Celebrate Bike Month on a Ride with Me!

September is National Bike Month, as well as for us in Massachusetts, Bay State Bike Month! It’s been a month of wonderful, diverse, dynamic cycling activities. For me, it also heralded the publication of my bicycling novel, Bridge Across the Ocean. I’m donating all my earnings from the book to MassBike’s bicycle safety programs, and getting the word out at local bike shops and across the internet.

I’m inviting you to celebrate Adventure Cycling’s Bike your Park Day with me next Saturday, September 25. Our host is the Bikeway Source bike shop in Bedford, Mass. The festivities begin in front of the shop at 11AM with a book signing party and free rides on a Giant e-bike or other bike of your choice.

The Bike the Trail ride begins at 2PM right across the street at the Bedford Depot Park . . .

. . . and the really cool thing is, you have a choice of rides! For the adventurous rider, it’s the Billerica & Bedford trail. As you can see below, it’s a famous old narrow-gauge route and a beautiful ride on a cinder-gravel path. If you keep a sharp eye out, you might see some of rusty old rails on your ride.

You can ride three miles to Fawn Lake.

For those of you who who prefer a paved path, the Bedford Depot is also the northern trailhead of the Minuteman Bikeway, another old railroad line. This ride extends from Bedford through Lexington, Arlington and Cambridge, terminating (sort of) at the Alewife T station, 10 miles south. You’ll ride through the woods and downtown Lexington and Arlington, if you choose to ride that far.

This downloadable map gives you an idea of where the two rides begin. Keep your browser pointed at this site, for we may yet be introducing a third ride!

I look forward to seeing you next Saturday, Sept. 25, for a fun-filled day of bicycling activities. Come early, but the ride begins at 2PM. There will be snacks and bottled water, and I’ll be giving away a copy of my hot-off-the press bicycling novel, Bridge Across the Ocean, in a drawing! Look for me, wearing my Fictional Cafe baseball hat with the green Bike Your Park patch on it!