Our good friend Margie from Toronto toured Austria with my wife and I a few years ago.  She decided to do another European bike ride this year in the Provence area of France.  Needless to say, I’m kind of jealous.

She is posting daily on crazyguyonabike, a popular bike touring web host.

CLICK HERE to keep up with her daily postings. Be forewarned that reading her adventure will make you want to tour on your bike.

I bought the best tickets as soon as they went on sale. This match will be phenomenal with lots of past World Cup player attending to the retirement tribute to Landon Dononvan. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

NBW #130 Cape Caper
Bourne – Monument Beach – Pocasset – Cataumet – Snug Harbor
North Falmouth – West Falmouth – Sippiwisset – Quissett
Woods Hole – WHOI – Falmouth – East Falmouth
Mashpee – Sandwich – Sagamore

25, 41 & 62 mile routes

Explore the Cape on quiet back roads. We will follow the Buzzard’s Bay shore to Woods Hole, then on to Falmouth, heading back past ponds and pine woods, finishing with a run along the Cape Cod Canal.

This route is a personal favorite, and everybody should ride it at lease once. It’s a route that mixes beautiful riding, and spectacular views. Ignore the complexity of the map, follow the arrows and enjoy the Cape off season. Leave the power bars and gels at home. Bring your wallet and have the real stuff, baked from scratch, Pie in the Sky Bakery (www.pieintheskywoodshole.com.) at at mile 22. You will not be disappointed. FYI – they have Gluten Free options. How many bakeries have bike racks and a bike pump ready for cyclists?

Everything you need to know about the ride is HERE

I offered to wrench and sweep a local fundraiser this past weekend. Keeping that in mind, all of my photos and videos are from the back of the pack and I wasn’t able to include many of those who raised the funds and rode for this great watershed cause.

2014 BUZZARDS BAY WATERSHED RIDE from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

All the photos are HERE

Riding the Southern Tier was on my list for a long time.  The original plan was to ride it in October but I felt so good I moved it up to September 6th.  Issues popped up to force me to move it to early March then again to April 1st. That was set in stone and I was finalizing the plans. I had a chance to visit the Orlando area and while there, took a full day to check out the route and drive the first part that  has lots of tricky zig-zags, from Ocala to Gainseville.  From there it was a mix of Hwy 90 and some remote CRs (County Roads) to Tallahassee.    I found it very isolated and uninteresting after a while.  At the beginning it was pretty cool riding these country roads alone. Doing that for 30 days I’m sure would be very monotonous and has a high probability of me changing the first letter of my bucket list from a “B” to an “F”. What I realized is that I really like the short 8-12 day tours through much more populated areas.

After all that the new plan is to ride the Erie Canal this summer from Buffalo to Albany NY.  In the mean time, here are a few photos of the Southern Tier from Ocala to Monticello, Fla. The whole enchilada is on Flickr HERE

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Willie Weir a world bike traveler and author said that the fall is the best time of year to ride a bike.  Riding the East Bay Bike Path in Rhode Island on a spectacular fall Saturday morning confirmed that feeling.

The Cafe Tour is a regular Saturday ritual for a group of local bike enthusiasts.  It’s just under 30 miles on the flat and visually stunning East Bay Bike Bath.

From Providence to Bristol along the abandoned railroad line. For the greater part of it’s length, it passes along or near the shore of Narragansett Bay.

The number and makeup of riders changes weekly and there is really no leader.  Everyone is welcome to join the Cafe Tour no matter your pace.  The Tour stops at Your Bike Shop. in Warren, R.I. right on the path, to allow everyone to gather for the final push to breakfast.  Bristol Bagel Works, is the preferred choice for most, although a couple of the riders prefer Dunkin Donuts located a block away.  Whatever the choice for coffee and food, everyone meets on the sidewalk at the Bagel shop.

On the return to Providence everyone rides at their own pace some wanting to get back quickly and others like to meander, making stops at a beach,  one of the many parks, for ice cream shops, or simply to take in the sights.

The East Bay Bike Path is a visually stunning route that is worthy of being on any bikers list of places to ride. If you go, be sure to leave the path in downtown Warren and Bristol to spend some time in these 18th century towns that have maintained their original waterfront charm. CLICK HERE for a video presentation

All of the photos of today’s ride are HERE

Saturday:  Sept. 27

CAFE TOUR STARTING FROM FORT HILL SATURDAY 9AM

For directions to Fort Hill bike path access search for directions to intersection of Mercer Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway in East Providence through Google Maps or GPS. Parking is overlooking the river on the West side of the highway.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the morning

Sunday, Sept 28:  10 AM

Narragansett Bay Wheelmen Cranberry Metric 17/34/64 miles.

Route: Lakeville, Assawompsett, Middleboro, Bridgewater

Directions  NOTE: WE RETURN TO OUR OLD START 10 AM

Start at the Staples plaza on Route 44 in Raynham, MA, nearthe junction of Routes 44 and 24. Park away from the stores.

Drive Time  25 minutes from Providence

Description

Enjoy this spectacular and relatively flat ride originated by Judy Northrup, updated this year by Don Chiavaroli and Raul Silvia. Scenic country roads, ponds, and cranberry bogs abound throughout the ride. Long ride goes by Mattapoisett and Marion harbors

Tonight,  September 22nd.  6PM from Corks Wine and Tapas in New Bedford.

It’s all HERE

All the photos are HERE

It was a crisp sunny Saturday bike ride in support of the Woonsquatucket Watershed Council in Providence.  Two hundred fifty riders set out from downtown using staggered starts for the 62-50-30-10 and 5 mile options.  The Council provided valet parking for bikes, a band, food and swag at the finish area of Waterplace Park.

The ride was a nice mix of bike path and low traffic urban and rural roads.  A couple of the highlights were Blackstone Boulevard, the Blackstone Valley and Burriville bike paths.  Riding through the city of Pawtucket was a tease to the coolness of riding through the Brown University area and downtown Providence.

There are some great and unique rides available to those in this part of New England and the Woonasquatucket Watershed ride easily ranks with the NYC Five Boroughs and the Midnight Marathon rides.

2014 Woony E Pa Pa HD from John Sullivan on Vimeo.