MassBike

Massachusetts Bike Week 2001
Saturday, May 12 through
Sunday, May 20

Bike Week is part of Bike Month, a national event to celebrate and encourage bicycling.

Send your Massachusetts Bike Week (or Bike Month) events to Doug Mink, dmink@massbike.org as soon as you have them scheduled. See the pages for previous bike weeks for ideas.

With the abolition of bike passes on the MBTA and bike projects finally getting funded all over the state, we have a lot to celebrate!

Check out the City of Boston's Bike Week page and the Pioneer Valley Bikeweek page!


All Week:

Cycle Challenge 2001:
A Bike Odyssey
Bike to Work
Corporate Challenge
Check with your local Transportation Management Assoc. or Boston the Transportation Department to participate in the Bike to Work Corporate Challenge during Bike Week May 12-20th. Here are the rules. Click here for help concerning bike commuting from the League of American Bicyclists.

Thursday, May 10:

New England Rail Trails
Slide Talk

7:00 - 9:00 pm
REI, 375 Cochituate Road (Route 30), Framingham (508-270-6325)
Craig Della Penna, New England Representative of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, will present a slide show on rail-trail development around the region. Craig knows trains, knows trails, knows photography, and knows the ways of trail development good and bad.
Co-sponsored by the Cochituate State Park Advisory Committee, the Framingham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, The MathWorks, Inc., the Natick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and REI.

Friday, May 11:


Saturday, May 12:

Cochituate Trail
Trail-Clearing Day

8:30 am- 3:30 pm
Meet at 625 Old Connecticut Path in Framingham for a first trail-clearing on the Cochituate Rail Trail! Bring clippers, loppers, work gloves and friends! Work at least one hour, and get a free CRT-shirt! This Trail Clearing Day is managed by the Town of Framingham. Contacts: Bryan Taberner (508-620-4852, weekdays), Dick Miller (508-653-6136, 9AM-9PM)
Minuteman Bikeway
Cleanup

9:00 am - noon
In Lexington at the following starting locations: 1) Bow Street, 2) Waldorf School, 3) Season's Four, 4) Meriam Street Parking Lot, 5) Bedford Street. Please bring gloves. Trash bags will be provided. Refreshments served after clean-up. If you use the path, please donate a little time, even if it's only for an hour.
Pioneer Valley Tour 24 mile supported tour of the Pioneer Valley. Don Podolski, (413)562-5237, New Horizons Sports.

Sunday, May 13:

Emerald Necklace
Greenway Festival

11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Francis Parkman Drive, Jamaica Plain
Join a plethora of bicycle, pedestrian, and open space groups in celebrating Boston's Emerald Necklace and campaigning to make it complete.
Dudley Road Ride
1:45 pm
Meet at 1:45 at the Bedford end of Minuteman Bikeway (leave at 2:00) for for a Bike Ride For Ordinary People through 19 miles of flat and gently rolling terrain in Bedford, Billerica, and Carlisle. Great Brook Farm in Carlisle is on the route, so if it's open, plan to make an ice cream stop!
Helmet wearing is required; steady rain cancels. If in doubt, call the leader's cell phone on Sunday @ 617 710-1832.

Monday, May 14:

Holyoke Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

7:00 - 9:00 am
Highland Bike Shop, 917 Hampden Street, Holyoke. Contact Highland Bikes at (413)539-9314, or Elbert Bowler at (413)788-1181.
Boston City Council
Bike Week Kick-Off

8:00 am
Congress St. behind City Hall next to the flag pole
Boston City Councilors Ross and Scapicchio say, "We'll ride everywhere and you should, too" for Bike Week. Meet them, get a free water bottle and cool stuff, hang out, spread the word, and start off Bike Week right!

Tuesday, May 15:

Pancake Breakfast
7:30 - 9:30 am
Broadway Bicycle School, 51 Broadway, Cambridge
Meet your fellow bicycle commuters over free coffee and pancakes.
See the faces behind some of the names you see on the Internet.
Chicopee Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

7:00 - 9:00 am
Chicopee City Hall. Contact Sabine Dietrich at (413)781-6045
Boston Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Boston Public Library Mezzanine Lounge
Meet the Boston Bicycle Advisory Committee at this open meeting and help us figure out how to implement the recently-released Boston Bicycle Plan.
Assabet River Rail Trail
25% Design Review

6:30 pm
Marlboro City Hall in the Memorial Hall meeting room upstairs. There is plenty of free parking in the public parking garage behind City Hall. The City Hall clocktower is a landmark on downtown Main St. Easiest parking entrances are from Grainger Blvd which parallels Main St. behind City Hall, and by the access road beside the Post Office on Florence St. off Main St. The monthly ARRT meeting follows the design review.

Wednesday, May 16:

7:00 - 10:00 am:
Easthampton Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

7:00am - 9:00 am
At the Gazebo on Main Street, across from the City Hall. Contact Bill Burgart for Easthampton's events at (413)572-9080.
Northampton
Bike to Work Day

7:00am - 8:00 pm
7:00 - 10:00 am: Free breakfast on County Courthouse lawn for all bike commuters! (corner of King St. and Main St.)
7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00 am: Bike Week Proclamation reading by Northampton public figures and local guest celebrities.
5:00 - 7:00 pm: Bike Fair at Pulaski Park, including free bike safety check clinic, antique bikes, custom bikes, and a chance to win prizes in our "Show off your unique bicycle" contest.
6:30 pm: Fun ride around town suitable for all ages, leaves from Pulaski Park. We'll visit local rail trail and bike accommodation projects, both built and planned.
Cambridge Commute
a Better Way Day

8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Come to Cambridge City Hall (795 Massachusetts Avenue) and get information about transportation options such as cycling, walking, the MBTA, and carpooling. From 11:00am - 1:00pm, special guests from the MBTA, CARAVAN for Commuters, the Cambridge Police Bicycle Patrol Unit, and the Cambridge Walks campaign will be on hand to give out more detailed information. Commute a Better Way Day is part of GoGreen Month, Cambridge's annual celebration of environmental awareness and action.
Contact: Joseph Barr; 617-349-4671; jbarr@ci.cambridge.ma.us
State House
Bike Week Reception

Postponed to
Tuesday, May 22
Outside the State House near the pillar with the Eagle on top.
Rep. Ann Paulsen will host a Bike Week reception at the State House for activists and legislators. Please encourage your legislators to attend. Lyall Croft of Boston Bike Tours has graciously offered to lend bicycles to MassBike for legislators to ride. We're hoping to do a circuit around the State House a couple times.
Wednesday Night
Bike Ride - Boston

5:30 pm
Meet at 5:30 pm for pre-ordered fueling meals available from Fresh City. Departing the World Trade Center East at 6:00 pm. Rides will be guided and narrated by Lyall Croft of the Boston Bike Tours.

Thursday, May 17:

Hadley Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

7:00 - 9:00 am
Valley Bicycles Trailside Shop in Hadley. Contact: Sofia Bertocci. From the breakfast site cyclists can ride the Norwottuck Rail Trail to Amherst, and have breakfast again!
Dorchester to Downtown
Bike Week Ride

7:30 am
Gather near Meeting House Hill at the corner of Bowdoin and Quincy Streets. We're building a posse of Dorchester, Mattapan, Milton and Quincy folks to make the morning bike commute together. Our destination will be the cyclists' breakfast at the Prudential. Please contact Larry Slotnick, slotnick@thecia.net, to confirm meeting place and time.
Amherst Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

8:00 - 10:00 am
At the UMass campus, adjacent to the Campus Pond. Amherst is also holding a bike ride at 5:30 PM, beginning at the Campus Pond. Contact Tracy Zafian, (413)256-3230, or Rob Hendry, (413)545-6585, for more information on Amherst's events.
Back Bay Breakfast and
Bike Week Celebration

8:00 - 10:00 am
Join us at the Boylston Plaza of the Prudential Center for free breakfast, bike tune-ups, vendors, exhibits, and more. Extra bike parking provided. Brought to you by the Prudential Center merchants , Boston Properties, and the Artery Business Committee TMA. For more information contact the ABC TMA at 617-557-7322.
Boston Bicycle Festival
11 am - 2 pm
Come to Boston's City Hall Plaza for a celebration of bicycling in the city.
Assabet River Rail Trail
Opening

3:00 pm
The official opening of the first part of the trail is on Fitchburg St. in Marlboro. It's a ribbon cutting ceremony and refreshments will be served. The easiest access is by taking the Rt290-Rt85 connector to Fitchburg St. from either Rt 85 or Rt 495. From either direction Fitchburg St is at the 1st set of traffic lights and the trail is 1/2 mile ahead. Coming from Rt 85 use the right hand exit lane at the lights. Watch for parking signs.
Natick Bike Tour
6:30 pm
Meet in the Pegan Cove Park parking lot, off Washington Ave. near Cochituate St. in Natick. After a week of talking about Bike Week, we take an easy bike trip to some of Natick's nicest "secret" spots: about-to-be-renovated Pegan Cove Park on Lake Cochituate, and lovely Dell Cemetery on Fisk Pond. Contacts: Dick and Jill Miller (508-653-6136, 9AM-9PM)
Mean Streets Ride
East Cambridge

6:30 pm
Start in Boston at Copley Square Park, Boylston Street between Clarendon and Dartmouth for an urban evening 10-mile Charles River Wheelmen ATB ride. Mountain or hybrid bikes de rigueur. Lowlights: Explore retro-grunge industrial sub-culture, including the MBTA engine terminal, Lechmere area, Kendall + Tech Squares, and the MIT campus. Lots of dirt, gravel, glass, steps, ramps and other choice terrain.
Leader: Charles Hansen, H: (617) 734-0720, W: (617) 572-0277

Friday, May 18:

Springfield Bicycle
Commuter Breakfast

7:00 -9:00 am
At two sites: Springfield College, and Western New England College. Contact Tina Manos at (413)748-3495.
Cambridge Bicycle
Commuter Appreciation

7:30 - 9:00 am
Do you use your bicycle to get to work? If so, the City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Bicycle Committee want to thank you for helping to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. Volunteers from the bicycle committee will be giving away thank you packets at locations throughout Cambridge (along heavily cycled routes), so stop by an pick up some goodies (on your bike, of course). The Bicycle Appreciation Giveaway is part of GoGreen Month , Cambridge's annual celebration of environmental awareness and action.
Contact: Joseph Barr; 617-349-4671; jbarr@ci.cambridge.ma.us
Greenfield Bicycle
Commuter Lunch

noon
Free lunch for bike commuters at Greenfield Community College, with a similar event planned for Turner's Falls. Contact: Mark Skinder, (413)774-6051.

Saturday, May 19:

Brookline Artists
Open Studios

Noon to 5:00 pm
Riding your Bicycle is the best way to experience Brookline's Artists' Open Studios event and see this vibrant artistic community. Since there are 43 different locations featuring the artwork of over 100 artists, your bicycle will take you between the artists' homes and studios more efficiently than any other mode of transportation.

Brochures and maps for this event can be picked up at Brookline Booksmith, Brookline Town Hall, The Brookline Arts Center and many other locations. For more information call 781-433-7163 or visit http://www.brooklineart.cjb.net

This year's limited edition promotional poster was designed by husband and wife artist/cycling enthusiasts Christine Cavalier and Marc Lisle, who will be celebrating 12 car-free years in Boston during this same weekend. The first 25 cyclists who show up at the home/studio of Cavalier Lisle Art & Design with a bike helmet, and some form of evidence that they have visited at least three other artist locations, will receive a free, signed copy of the 21" x 15" poster.

Charles River Wheelmen
Introductory Ride

8:30 am
Meet at Nahanton Park in Newton, departing at 9:00 am on an essentially flat 19 mile route through Needham and Dover. These rides are for CRW newcomers, or anyone just getting back to cycling or who simply wants a more casual ride. The focus is on group riding, safety, cycling technique and fun. The rides average 10 to 12 miles per hour. After the ride we hang out at Starbucks. We may also offer some post-ride clinics if there is interest. NOTES: CRW membership is not required, but a HELMET is; Bikes should be ready to go, i.e., proper tire pressure, chain lubed etc., seat adjusted; And please bring a water bottle, a pump and spare tube if you have them. Heavy rain cancels the ride.
Feel free to call any of the ride leaders with questions: Jenny and Ed Craddock (617-332-4098), Fred Kresse (781-444-1775), Beth McLaughlin (617-542-2319), and Eli Post (617-547-6778)
Chicopee Bike Rodeo
time uncertain
At the Boy's and Girl's Club in Chicopee. Contact Liz Zielinski, (413)538-8994 for this event.

Sunday, May 20:

Bike-Arlington Ride
9:30 am
Meet at Spy Pond Playground near Arlington Center (just off the Minuteman Bikeway) for a free, easy-paced, and family-friendly bicycle ride around town, sponsored by the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Arlington Police Dept. Free of charge, it will be approximately 10 miles, ending with complimentary refreshments at Trader Joe's in Arlington Heights. Steady rain will cancel. All riders will be responsible for their own safety. Helmets are required.
Brookline Artists
Open Studios

Noon to 5:00 pm
Same as Saturday.
Sixth Annual Redbones
Bike to Work Week Party

3:00 - 9:00 pm
Get a great barbecue sandwich, beer or soda, valet parking for your bike, and entry in a raffle for a fee which goes to benefit bicycle-related causes.

Tuesday, May 22:

Trail Report Release
10:00 am
In Room 437 at the State House, State Senator Cheryl Jacques (D-Needham), Chair of the Senate Post Audit and Oversight Committee, will release the report, "Getting on Track: Common Sense Ideas to Expedite Rail Trail Development in Massachusetts." Despite recent progress, the report finds that unlike other states, Massachusetts has failed to make trail preservation and development a priority - resulting in a backlog of almost 100 bicycle and pedestrian projects waiting for action or funding through the Massachusetts Highway Department. All are welcome to attend. On the morning of the release, the report will be accessible on the Internet, or if you would like to receive a hard copy of the report, please reach Amy Panek at: Senate Post Audit and Oversight Committee, State House Room 312B, Boston, MA 02133 (617) 722-1555, APanek@senate.state.ma.us
State House
Bike Week Reception

Noon - 1:00 pm
Outside the State House near the pillar with the Eagle on top.
Rep. Ann Paulsen will host a Bike Week reception at the State House for activists and legislators. Please encourage your legislators to attend. Lyall Croft of Boston Bike Tours has graciously offered to lend bicycles to MassBike for legislators to ride.
Schedule of events:
12:00 to 12:25 Reception 12:25 to 12:30 Brief Remarks
12:30 to 12:50 Tour de Beacon Hill 12:50 to 1:00 Afterglo
There will be light refreshments (drinks and cookies) and pizza. The event is sponsored by MassBike and Representative Anne Paulsen.

Check out the League of American Bicyclist's Bike Month Information for help concerning bike commuting.

Find out what is happening elsewhere.


Send event notices or corrections to Doug Mink, dmink@massbike.org.
[MassBike Events] [MassBike]
Past Boston Bike Weeks
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