Tag: bike

Shining Sea Bike Path on Cape Cod

Cover Photo:  Pie in the Sky Bakery in Woods Hole, MA.

The Shining Sea Bike Path is a 11 mile Rail to Trail conversion from Falmouth to Woods Hole, MA.  This midweek, cool April day began with bright sunshine and very little wind, making it an easy ride from end to end.

The activity at the Steamship Authority is picking up as summer approaches.  There was quite a line of cars waiting to board the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard.  All the seasonal restaurants are open and the tourists are returning.  Only on the weekend for now but by Memorial Day things will change for sure and Woods Hole will be a beehive of activity.

Click the Vimeo link at the bottom right of the video for better quality

Rides This Weekend.

Saturday 05/01/15

As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger
– NBW Cafe Ride (weather permitting)
East Bay Bike Path
– from Fort Hill to Bristol Bagel and back (27 miles)
Leaves Fort Hill Parking Lot at 9:00 AM
Contact John Nery for more details.

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The Fall River Bike Gang.

–Fall River Bike Committee East Bay Bike Path Ride

– at 8:30am – Bike Ride on the East Bay Bike Path
This ride is perfect for beginners and for those who want to stretch those winter legs. This is an off road path.

We will meet in Warren, take Route 103 and turn left right after the Dels Lemonade on 103
Park along the left. Make sure to bring water and a snack. Helmets highly recommended. By the way, the Washington Street Bridge will be open on weekends, which means for those who want to ride a bit farther, you will be able to bike into Providence.

Sunday 05/02/15

– NBW #160 Bikeworks Ride

16, 25 & 50 Mile Rides
Leaves from Swansea Mall – by the former Apex Store
new start location – different than last year

Start:

  • 10:00 AM Start
  • From Swansea Mall – by the old Apex Store
  • THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN LAST YEAR)
  • GPS Address: 262 Swansea Mall Drive, Swansea, MA

GPS Files – RideWithGps format (free to use)

New York City Five Boroughs Tour

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Riders approaching the Queensboro Bridge

On the first Sunday in May, 32,000 cyclists of all skill levels come from around the world to roll through every borough of New York City on streets totally free of cars. For one day, the roads are yours, the bridges are yours, the City is yours—there’s no better way to experience the Big Apple. Produced in conjunction with the City of New York, the TD Five Boro Bike Tour is the world’s biggest charitable bike ride, with proceeds funding our free bike education programs. In 2014 alone, we taught bike skills to more than 16,000 kids and adults. When you ride with Bike New York, you’re helping us in our mission to empower more New Yorkers to grab life by the handlebars.

Narragansett Bay Wheelmen Sunday Ride

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The Narragansett Bay Wheelmen offer group bike rides every Sunday with a variety of mile options.  Everyone is welcome, member of the club or not.  Members paint arrows on the route to let the riders know that there is a turn approaching.  After the turn there are confirmation arrows and also dangerous road conditions like potholes have a bright orange circle painted around them.

Today’s ride had a very large turnout and every level of abilities was well represented from the 20+ MPH, full kit, gnarly hammerheads to the sub 10 MPH, overweight, grey haired, retired, comfort bike riders and all those that fall between these categories.

It was a cool 10 AM start with the temperature of 45 F.  It got a bit warmer as the ride progressed, but not a whole lot.  As the weeks progress the fitness of the riders is evident.  Everyone has just a little more oomph at the beginning of the ride and the lot empties out a little sooner every week.

Click the Vimeo link at the bottom right of the video for better quality

Narragansett Bay Wheelmen Sunday Series Ride in Westport, Massachusetts from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

This Weekend’s Rides.

SATURDAY April 25

     Sakonnet Bridge Bike Lane Celebration.

This event is being sponsored by the Tiverton Trailblazers, Bike Newport, Bike Fall River, RI Bicycle Coalition and Supporter, the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen.

The day will start off with a bike ride starting at 11:00am in Portsmouth R.I. at the Park n’ Ride on Boyds Lane in Portsmouth and then it will cross the Sakonnet River Bridge and will continue through Tiverton. It will be a 12 mile ride. At 1:00pm everyone will gather at Evans Avenue in Tiverton near the bike path entrance for the celebration. For those who cannot ride you can still come down to the event and take a leisurely walk across the bridge and enjoy the beautiful scenery and then join us for the 1:00pm celebration.

     NBW Cafe Ride (weather permitting)

East Bay Bike Path – from Fort Hill to Bristol Bagel and back (27 miles)

  • Leaves Fort Hill Parking Lot at 9:00 A
  • Contact John Nery for more details

    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 – Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind around 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

SUNDAY April 26

NBW #111 Westport Ride

Midnight Marathon Bike Ride

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CLICK HERE for TV Coverage video

For the seventh year, Greg Hum and friends organized a bike ride on the Boston Marathon route.  Riders, for a small fee, congregate near South Station in Boston to load their bikes on panel trucks  After loading, the participants walk to South Station to catch the commuter rail to Southboro and unload their bikes from the trucks.  Two routes are offered for the ride back to downtown Boston.

The first, which adds a couple of miles and a challenging hill, takes the riders to the starting line of the marathon in Hopkinton, MA.  For those who don’t want to ride the hill, a shorter, flatter options takes them on a four mile loop around the hilly section where they join the marathon route in the original starting town of Ashland.

A cool, overcast night made for a beautiful night to ride the 2015 marathon bike.  Boston is a very diverse city and the bike ride displayed that diversity in age, nationality, culture, fashion as well as transportation modes.  Along with those on bike, there were skateboards, roller blades and a few runners.

All along the route, there was evidence of the preparations for the main event happening a few hours later, Street sweepers, police, barricades, the press and security were increasingly evident as we approached downtown and the finish line.  Unlike 2014, the bike rider were able to ride across the start and finish lines as tensions begin to ease from the 2013 bombing.

2015 Midnight Marathon Bike from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Saturday Bike Ride

A fine day for a bike ride in Rhode Island today.  The East Bay Bike Path had lots of users on bikes, running, skating, and walking.  Sunny, 70 degrees and no wind made this a great opening day of the bike season for many.  The Fall River Bike Committee was out riding along with the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen doing their weekly Saturday morning Cafe ride.

Freighters were unloading in Providence and the glistenting waters of Barrington were flat and calm.

As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger.

The Fall River Bike Committee
The Fall River Bike Committee
Freighter unloading in Providence, R.I.
Freighter unloading in Providence, R.I.
Barrington, R.I.
Barrington, R.I.
Checking out the rocks in the bay.
Checking out the rocks in the bay.

This Weekend’s Rides

SATURDAY: 18April

  • The East Bay Bike Path Cafe RideIMG_1566

East Bay Bike Path – from Fort Hill to Bristol Bagel and back (27 miles)

Leaves Fort Hill Parking Lot at 10:00 AM

Contact John Nery for more details

  • Fall River Bike Group
    “It was a long and grueling winter but the good weather is here finally. That means it is time to get out and enjoy the weather on our bikes. For the first ride we will go on the East Bay Bike Path for a nice, slow, leisurely ride to get our legs back to normal. Here are the details:
    Bike Fall River 1st Ride
    When:        Saturday, April 18, 2015 – at 9:00am
    Where:       East Bay Bike Path
    Directions: Take Route 103 through Somerset, Swansea and Warren.  Once in Warren look for the Dels Lemonade on the left and take the immediate left, Railroad Avenue, after Dels.  Park along the left”

Join us this Saturday, April 18th at 1:30 pm to kick off the Bike Newport group riding season with “Tour de Newport Daffodil DaysJonqulles” – part of the Newport Daffodil Days Festival! Get up and close and personal with many of the 385,000 daffodils now planted throughout Newport on this daffy bike ride supporting the Daffodillion project. We’ll take a ~5-mile tour of the plantings, the gardens at the Hillside private estate, and end up at the Ballard Park “Bouquet Bar” and Flower Market where live music and nearly 20,000 daffodils will greet us. Ride rolls out at 1:30 from Touro Park on Bellevue.

SUNDAY   19 April

  • Narragansett Bay Wheelmen

    Saturday 04/18/15 – NBW Cafe Ride (weather permitting)

    • East Bay Bike Path – from Fort Hill to Bristol Bagel and back (27 miles)
    • Leaves Fort Hill Parking Lot at 10:00 AM
    • Contact John Nery for more details

    Sunday 04/19/15 – NBW #166 Foxboro 55

    • 23, 36 & 55 Mile Rides
    • Leaves from La Salette Shrine, Attlleboro, MA
    • more details HERE

    Wednesday 04/22/15 – Blinky Ride (weather permitting)

    • On a seasonal weather hiatus
    • Alternates with EBBP (East Bay Bike Path) 27 miles
    • Alternates with BBP (Blackstone Bike Path) 20 miles
    • Leaves 5:30 pm
    • Contact Rod Breault for more details

    Casually Employed Series

    • Varies – takes place on Weekday to take advantage of weather
    • Bicycling, Hiking or Skiing
    • Contact Jan Harbutiak for more details

Leaves Soutboro at midnight.  Check out the facebook page for details

Pro Tips For Midnight Marathon Ride

Pro Tips

If you are confused about how this ride works let me try to clarify & offer up some pro-tips:

THE RIDE ITSELF:
– We all meet at Southborough Station at midnight on Sunday night (Monday morning). We roll out as soon as the midnight train arrives & is unloaded. Approx 12:15-ish and ride up to the Marathon starting line and then ride the Marathon Route into Boston. It’s amazing.

GETTING TO SOUTHBOROUGH STATION:
Option 1: Get dropped off by some sucker / friend / taxi / your mom.

Option 2: Drive yourself and get your car the next day. Don’t ask me where to park, you’ll have to figure that out yourself.

Option 3: Ride your bike to Southborough Station. There are several “packs” of riders doing the out & back ride. A big group from Ride Crazy Boston will be doing the out & back. They setup their own event page with detailed information here:https://www.facebook.com/events/721826097940836/

Option 4: Do the “Truck ‘N Train Combo”. We will transport your bike out to Southborough Station via moving truck, and then you take the normally scheduled commuter rail train to Southborough Station. Everything you need to know about the Truck ‘N Train combo can be found here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/midnight-marathon-truck-n-trai…

TIPS FOR THE RIDE:
– The ride is self supported, meaning: Be sure to bring a spare tube and a basic kit of tools in case you have a bike malfunction. If you don’t have a spare tube that fits your bike, go to your local bike shop and get one before the ride.
-If you haven’t ridden much this year, get your bike shop to give your bike a quick safety check if you. You can also do an ABC Quick Check like in this short video: https://vimeo.com/64578975
– If you don’t know how to fix basic bike problems, then ride with someone who does.
– LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS. The more the merrier, but be sure to at least have a front that is white and a rear that is red.
– Helmet… I’m not gonna get all preachy on this matter. I will be wearing mine because I think its a good idea. Use your own judgement, but consider that it will be dark outside, there will be train tracks to cross… and a bunch of other riders with varying levels of skill.
– Bring gloves, and wear layers so you can adjust your clothing to the desired warmth. You’ll be cold if you end up standing around, and warmer once your legs are pumping.
– Snacks are a good idea. I say bring some snacks. It’s a community event, so bring some extra snacks to share… with me.
– Hydration is a good idea. Bring something to drink. Your body will thank you later.
– It’s not a race, its a ride. I recommend riding at a pace where you can chill with some friends, chat up that good looking cyclist next to you, or get a group sing-a-long going. “Sweet Caroline” as we roll past Kenmore might be a good fit.
– Bring a map of the marathon route in case you get separated. A smart phone with a map app works pretty well too.

AFTER THE RIDE:
– Pancakes, Coffee, Muffins, Bacon etc. Boston Common Coffee Company on Washington Street in Downtown Crossing will be setting up a tent outside their store so you can stuff your face with early morning eats. It’s just under a mile from the finish line (map: https://goo.gl/maps/xp6DQ). We can’t hang out at the finish line for security reasons, so just pedal on a bit more and celebrate your achievement with delicious food. BCCC is donating all the proceeds of the pancake breakfast to The Home Away Fund which helps provide assistance to families dealing with epilepsy.

– BCCC is buying all the food tonight, so please get yourself a ticket NOW to ensure they get enough food:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-midnight-marathon-ride-pa…

More From The Midnight Marathon People.


ATTENTION PANCAKE EATERS!!! I will be heading out on Wednesday to purchase batter, syrup and other items for the breakfast. PLEEEEEASE if you are going to join us sign up before then to make your arrival run as smooth as possible. Here is the link to purchase tickets

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-midnight-marathon-ride-pa…

Last year we had over 250 riders come in for breakfast and its looking like a great night!

2015 Midnight Marathon Ride Pancake Breakfast
Midnight Marathon Riders, What better way to complete your journey from Hopkington to Boston then a hot Pancake Breakfast!!!! The Home Away Fund will be hosting a post-ride Charity Pancake…
EVENTBRITE.COM

Bike Sights

It sure is a nice feeling to be back riding a bike again. The fog lingered early on giving the salmarshes a unique perspective. These were taken in Fairhaven on the South Coast of Massachusetts.

As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger

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