for many.
As usual, I parked in East Providence, which gave me an extra 7 miles for this event. It’s easy parking and the bike ride to Burnside Park is pretty cool.
We are doing our monthly critical mass ride next Friday in Providence, and if you live within range you really need to put this on your bucket list. It’s that good a bike ride.
Meet Our group at the Fort Hill parking lot in East Providence at the beginning of the East Bay Bike Path at 5:00 for a 5:15 wheels up. The ride to Burnside is a 3.5 mile spin over the Washington Bridge and through India Point Park. We also ride over the Point Street Bridge into Providence.
This is a casual paced ride with police escort. Bring a helmet and reflective clothing if you want. A white front lamp and rear red reflectors are required by law for riding at night in Providence.
CLICK HERE for the gps route from Fort Hill to Burnside Park
We were scheduled to leave BWI at 7 PM, then the time was moved to 8. Sitting in the terminal, we saw our plane being pushed out of the gate. Right behind it, another was moved in. The reason was something broken that could not be fixed.
The nice representative explained everything which we all appreciated. We sat, and sat for an hour before the announcement came. “Ladies and gentlemen, everything is a go and we apologize for the delay. We will have you on your way to Providence as soon as we can locate some pilots.”
I boarded the plane in Baltimore after traveling from South Carolina, and I began sniffing. I knew what was to come. Then the cough accompanied by watering eyes. It was a quick 50 minute flight to Providence, fortunately. However, by the time we got to the car at the airport, I was hacking, sneezing, and shivering. Friday night was uncomfortable, Saturday was worse. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I made sure my cadaver donation card was was in an obvious place so my wife could expedite my transfer to Boston. I called my son who I’m riding with on the Erie Canal in July, telling him not to get his hopes up.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked.
“I thing I have the Bubonic plague” I responded.
It’s Wednesday and things are getting back to normal. False alarm on the plague thing.
I’m sure I’ll be ready for the game Saturday at Foxboro. Atlanta United is coming to town and I’ll be bringing two hats. I have been a Revs fan since the teams inception in 1996 and will always be a fan. But…….Being a Revs fan, one also needs a team to support in the playoff. #2 son lives in Atlanta and I attend a game or two every season at Mercedes Benz stadium with 65K wild fans with drums, flags, flares and all the other wonderful things that make soccer such a great sport.
Playoff team cap. Atlanta United
This Saturday, I’ll be at Gillette’s 71k stadium not quite filled to capacity, with 12k fans, sitting on their hands and doing tennis claps now and then, all we need is another fifty thousand more to materialize. Could happen. I would never think of saying the Revs suck. But they do. But they are my team. Regular season of course.
Kamau Bell at the Z was really good last night. The best part is that I got to ride my bike home at 10 PM.
On a side note: As I was riding by the Ebb Tide, (yeah, that place), there were three guys trying to stand up straight smoking. One looks at me and says “five oh”. I thought that was funny till I came upon two guys on bikes at Cumby’s. When I told the story, they said they also thought I was a cop
Here’s our planned route for Friday Night! We’ll make 2 stops along the way, one at India Point and the other at Roger Williams, so don’t forget to bring a refreshment and/or snack. We’ll finish the ride at Ogie’s Trailer Park. See you tomorrow at Burnside! https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29580224
PVDCM March 29 Plan
13.5 Miles. +429 feet. Starts in Providence R.I.
The weather looks to be cloudy and 47 -52F. Little or no wind and 20% chance of rain.
6:00 for a 6:15 start. Meet Our group at the Fort Hill parking lot in East Providence at the beginning of the East Bay Bike Path, for the 2ish mile ride to Burnside.
****Traffic can be crazy on 195 that time of day. Be sure to use you GPS app to keep and eye out for backups. WAZE is a good one to add to you phone.
This is a night ride. Bring your lights and check the weather.
Meet at the Stop and Shop lot in Cranston R.I. CLICK HERE for the location
Time: 8:45 for a 9 AM start
***This is a 19 mile paved bike path that takes us from Cranston R.I. to the Connecticut line. There are some wonderful sights along this ride and our pace will be such that we can smell the roses. Around 12 MPH You can read about a past ride HERE
Riders can also turn back at any time if this 40 mile ride is too much. Just stay on the path till you see your car. Load it up and drive home.
6:00 for a 6:15 start. Meet Our group at the Fort Hill parking lot in East Providence at the beginning of the East Bay Bike Path, for the 2ish mile ride to Burnside.
****Traffic can be crazy on 195 that time of day. Be sure to use you GPS app to keep and eye out for backups. WAZE is a good one to add to you phone.
This is a night ride. Bring your lights and check the weather.
We cancelled our Friday night full moon ride because of the weather. Paul, in his infinite wisdom, called for a Sunday morning ride as a makeup. Needless to say, things worked out very well. Only six of the regulars showed for this on for a variety of reasons. I called one young rider to let him know, and he returned my call, with a text, an hour later. We were already at the starting place. Three others had their bikes in the shop, (one bike wonders), and one said he had to go to church. Really? Who still does that in this day and age?
It was chilly as the riders began to gather in Warren R.I. We had an 11 mile easy spin to Providence, stopping at the India Point Bridge for photos. Crossing the Washington Bridge over the East Bay and riding feet from interstate 195 is always a hoot. Especially with a two foot thick concrete and stone barrier separating the bikes and pedestrians from the high speed traffic.
The ride also is the start of the video season for me. I have a couple of events I am recording including a week long bike ride on the Erie Canal. Stay Tuned.
Sunday Group Ride on the EBBP March 2019 from John Sullivan on Vimeo.
