Learn to race, even if you’ll never race

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Tom

The Northeast Bicycle Club (NEBC),  a developmental club with a variety of programs and events for riders of all ages and capabilities, is putting on their annual bike racing clinic.

It’s a great program that features two off-bike discussion sessions in March, and four on-bike clinics out at Fort Devens on Saturdays in April.

The “graduation” exercise is participation in an actual bike race, on a short and safe course in Newton, the Wells Ave racing series run by Boston Road Club.

Even if you’ll never race

Even if you have no intention of racing, this clinic is a fantastic way to learn to appreciate the sport of bike racing, and to seriously upgrade your skills for safe and fun riding in groups or with clubs.

Check out what is covered:

  • Bike handling: Cornering; pacelines & double pacelines; riding in close groups; incidental contact.
  • Racing skills: Sprinting; time trialing; climbing and descending; starting and finishing.
  • Tactics and strategies: Road racing as a team sport; applying team strategies and tactics in race situations; using the race course and your strengths to your advantage.
  • Training and equipment: Periodization and specificity; training effort zones; racing bicycles & equipment; maintaining and performance tuning your equipment; proper bike fit.

The instructors are great – patient, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about the sport and educating riders. The price is cheap, too.

Find all the details on BikeReg here: http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12615

And hurry! Registration closes on March 18th, but this class tends to fill up quickly.

Photo credit: spunkinator

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CYCLE Kid’s Second Annual Spin-A-Thon

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Tom

This looks like a great way to work off some Valentine’s Day treats and help a good cause.

This Sunday, February 2oth at Wellbridge Athletic Club in Cambridge from 12:00 – 4:00PM. It looks like a fun event with a lot of residents pitching in to help expand the CYCLE Kids program.

Find out more details about the event here: CYCLE Kid’s Second Annual Spin-A-Thon!

and more about CYCLE Kids here: www.cyclekids.org

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Crack o’ Dawn riders not flustered by tough winter

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Tom

Not so long ago, I posted with admiration for many downtown Boston riders (and riders all over Massachusetts) who brave it out through the winter. Especially a tough winter like this year.

Check out this report from WCVB-TV (a 1:48 video clip) on the Crack o’ Dawn riders – up and out at 5:45 AM all winter, logging 500 miles per month. Wow. That’s great. And they’re also supporting the Pan Mass Challenge.

That sort of extreme training is not necessary to make it through the PMC, but it’s great to see that these riders are out on the road, undeterred by winter weather. At one point in the interview, Bruce Kalow says that he’s ridden in temps as cold as “minus 3.” Brrrrr…

You can find more info on the Crack O’ Dawn riders at their official website.

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The race to the Harpoon ride

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Tom

The Harpoon Brewery to Brewery (or “B2B”) Ride is a New England Classic. It’s tough and fun. A serious commitment for serious cyclists. And when you’ve done it, you feel a sense of achievement (and you get free beer and a t-shirt to memorialize the event).

It’s been a couple years since I’ve done the ride, here’s my post on the 2009 B2B Ride to give you a feel for some of the details. The good folks at Harpoon have continued to tweak and evolve this ride, and they continue along that path this year. The ride is not for the faint of heart, yet it’s always sold out. Alumni get first dibs at registering in subsequent years, but now they’ll have to register appropriately via the new electronic measurement system to verify that they’ve completed the ride, and at the pace they signed up for.

And even then, alumni status does not guarantee entry after this year:

Along with other qualifications, alumni status will be considered very favorably for ride admission.

You can get the entire low down on the event here: Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride

Registration opens next Tuesday, February 15th. Good luck on getting into the event. And if you get in – good luck with the ride!

It’s not just about the bike

Along with the renewed commitment to making/keeping this an event for serious cyclists, Harpoon is raising the bar on the charity aspect of the event:

$100 minimum donation, split evenly and paid directly to these two charities:

  • 50% of your donation will go to The Jim Kenary Brain Tumor Research Fund at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
    • 50% of your donation will go to Team Psycho’s Elite Development Fund, 3 athletes are training to qualify for the 2012 Olympics!
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      MTB or fixie, you have my admiration

      Posted on February 2, 2011 by Tom

      image

      Boston is getting slammed by weekly snowstorms this winter. Total snowfall is approaching the height of Shaquile O’Neal – and he’s 7’1″! And, it’s only February 2nd…

      Many riders persist in commuting to work, or working, throught it all. I’m impressed. In some ways, it seems to me that these are the folks who have their priorities in order. They’re active outdoors while many of us cower from the storms (and complain).

      Hats off to you, Boston area snow riders.

      Posted in Boston, mountain bike, MTB, Winter Riding | Tagged , | 2 Comments

      A great holiday gift for the cyclist in your life

      Posted on December 19, 2010 by Tom

      Tis the season for a shameless plug…

      Available at most local bike shops in Massachusetts, several Visitors Centers, and all the major bookstores – or even online if you have a little more time before your holiday gathering…

      Road Biking Massachusetts is a compilation of forty great routes of varying lenghth, terrain and difficulty. Each route includes a detailed description, turn by turn directions, and a complete and detailed map.

      The forty routes in Road Biking Massachusetts are divided into four categories according to degree of difficulty. These classifications are subjective, taking into account the combination of distance, road grade, and bike-handling skills necessary to negotiate the full tour. Each route’s name indicates its relative degree of difficulty.

      Rambles are the easiest and shortest rides in the book, accessible to almost all riders, and should be easily completed in one day. They are usually less than 35 miles long and are generally on flat to slightly rolling terrain.

      Cruises are intermediate in difficulty and distance. They are generally 25 to 50 miles long and may include some moderate climbs. Cruises generally will be completed easily by an experienced rider in one day, but inexperienced or out-of-shape riders may want to take two days with an overnight stop.

      Challenges are difficult, designed especially for experienced riders in good condition. They are usually 40 to 60 miles long and may include some steep climbs. They should be a challenge even for fairly fit riders attempting to complete them in one day. Less experienced or fit riders should expect to take two days.

      Classics are long and hard. They are more than 60 miles and may be more than 100. They can include steep climbs and high-speed descents. Even fit and experienced riders will want to take two days. These rides are not recommended for less fit and experienced riders unless they are done in shorter stages.

      Click Here to Buy Now!

      Happy Holidays!

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      Fells trail plan debate continues

      Posted on September 14, 2010 by Tom

      “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” — Duke Ellington

      On September 20th, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will unveil it’s latest version of plans for the Middlesex Fells. As can be seen in this recent article, the debate between various users of the urban park has re-heated and all are curious to see what the DCR has in store.

      Most people I’ve encountered in the Fells have been pleasant and respectful, whether they are hiking, walking a dog, or riding a bike. Sure, some hikers litter, some unfriendly dogs are unleashed, and some bikers are rude, but that is by far the exception rather than the rule. Hopefully the DCR will come up with a good plan that will increase enjoyment and usage for everyone, and if there are more responsible people in the park, hopefully less incidents like this will occur.

      Photo credit: donjd2

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      CRW Fall Century Ride – A New England Classic

      Posted on August 27, 2010 by Tom

      One of my favorite century rides is the CRW Fall Century ride. The Charles River Wheelmen designed a difficult, but beautiful route for this ride, which takes place each September. This year’s ride is on Sunday, September 19th.

      This route was the basis for one of the chapters in my book, the Souhegan River Classic. Here’s an excerpt which describes the ride:

      Based on the popular Fall Century Ride of the Charles River Wheelmen, the Souhegan River Classic is a challenging century — virtually all of the route’s 5,500 feet of climbing are crammed into the first 62 miles. Painful, but beautiful, the Souhegan River Classic takes you through the best cycling roads of North-Central Massachusetts to the best cycling roads of South Central New Hampshire. Be sure that you are in good shape and pack well, as food and water stops are few and far between.

      It is a tough ride, but so worth it. The ride starts in Central Massachusetts, in Acton, and follows a super scenic route through Groton and Lunenburge and up into New Hampshire. Here are some more photos from along the route.

      Note that pre-registration is required this year and the ride is limited to 500 riders. All the details are on the CRW web site.

      Fall Century Pre-Ride Meeting

      Pre-Ride Meeting

      Pausing on a country road

      Pausing on a country road

      If you’ve not yet done your first century ride, or one this hard, check out James Wannop’s eBook on how to train for a century ride (affiliate link). It’s perhaps the most comprehensive guide dedicated exclusively to tackling a century ride. All the details about his book can be found on his website bicyclecenturytraining.com.

      Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

      Pan Mass Challenge Weekend

      Posted on August 4, 2010 by Tom

      A Massachusetts institution, the Pan Mass Challenge rolls off this weekend. Now with 9 routes and both U.S. Senators participating, the event is in its 31st year. The goal this year: to raise $31 million for cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 5,200 riders will hit the roads this Saturday and Sunday, chances are you know one of them. Read more at www.pmc.org and support your local PMC rider.

      Photo credit: lockwood

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      Ciclismo Classico Film Festival (free!)

      Posted on May 17, 2010 by Tom

      Lots of neat little events to track down for bike week… just stumbled across this one:

      To Celebrate Bike Week please bring a friend and join the entire Ciclismo Gang of family and friends for a relaxing and FREE evening of good food and cycling films from Ciclismo Classico tour as well as the top favorites from The Boston Cycling Film Festival.

      FREE raffle for all participants

      What: Ciclismo Classico Film Festival. Food. Raffle and much more!
      Where: The Capitol Theatre
      204 Mass Ave, Arlington MA
      When: May 20th from 6:00-9:00
      How much? FREE
      Contact: lauren@ciclismoclassico.com
      1.800.866.7314
      www.ciclismoclassico.com

      List of Films (tentative):

      1. The No Gasoline Tour (Michigan musician Peter Mulvey bikes to all his gigs)
      2. Round Up (from Lynette Chiang – folding bicycle relay)
      3. Another New Bike (2008 winner – A crazy adolescent chase, misunderstandings and a twist of an ending
      4. Guerilla Mechanics (surreptitious bike mechanics descend on abandoned bikes in the city)
      5. Inside Ragbrai (the most famous cross state ride from a unique filmmaker)
      6. Someone Faster (a cycling tweaker with one goal in mind)
      7. I Fell (a mountain biker documents an accident)
      8. Gelato Diet by Ciclismo guest Patria Lanfranchi
      9. Piedmont: Land of Barolo & Truffles by Ciclismo guest Chuck Brazell
      10. Bike Across Italy by Ciclismo guest Carlton Reid

      Photo credit: hellochris

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