A ride in the morning for coffee then again in the evening for a superb $3 sub at Subway. mmmmm
Author: capejohn
A bike riding footie fan living and riding in SouthCoast towns of Massachusetts.
My bicycle rides include commuting, day trips as well as long and short tours.
Find me online
https://amidnightrider.com/
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/my/?o=1mr
https://www.facebook.com/john.sullivan.79677471
The Gypsy Kings and Kudos From A Stranger
Day 24 of 30 days of biking complete.
https://www.strava.com/activities/555821506/embed/a0bdaf4a3faf0bc0b9863301d8c4d4aeaa124f33
Sunday yoga. A direct ride is around 4 miles. I decided to take the long way which is a 15 mile ride through four towns. The wind was my nemesis and I had thoughts of not making it to class. I had to push myself but in the end I was only a couple of minutes late.
The route in the city (New Bedford, MA) was a completely new riding experience for me. I had to make a right turn and climb a hill to get to class. I had choices of which street to climb. Every time I looked up, I rode on. I ran out of options and had to climb this last chance street to get to the top of the city. It was so tough that I gasped up the hill. There was a car backing out of a driveway but I didn’t stop for him, I just went around. He passed me and took a left at the top and stopped. I came upon him and rode around on the drivers side. He had stopped to let another car back out of a driveway and do a three point turn. I heard him slow as he began to pass and was expecting a tongue lashing. I looked and saw his passenger window roll down. Here it comes I though. “Your the man” he said. “Your the only biker I have seen ride up that hill. Even the kids get off and walk their bikes.” I wanted to respond but I had no breath in me to say anything. I just gave him a thumbs up and put my hand on my heart and took a deep breath. I’m da man. Nice
Tonight is date night and wifey and I have tickets at the Z to the Gypsy Kings concert. Another nice.
Day 23. I Am The Egg Man
If I didn’t commit to 30 days of riding I very well may have ditched today’s ride. For a plethora of reasons, I didn’t leave the house till after 4 PM. The first few miles were a struggle to say the least. I could have turned around anytime and still have fulfilled my 30 days, but…… I have an event next weekend and don’t want to go to NYC wishing I had put more miles in preparation. Continue reading “Day 23. I Am The Egg Man”
Destination Soup
Day 22 of 30 days of biking. A short 10 mile ride into the city for lunch. They have a healthy salad that is so wonderful it’s called wunderkind. It’s big as most healthy salads tend to be. It the kind that takes 45 minutes to eat and you only consume like 6 calories. I also had to take a photo in preparation for this years coffeeneuring challenge.
It’s a full moon and I’ll probably go out tonight and ride the FBC Fairhaven club ride alone again. The full moon rides died out a few years ago when no one would take over the logistics of the monthly ride. But FBC Sandpoint is still going strong. It’s also earth day so I’ll stop along the way and find a sexy tree to hug. No, really. I do that every once in a while. I’m a tree huggah. (said in my best Boston accent).
30 Days of Biking
Day 21 of 30 days of biking took me on a longer loop of 25 miles. Ten days from now is the NYC five boroughs bike tour and I’m doing my best to get some serious miles in. I did stop a couple of times and took photos but today was a training ride.
One of my stops was to answer my cell phone when wifey called from the Dominican Republic. When we travel we use WhatsApp. We were turned on to this app by an Israeli soldier when we were in Panama last year. WhatsApp uses the internet to make calls, texts etc anywhere in the world. No more paying for international calling on my cell phone.
I used the Novara Randonee touring bike for this ride to make sure everything was working OK, not only for the NYC ride but also for my short summer bike tour. The tour is narrowed to two possibilities. Leaving from home and riding Cape Cod and the Islands or traveling to West Virginia to ride the North Bend Trail. The Cape is solo and West Virginia is a fully supported tour. Decisions, decisions.
Day 20 of 30 Days of Biking
There are days that it’s difficult to get on your bike instead of using your car for short trips around town. It wasn’t that long ago that using a bike to ride into the city for a meeting never crossed into my mind. I just got in the car and drove. Continue reading “Day 20 of 30 Days of Biking”
Recovering From An All Nighter
Sunday was an all night bike ride after you add travel and waiting into the mix. 3200 people joined into this unorganized ride which four years ago boasted having 500 riders. We got to ride through the starting area in Hopkinton but the police had cordoned off the finish at 1:30 because Mark Walburg was filming a movie about the bombing four years ago. 
I finished the ride before 3 AM but it was close to 4 AM when I finally found my car. I normally had a good sense of direction but was so narcoleptic, I ended up on Washington St. at Downtown Crossing three times. I was chasing riders who I though were going back to the area where we loaded our bikes on trucks only to realize they were riding to their homes. Finally I came across two guys riding and asked if they were going to South Station. “No, that’s the other direction” one said. “Turn around, take a left on Washington and you will see signs direction bikers to the station.” I had passed that sign twice and never looked up to read it.
I was a zombie all day Monday and just kind of hung around the house so physically tired that my whole body was sore. I did get out to do a short ride to fulfill my 30 days of biking and was in bed by nine. Tuesday morning I was still feeling droopy until I forced myself into a walk with the dogs. That did the trick and the effects of the Midnight Marathon Ride had passed. I got in a few good miles doing errands and ended the day with a bike ride to Tuesday night yoga. I struggled at yoga because I hadn’t been to a class in two weeks and had done a lot of biking during that stretch while in Austin. I am looking forward to doing it all again next year.
Boston Midnight Marathon Bike Ride
Before the runners, come the bikers.
In the dead of night, hours before the Boston Marathon road race started, a group of locals experienced the historic route differently — via bicycle.
The ride has become a tradition since Boston University student Greg Hum launched it in 2009. It starts in Southborough and follows the Boston Marathon route from the western suburbs into the city hours before thousands line up to run the race, and offers cyclists two options of route length.
“The streets are quiet, and riding bikes at night is quite magical,’’ Hum said. ”It’s also an awesome experience if you’re riding your bike down the course. You get to use your imagination, like the audience and being in the marathon.’’
He previously described the ride, which takes two to three hours for most bikers to complete, as tranquil, yet invigorating. “In the city, there’s heavy traffic all the time, and you’re always navigating your way around cars,’’ Hum said. “But once you get to the suburbs, especially at night, there’s very little traffic. It’s very quiet and peaceful for most of the ride.
I got a really late start and five miles from home I realized that I didn’t bring any bike lights. I was tempted to just say eff it and go home. I did yell the F bomb a lot as I raced home, packed the lights and beat feet it to Boston. I had a 50 mile drive and it was 8:11. Packing our bikes on the truck took place from 8:30 to 9:30. I made it with a few minutes to spare. Every year I get stressed out about riding at midnight. No rhyme or reason to it. It just happens. Every year once I’m in Boston, I’m really glad I came.
BOSTON MIDNIGHT MARATHON BIKE RIDE from John Sullivan on Vimeo.
Are You Riding Boston Tonight?
A Message from Greg Hum, BostonSoS, and friends:
Hi Everyone,
A few things about tonight:
- Please arrive at 98 Necco St, Boston, for loading between 8:30pm-9:30pm
- After you load, walk over to South Station, two blocks away, and buy your commuter rail ticket to Southborough Station (zone 6). You may also purchase a ticket with the MBTA mobile app.
- Please make sure you have enough food and water for the ride. you’ll have some time after you drop off your bike and before the train leaves to get what you need.
- The commuter rail train departs at 10:40pm.
- Please dress warm and pack an extra layer tonight. Temps will dip to about 45 degrees tonight on the route, so plan accordingly.
- Charge your cellphone and have a backup plan in case you get stuck.
If you need to get in touch with us tonight during the ride:
- Put our Midnight Marathon Ride Hotline Phone number in our cellphone: (617) 294-9472. If you have questions during the ride or get stuck and need helping finding a ride home, please give us a ring.
- You may also e-mail us at MidnightMarathonRide@gmail.com
- We’ll have volunteers taking calls and responding to e-mails.
See you on the ride tonight!
Cheers,
Greg Hum
Ride Originator.
Rails To Trails Opening Day
Today is opening day for rail trails, sponsored by the national group railstotrails.org. It was a cold, windy blustery day that hampered all but the hardiest of bike riders. I came across a family and a father/son duo who stopped to chat a bit and allowed me to use their images on the rails to trails page., where there is still time to pledge to ride and be entered to win a new bike. 
My ride was a 12 mile slog through the windy coastal towns of Fairhaven and Mattapoisett MA. After spending a week in Austin, TX the change in the weather here was akin to a cold shower. Today was also day 16 of 30 days of biking.
For every 2 pledges, we’re donating $1 to World Bicycle Relief. Help us reach 10,000 pledges in 2016!
Around the block works, 100 miles does, too. The distance, destination and donut selections are up to you. Thank you for joining us!
