Moscow To Mongolia – A Bicycle Adventure

Got this in the email from DotBike.

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If you’ve been to one of Sage’s presentations before, then you won’t want to miss this NEW one about her summer 2011 adventure bicycling through Asia. If you’ve never experienced on the other hand, you
definitely want to come be inspired, informed and entertained on a cold winter’s evening when you can take a vicarious bicycle tour with a personalized tour guide!

Details:

Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 6:30 pm (presentation at 7pm)

Location: 2nd floor auditorium of George Sherman Student Union at Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Admission: suggested donation of $10 to benefit Boston neighborhood bicycle groups (including BU Bikes, DotBike, JP Bikes and RozzieBikes) – includes refreshments and chances at doorprizes

Moscow to Mongolia: a bike in a suitcase, the Trans-Siberian railroad and a 1,000 kilometer cycling adventure.

More than just beautiful landscape and intimate portraits- come learn about adventure cycling, how to ride the Russian rails, and why you might want full suspension and a GPS in Mongolia.

Sage Cohen’s first bike trip was around a Dorchester block in the early 60’s. Since the late 90’s, she’s been cycling all over Asia. Her cat and her skis are in Anchorage, Alaska but she’s come home for the holidays to help support her favorite neighborhood bicycling groups: BU Bikes, Dot Bike, JP Bikes and RozzieBikes. Come out and support them too!

See here for more details.

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Important Public Meetings For Cyclists

from dotbike

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There are three important public meetings coming up this week and next. All these meetings are great opportunities to give feedback on long term projects that will have great benefits for cycling in Dorchester and the city.

* Wednesday Nov 16 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Boston Bikes is having a review of the Boston Bike Network Plan at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square lower level McKim Room A.
* Thursday Nov 17 from 7 – 9 p.m. DCR will present plans and ask for input on the Neponset River Greenway Improvement Project at the Foley Senior Residences, 249 River St. in Mattapan
* Monday Nov 21 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Mass DOT and the Casey Overpass Working Group will present plans and asks for comment on the Casey Overpass reconstruction project at William A. Hinton State Laboratory 305 South StreetJamaica Plain

Hope to see you there. More details on these meetings can be found at www.dotbike.org

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An American In Amsterdam Talks Cycling

An American in Amsterdam Shares Her Take on Dutch Cycling Policy from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

I think Amsterdam is a good model for how we could do things in Boston, they have a similar climate and similar city layout. This video is a nice little preview of what I hope Boston looks like in a decade.

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Gateway Drug To The Cycling Lifestyle

Whenever I talk to someone who has just gotten their first “real” bicycle (there is an entire post between those quotes, but for now lets continue), I always tell them the same thing.

“Be careful.”

They usually think I am talking about crashing and say something like “I got a helmet” or “I am a slow rider, and very cautious.” I am always quick to correct myself. I don’t mean that they are going to get hurt, cycling is pretty safe, especially if you take a couple simple precautions.

I place one hand on their shoulder, lean forward and look them right in the eye as I explain that cycling is going to take over their life. It’s all too easy to fall headfirst into the cycling lifestyle. What starts as a simple “I will give it a try riding to work once or twice” can all too easily spiral into a full blown cycling life vortex.

You get the bike, then the shoes, then the socks to go with the shoes, then you want the new bike pants, you sign up for some bike websites, then you are meeting other bike people, hey they are cute, sure lets go for a bike ride, then you’re both standing over your bikes and leaning in for a kiss…you get the idea.

Before you know it you are riding everywhere, you have lost 20 pounds, your ass looks amazing, and like that all your friends have nice calves, and you spend a lot of time thinking about gear ratios and carbon fiber. You start thinking about getting a fixed gear/road bike/mountain bike/tall bike, because your current ride is nice but what you really want is just one more bike…just one more.

Its not all amazing calves and chain rings. There is a dark side to falling into the cycling lifestyle. If you are not careful you will get increasingly annoyed with your non-cycling friends, “why does it take you so long to get anywhere” “have you really been looking for parking for 30 minutes” “just lock up to a street sign…ohh”

You will show up to events with your giant messenger bag and wonder why everyone else isn’t wearing shorts, I mean come on its 42 degrees out! You will have to explain to every single person you meet that yes you do ride, yes all year round, yes even in the winter. You eat three times as much food as a normal human being, and your friends start to get mad at you because you seem to exist on candy and ice cream and never gain a pound.

If you catch a particularly bad case you might move in with your bike friends have a “bike house” where all the occupants ride, where there is a special room just for bikes, where a night at the bar means you bring the tandem… Don’t laugh, these things are real and happen to people just like you. Some especially bad cases have resulted in cycling weddings, children strapped into bike trailers, and a life long love affair with two wheels.

Sure I tell new bikers to be careful, but then I open up my messenger bag and slip them a bike map, or a spare tube…”Hey kid, wana try cycling, first taste is free?”

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A Summer Of Cycling In Roxbury

Another great email with events

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RSVP and inquiries to Derek Lumpkins 617-427-1006, [email protected]

A Summer of Cycling in Roxbury

Roxbury, MA – For the second year running, Discover Roxbury and the Franklin Park Coalition are teaming up to lead bike-friendly tours of Roxbury’s green spaces and rolling hills. In addition to burning calories on the rides, the two organizations will answer burning questions that exist about the community.

The rides are weather permitting and open to riders of all skill levels. Riders must provide their own bikes and helmets are required.

Wednesday, May 26, 5pm-7pm
Eliot Sq-Franklin Park
This is where it all began! Start in Eliot Square, the heart of colonial Roxbury, and ride through nearly 200 years of historic architecture to the top of Highland Park. From there it’s downhill into the 20th century past Malcolm X’s home, through Melnea Cass’ neighborhood, and into areas where Elma Lewis left a strong impression on residential Roxbury and in Franklin Park. Once inside the park, tour old ruins, enjoy the lush forest, and ride over Frederick Law Olmsted’s arched bridges. At the end of the ride, purchase a light meal at the Golf Clubhouse and watch the setting sun on the terrace.

Thursday, June 24, 5:30pm-7pm
Forest Hills Cemetery- Franklin Park
Ride to the southern reaches of Roxbury and tour historic green spaces: Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park. The cemetery was originally founded as a public burial ground in 1848 by the Mayor of Roxbury and is the final resting place for prominent Roxburyites such as abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, surgeon Susan Dimock, entrepreneur Joseph “Wally” Walcott, and arts leader Elma Lewis. After touring the cemetery, ride through Franklin Park alongside the 200-acre forest and catch the view from Schoolmaster Hill where Ralph Waldo Emerson once lived. At the end of the ride, purchase a light meal at the Golf Clubhouse and watch the setting sun on the terrace.

Saturday, July 24, 10am-12pm
Roxbury’s Main Streets
Travel to the four corners of Roxbury: Egleston Square, Mission Hill, Dudley Square, and Grove Hall. Meet the directors at the Main Streets programs, hear how and why each is unique, and receive recommendations on places to eat and shop. Our tour will begin in front of Mission Church and travel down Tremont St and Malcolm X Blvd to Dudley Square. After a brief visit, we’ll continue uphill to Grove Hall. From there we’ll bike through Franklin Park and finish our ride in Egleston Square where we can direct riders back to the Southwest Corridor.

Saturday, August 7, 10am-12pm
Radical Roxbury
Feel free to wear tie dyed t-shirt. This tour will explore the more radical side of Roxbury’s history. We’ll begin at Roxbury Crossing with the relatively well-known protests against the construction of I-95 along the Southwest Corridor. From there our attention will focus on mid-20th century revolutionary leaders Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X. After passing the former locations of the Black Panthers and SNCC, we’ll end with an overview of the 1967 and 1968 riots in Grove Hall and the police staging grounds in Franklin Park.

Wednesday, September 15, 5pm-7pm
Olmsted’s Roxbury
Frederick Law Olmsted, a nationally renowned landscape architect, is best known in Boston for his work on the Emerald Necklace. Parts of the Emerald Necklace form Roxbury’s borders to the west and the south. But, few people are aware that Olmsted and his company were also responsible for many smaller parks scattered around Roxbury. Complete the summer of cycling on a tour of parks that help make Roxbury such a beautiful place for biking. We’ll begin in Eliot Square and wind our way around the community to tour existing parklands as well as areas which were once park, but didn’t survive the growth of the city.

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