Bicycles In Boston And The Public Health Connection.

Another email, another fun event.

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March 23, 2010
Bicycles in Boston and the Public Health Connection, featuring Dr. Anne Lusk. This event is part of the MetroFuture Speaker Series and will focus on how Boston’s bicycling infrastructure could be changed to increase bicycling and improve health in men, women, children, seniors, and parents with children on their bicycles.

This event is free and open to the public.
Date: Tuesday, March 23rd
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm
Location: 60 Temple Place, Boston
Details at: www.metrofuture.org

First Day Of Spring Ride

Got this in the email today

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First Day of Spring Neponset River Ride
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Time: 10:00 am
Start: Castle Island concession stand in South Boston
Distance: 20-25 miles
Terrain: Flat and scenic
Leader: Doug Mink, dmink@masspaths.net
Web site: http://www.masspaths.net

We’ll ride along Boston Harbor and up the Neponset River to the
southern edge of Boston and back to the start. The new bike
path upstream from Mattapan Square is almost done! This ride
is cosponsored by MassBike’s Metro Boston Chapter and the
Boston Natural Areas Network. Helmets are required, and it
is a bit long for kids unless they’re in a trailer or on a
trail-a-bike or tandem with an adult. There will be a map
and cue sheet on the web site soon, hopefully tonight.

Help The City Of Boston With Its Bike Programs

Got this in the email, this could be your chance to help His Honor, Da Mayor and Nicole Freedman out with their many bike programs!

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Dear Fellow Cyclists,

As part of one of the greater Boston areas many cycling clubs, I am writing to ask for your group’s support in making Boston the best bicycling city in the world.

Please consider helping us by volunteering at Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes numerous events this year. We need all kinds of assistance from experienced cyclists and would love to see you out there with us this Spring and Summer. Please pass this notice along to your members’ list so we can get as many of Boston’s cyclists involved as possible.

Here’s a brief list of our planned activities and the volunteer needs that we have.

Boston Bike Week – Friday, May 21 – We are looking for signage volunteers and experienced ride leaders.
Bike Fridays – Friday, June 25, July 30, August 27 – We are looking for signage volunteers and experienced ride leaders.
Hub On Wheels – Sunday, September 26 – We are looking for signage volunteers, stationary route marshals (willing and able to join the ride once the last participant passes their station), and lead and sweep ride leaders.
TD Bank Mayor’s Cup Professional Race – Sunday, September 26 – We are looking for race course marshals and staging area volunteers.

You can find out more information on all our events and goings on at www.bostonbikes.org, along with a direct link to our volunteer registration site through the ‘Volunteer’ tab. Thanks for getting involved and for making Boston a great cycling city.

Thanks so much,

Amy McGuire
Volunteer Coordinator

Pi Day Race Recap

Any race where you are drenched to the bone just riding to the start line is going to be a good one. On apocalyptic streets littered with dead umbrellas, and hidden pot holes 35 racers crazy fuckers, showed up to do battle with mother nature and each other, all for the glory of celebrating PI day. I am not sure I have ridden in worse weather, driving rain, fierce wind, road slop being thrown into your face from the fenderless bike in front of you, ass hole drivers, and to top it all off at one checkpoint we all got hit in the face with a shaving cream pies. (barbosol burns the eyes!)

You might be tempted to use words like “epic”, “awesome”, “torrential”, “stupid” and you would be right to succumb to that temptation. This race was all of those and more, I nearly met my end several times, and my back wheel not looks slightly less than round. In a sadistic turn of events the 15 mile course took us over the Charles not once by twice. I nearly lost my shit going over the Mass Ave bridge just from the wind. Slippery expansion joints, metal plates, slick road paint, and hidden pot holes (pot holes completely under water) were plentiful.

Don't worry she is ok, and also got second place ladies...tough as nails.

There were many crashes, some grizzly, but everyone made it through more or less safe and sound. I was in the front pack most of the race but got lost near the end in china town, nearly taco’d my back wheel on a HUUUUUGE pot hole, lost my blinky and ended up in 6th place.

By the end of the race all of our manifests looked like wet confetti, many people were shaking with the early stages of hypothermia, and a lot of people looked like drowned rats, but everyone even the people bleeding had pretty big smiles on their faces. The after party was held in a quarter inch of water as 40+ drenched biker showed up looking for beers, and warm clothes.

This was by far one of the shittiest, windiest, nastiest, wettest races I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of, not since the 90+ degree Katamari Kat have I suffered like this. Numb fingers, raw faces, drenched toes, all of it seemed to float away (pun intended) as the fun of the race swept over everyone. At points I could barely concentrate on anything but the guy in front of me, or trying to blink enough to get the rain out of my eyes. At one point I even had sand under my upper lip thrown up from a puddle. This race was a sloppy mess, in every sense of the word. As my friend Tammy put it “cheers to anyone who can handle the cold, wet, horizontal 55MPH windy fucktard of a storm outside.”

As fun as it was next time maybe we can schedule some sunshine!

More pictures from Karol’s awesome photo shoot.

PI Day Race HeadBadge

Thought I would keep it simple and classy on this one, high polished brass over buffed copper.

more info on the PI day race here.