Join or follow the casual ride on Facebook  HERE

For information on upcoming local rides click HERE

If you don’t like Facebook click HERE for the web page of amidnightrider.com

***** Note Buzzard’s Bay Wednesday night casual is only on Facebook.

The rides will coincide with the 30 days of biking pledge. Our first ride will be on April 4th.  This year there will be two starting points.  Staples in Fairhaven, for those who want a 20 mile loop, and the Y in New Bedford for a shorter 10 mile casual ride.  New riders are always welcome and we ride at around a 10 mph pace.

As in the past, after crossing over the Fairhaven bridge on the south sidewalk, we will meet any riders at the Y and continue a short distance on Orchard St. in New Bedford before merging onto the elevated bike way at West Beach.  The ride will continue on the bike path into Fort Rodman, and continue to the elevated bike way on the east side of the peninsula.  Following a short detour to the middle of the harbor on the paved hurricane barrier, the ride will continue back to the Y along South Front St.

Some will hang out at the Moby Dick Brewing for food and drink. Others will continue back to Staples.  Your choice.

I committed today to do the 30 days of biking challenge. I was number 330 and lo and behold, ZEPHRYUS, the god of the gentle west wind and the herald of spring, gave me a cloudy but warm day for a bike ride. I decided to ride the “Raza” electric assist bike for this ride around the waterfronts of Fairhaven and New Bedford, MA.

2018 MARCH 1 WATERFRONT BIKE RIDE from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

The Fall River Bike group put out the word for a season opening ride. They planned a 15 mile casual ride meeting in Warren R.I. on the East Bay Bike Path. Some of us have been riding all winter, either out on nice days, or indoors on a stationary bike. With that in mind, I called for an earlier start in Providence R.I. which would give us 30 miles. The two groups met in Warren and it worked out just dandy for both groups.  We had a pretty nice day.

EPPB with Fall River bike from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

We got stuck in traffic leaving New Bedford, MA.  We made up the time on the highway while driving to Providence, RI to meet some fellow riders at 5:30.  We were going to be 15 minutes late.  Giving us 45 minutes for the three mile spin to the start of the ride.  One mile from out exit, traffic was stopped. Road sign ahead said, “Accident at 95 junction, left lanes closed.”  We got to the meetup at 6:15 and by the time we got to downtown Providence, the park was deserted.  I approached two sketchy looking men and asked if they had seen a group of bikes.
“Yea, you just missed them” as he pointed toward their route.

A bit down the road we saw a group of formal attired people and asked them the same question.  They were very drunk and convinced we were on some kind of reality show.  They wanted to know if they won something.  We took their cue and raced off in the direction they pointed.

We decided to ride the reverse route confident we would eventually bump into the group eventually.  We didn’t, and decided to ride back to the downtown park.  We hung around for 30 minutes or so and they finally showed.  We told of our chasing them down and were told that they did the ride in the reversed of the posted route.

In short, we rode Providence with the mayor without ever seeing him.

Just to make matters worse, a couple of them told us that they saw us riding like crazy people early in the ride, but never though of signaling us.  I didn’t get much video on this ride and what I got was pretty helter skelter.  It’s the best I could muster on this crazy, but fun, night.

Ride with the Mayor of Providence, R.I. from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Our group will be meeting at the Fort Hill parking lot of the East Bay Bike Path in Providence at 5:30.

Take Broadway exit off 195.
Left at the bottom of the ramp
Right at the lights onto Warren Ave.
Left at the light on Lyon Ave
Take the 5th Right onto Mercer St.
Parking lot is at the end of Mercer across the Veterans Parkway.

This is so good.  Click the Vimeo link at the bottom right, go full screen, put on your headphones and crank it up.

Heart – Stairway to Heaven (Live) from Hamilton Post Production on Vimeo.

Bike riding is at a premium this winter. I had a lot more energy to ride in the past, but this year I’m quite content to ride indoor at the fitness center.  After the morning workout and ride, I take the dogs to the Buzzards Bay Coalition site called the Bogs. Previously a large cranberry bog, it’s now, thanks to BBC, a hiking, running, biking trail.  There is always someone walking their dogs in the mornings and I have met some wonderful like minded animal lovers on my daily walks.

The Bogs from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Not much biking lately, therefore, not much bike video. Enjoy this while we wait for Spring.

I was relegated to the fitness center bike again.  I do admit that riding a stationary bike with a bank of TV’s in front of you is kind of easy.  I’m impressed with my speed also, averaging in the high teens.  On the plus side, the weather is forcing me into cross training with my two dogs.  We go out for 90 minutes or more in an area called the “Bogs”, where we meet lots of other dogs and their companions.

I do spread seed in both my front and back yard every day and am visited by the locals. If I’m late with the food, the blue jay’s let me know with their screeches.  Other birds fly by my bay window back and forth letting me know it’s time to eat.  It’s pretty cool.

Bitter cold and icy conditions kept me off the bike a few days this winter. Other than those eight or ten days, I have been able to do short rides, all under ten miles.  Yesterday, Sunday was showed promise of a decent length ride on the East Bay Bike Path (EBBP), in Rhode Island.  The start however showed signs of a potential failure.  Ice, lots of ice at around the half mile mark.  We had to walk around it and once we did, the 14 mile remainder only had a few patches of questionable traction.

We got 27 miles in at a decent clip considering the conditions.  That is, when we spotted standing water on the blacktop, it was difficult to see if it was icy till we rode over it. A few times I unclipped just in case.

On the down side, or up side if you happened to be my riding partner. My camera battery died during the first video.  I had to buy a replacement battery when the original no longer held a charge and apparently I put the old one back in.  So, I have to settle by using a couple of photos I shot with my phone.  Oh the humanity.