MassBike Quick Release 6/6/08

Bicycling Skills Classes: Register for June/July Classes Now!

MassBike’s class schedule is bigger and better than ever! From our Bicycling Safety Workshops to our Better Bicycling Skills classes and more, we’ve got plenty of options for you to become a better and safer cyclist. Get comfortable riding around the city, or get ready for a big charity ride. Bicycling Safety Workshops are FREE 2-hour classroom sessions, and are a prerequisite for our 4-hour on-bike Better Bicycling Skills class ($45 MassBike members, $60 others). All classes are taught by certified League Cycling Instructors. Classes filling now for June and July:

Bicycling Safety Workshop : June 10 (Waltham); June 12 (Newburyport); June 18 (Arlington); July 9 (Cape Cod); July 10 (Newburyport); South Shore (July 16); Boston area (July23)

Better Bicycling Skills : June 14 (Newburyport); June 21 (Arlington); July 12 (Newburyport & South Shore); July 19 (Cape Cod)

We also offer on-site bicycling education for your business, from our 1-hour Bicycle Commuting for Everyone, a fast-paced introductory workshop, to our full classroom and on-bike classes. Contact Shane Jordan, Director of Education and Outreach, for details.

Click here for information, class schedule, and registration http://massbike.org/skills/classes.htm

Funway to Fenway Ride: Sunday, June 8, 2008

MassBike Spins rides are designed to be low-key and fun, for novice and experienced cyclists alike. Mileage is usually under 20 miles, often less, and the pace is pretty leisurely. Some rides have a special theme, others include some education, and all of them are fun!

This MassBike Spins – Boston ride is presented by Urban Adventours. The ride starts at Landry's Bicycles, 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, 10am. Click here for more details

Click here for the complete ride schedule, updated regularly http://www.massbike.org/resources/rides.htm

Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon & Green Roots Festival: June 8, 2008

There's still time to join the Bike-A-Thon to support Bikes Not Bombs!

Pre-registration required - see  www.bikesnotbombs.org
The minimum fundraising amount is $150. There's still time left! Register now! Great prizes, and the bucks go to a BNB's local and international work!

9:00am - 62 Mile Ride Departs
10:00am - 25 Mile Ride Departs
10:30am - 15 Mile Ride Departs (great for families!)

Call 617-522-0222 to register or with any questions or http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/bat08.

After the Bike-A-Thon, join us for the Green Roots Festival. It’s FREE & open to the public in the park across the street from the Stony Brook T station in Jamaica Plain, 12-5:30pm.

Click here for more information
http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/bat08

Volunteer Night: Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Do you enjoy hanging out with fellow cyclists, conducting sparkling conversation, and eating pizza with a refreshing Harpoon beer or soda? Then you won’t want to miss Volunteer Night on Tuesday, April 8, from 5-8pm. It’s a chance to have some fun and help MassBike with a few easy administrative tasks. The more help we get from volunteers, the more time MassBike staff can spend making bicycling better. Just let us know you’re coming so we know how much pizza to order! RSVP to dorothy@massbike.org or call us at 617-542-2453.

Our office is located at 171 Milk Street, Third Floor, in Boston’s Financial District. The closest T Stations are Aquarium and Government Center.

For more info, click here
http://www.massbike.org/about/vol_night.htm

MYRIDE Youth Led Bike Tour: June 15, 2008

What: MYRIDE, a youth developed, youth led, collaboration between MYTOWN Inc. and Bikes Not Bombs teens. This guided bike tour of four Boston neighborhoods will examine the stories behind some of Boston's well known and lesser known green spaces. The ride will be an 8-mile loop starting at the Bikes Not Bombs hub near the Stony Brook T-stop in Jamaica Plain and consisting of six stops along the route. The ride will conclude with a BBQ at the Stony Brook field.

Date: Sunday, June 15, 2008

Cost: $15/person for Ride and BBQ; $25/person for Ride, BBQ, and Sweet T-shirt!

Check-in: 9:30-10:00am

Ride Start: 10:00am

Location: BNB Hub, 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain. From the Stony Brook T-stop exit to the left and then turn right onto Amory Street. Walk towards the smoke stack of the Brewery Complex, roughly a 5 minute walk. Turn left into the Brewery parking lot, BNB is on the far left.

Register at www.bikesnotbombs.org/myride

Questions: kcarter@mytowninc.org 617-536-8696x13

Corse Foundation Lose The Training Wheels: Volunteers and Sponsors Needed

The CORSE Foundation (Community of Resource for Special Education) in cooperation with Scituate Recreation in Scituate, MA, is sponsoring the Lose The Training Wheels program. The CORSE Foundation is pleased to be the first to offer this innovative program in Massachusetts. The mission of the Lose the Training Wheels Camp is to instruct up to 40 children with disabilities, ages 8 -18 to ride conventional bicycles without training wheels who would otherwise be relegated to staying on training wheels, standing by, or riding cum­bersome special purpose bikes & tricycles. The program is a 1-week bicycle training experience designed to pro­vide an environment conducive to learning to ride a bike. The camp will provide specialized equipment as well as coaching & encourage­ment. Using a series of adapted trainer bikes, children move on to more challenging bikes as skills and confidence increase. The camp will be run by highly qualified staff of Lose the Training Wheels, Inc. We are looking for volunteers to assist, if you are interested in volunteering please email corsefoundation@comcast.net . The program will be held in Scituate, MA at the Gates Intermediate School in the Gymnasium and volunteer opportunities are available for the following time slots for the week of July 7 - July 11, 2008

(8 children per time slot).  We need volunteers each day for the same time slot if possible:

8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
10:00 a.m. to 11:1.5 a.m. 
11.:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. 
1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Join our Community of Resources by being a sponsor of this exciting innovative summer camp for children with special needs. For more information on volunteering or donations for sponsorship please visit http://www.corsefoundation.org/sponsors.html. If you are able to volunteer or would like to make a donation to the program please contact Marynell Henry at the CORSE Foundation, 781-545-8467 or email corsefoundation@comcast.net.

Get Help for Your Trail Project: Application Deadline August 1, 2008

The Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program provides staff time and technical assistance for 1-2 years to projects that need an extra hand to take the next leap forward to success. We work with citizens’ groups and non-profits, helping them realize their vision of how to improve their communities, whether it’s through a rail-trail, urban park, or a restored river. The National Park Service helps make it happen.

The RTCA’s current projects in Massachusetts include Berkshire Bike Path, Great Barrington Trails, Groundwork Springfield, Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail, French River Connections, and Attleboro Trails System.

August 1, 2008 is the deadline for the next round of assistance from RTCA Program. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss project ideas with RTCA staff before submitting an application.

Visit www.nps.gov/rtca for more information.

Take a Bike Train to the Beach This Summer!

As previously announced, the MBTA has added a dedicated bike coach on the Greenbush Line, making the South Shore beaches even more accessible for bicyclists. The new bike coach joins its twin on the Rockport Line, serving Cape Ann. There are two outbound and two inbound trips each Saturday and Sunday, all summer long. Last fall, MassBike led a multi-modal fun ride from Gloucester to Salem using the Rockport bike coach – this summer we’ll have to try both bike trains!

For more information and schedules, click here http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/whats_new/?id=14891

Chelmsford Seeking Applicants for new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

The Town of Chelmsford is currently taking membership applications for a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The Chelmsford BPAC is charged with working "to improve bicycling and pedestrian conditions in the Town of Chelmsford."  It will also be responsible for oversight of the Chelmsford portion of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, once construction is complete in 2009.

The Town is looking for committee members representing a variety of interests such as: safe transportation options for children and seniors, universal access, bicycle commuting infrastructure, and bicycle & pedestrian-friendly business districts.

For a description of the committee, see the Committee Vacancies link on the Town of Chelmsford website: http://www.townofchelmsford.us/Committee_Vacancies.cfm.

Apply online using the Committee and Board Application Form at http://www.egovlink.com/chelmsford/action.asp?actionid=7477.

MassBike in the News

Groups want commuters to change 4 wheels for 2, WCVB TV Boston, May 9, 2008 (click here for video)

Riding a bike good all around, Springfield Republican, May 12, 2008

Menino pedals for a cycle-friendly city, Boston Globe, May 13, 2008

Brookline to host Beacon bike parade to encourage bicycling, Brookline TAB, May 14, 2008

Bike Commute Week, CBS3 TV Springfield, May 14, 2008

With gas rising to $4, bikers hoping for a boom, Boston Globe, May 16, 2008

Pedal power beats $4 a gallon, Milford Daily News, May 18, 2008

As gas prices soar, so does interest in bicycling in Mass., WHDH TV Boston, June 1, 2008

Cycling surges in Mass., fueled by high gas prices, Boston Herald, June 1, 2008

As gas prices soar, so does interest in bikes, WBZ TV Boston, June 1, 2008

Record numbers of bicyclists on the road, Boston Globe, June 2, 2008