The weather prevented me from riding into New Bedford, MA to map a route for the MLK ride on Monday. I reached out to Civatron at the New Bedford Starchasers and he came through brilliantly. Everything you need to know and more about our route is HERE. p.s. Boomer is a Pilot in the NB Starchaser fleet. He completes his 70th trip around the sun on MLK day January 18, 2021. On the following day, he begins his 71st trip circumnavigating Sol. “I am proud to celebrate my birthday with the great American, Martin Luther King” said Boomer. Come join us on a bike ride. Empanadas provided by Boomer.

Date: January 17, 2021

Location. Buttonwood Park Warming House. 1 Oneida St. New Bedford, MA

Wheels up at 11 AM

LOCATIONS:

1. Monument to Black Service Men & Women (Rockdale & Court, Buttonwood Park)
2. NAACP & Memorial Square (Kempton & Cedar)
3. Carney Academy (Cottage & Kempton)
4. Temple Landing Peace Memorial (Cedar St, Temple Landing)
5. Lewis Temple Monument (Pleasant St, NB Public Library)
6. Frederick Douglass Plaque (William St, NB City Hall)
7. Labor History Mural (Sixth St, NB District Court)
8. Nathan & Polly Johnson House / Frederick Douglass House (7th & Spring)
9. Abolition Park (7th & Spring)
10. Our Lady of Assumption Church (47 S. 6th St)
11. Thomas D. Lopes Park (S. 6th & County)
12. Cape Verdean American Veterans Memorial Square (County & Pleasant)
13. Bisca Tournament Club Mural (161 Acushnet Ave)
14. Create os Futuro Mural (S. Water & Division)
15. Liberty Hall Bell Plaque (Purchase & William)
16. 54th Regiment Volunteer Infantry Plaza & Mural (William St, Custom House Square)
17. Love Mural (Wings Court)
18. Postcards to New Bedford (Purchase & Elm)
19. Sgt. William H. Carney House & Martha Briggs Educational Club (128 Mill St)

Last years ride

Fredrick Douglas and MLK tribute bike ride from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Set your watches to start the ride on Monday January 18th at 10 AM

I’ll work out the logistics with some research and post it on Thursday or Friday. Check back, where ever you are reading this post. WordPress. My Facebook page. Buzzards Bay Casual Bike Ride or Fairhaven Bikeway Committee, all on Facebook.

Why do this you ask?

Monday is Martin Luther King Day and it’s also the last day of my 70th trip around the sun. Tuesday is the 70th anniversary of my birth. The first day of my 71st year. Wednesday is Inauguration day. Three reasons to celebrate, and what better way than a bike ride. A check of the weather will finalize the day.

WTF? Oh right. I use a floating IP address to different servers around the world. This one is in LA. Lets reset and look again. Monday at 10 AM looks like a decent start time.

Luckily we are not in Poland.

Ta Ta for now. Or if you prefer text ttfn.

A cold January 9, 2021 bike ride. Following the rules of bikejournal.com, ride a “bit” of 12.5 to 25 miles in one day. Layers, attitude and a special Rudi Guliani, “I was just trying to remove the microphone cable” sock, to keep that delicate place warm.

Some I play along some I don’t. The one I’m doing is called “BIT” rides. Or, just go ride for a bit.

To play along while staying within the parameters, a ride must be between 12.5 and 25 miles over the course of a day. If I ride more than 25, which by the way, I can’t imaging that happening in the winter, I only admit to the parameter of 25.

I tried riding ten miles on my daily rides since I sold my road and touring bikes. With this new game we are playing on bikejournal.com, I am required to add an additional mile and a half for the minimum of 12.5 miles. Fortunately, I don’t need to do it on one ride. Just that much during the day. Twenty five, half mile rides would suffice. Or two 6.25s, or one 12 mile and another half mile later in the day. Even three 4.16666667 mile rides. Those are the minimum miles. Max is 25 and there are so many multiples that I’m pondering going on Amazon today to buy an abacus.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I had to write it because my tongue is stuck in my cheek.

This is the “Bit” mileage challenge for the year of 2021 on bikejournal.com

Here are the “Bit” parameters:

A “Bit” must be in 2021.
A “Bit” is your total mileage during your normal (24 hour) day.
A “Bit” is 12.5 miles but less than 25 miles.

It will require you post three bits of information: Date, Mileage, and Bit #. You can make comments as well. Comments that include a reference to a “bit” will be fun. Join anytime!

Bit # 3

Jan 5

13.57 miles.

My intention was to ride around town for an hour or so, just because. Near the center, I came across two guys struggling to put air into the tire one had just repaired. Well one was struggling, the other was making life miserable for him.

After our first introduction to each other, they told me that they has begun their ride at 6:30 AM from Carver, MA. which was a hike from Fairhaven. There were doing a century ride and were just under 50 miles into the ride. “We are riding into New Bedford and Fort Rodman”. I asked if I could join them and take some videos of the ride. They agreed and off we went.

My idea was to go off the usual route to the Fort and give a bit of a tour of the city. “Secret Places”, was the theme. That’s when your in a new place and someone you just met takes you off the beaten path to areas only the locals know. When we arrived along the waterfront, they called me John and we introduced ourselves for the second time.

Around the peninsula we went and eventually got back to Fairhaven where it all began. Nearing the end of the ride, I began video taping an epilogue and saying their names. “Not even close” Frank responded. Thos chuckled. It wasn’t long after that it was time for me to peel off and head home. We shopped and said our goodbyes and I wished, Jim and Mark safe travel after our third introduction.

I really thought that, like the full moon ride, I would be riding alone today. That’s why I decided to take the electric assist bike. However, just in case, I set up the party bike. If there was anyone at Staples, the meeting spot, the ride would head east and pass very close to my home. There was, and we did. I did my best quick change from the Raza to the beater bike, turned on the music, and off we went.

The beater seemed unusually difficult to ride and one my companions didn’t care to ride with music. In deference to him I turned it off. Low and behold, I heard the distinct sound of by back tire rubbing on the break pad. I tried unsuccessfully to adjust the thing. Finally Dave chimed in, “you don’t need no stinkin’ rear break. I agreed and disconnected it. It was smooth sailing from there.