MassBike Update

Northampton Bicycling Skills Classroom Sessions: Sign Up Today!

Want to improve your urban riding skills? MassBike’s Bicycling Skills classes are a great way to take your cycling to the next level. We have free evening classes (Introduction to Bicycle Safety—this has tips even advanced cyclists will benefit from), and day-long, on-bike classes on the weekends. Classes are added frequently, so check the website often.

All of our classes are taught by certified League Cycling Instructors.

Introduction to Bicycling Safety (free, off-bike classes, open to all with RSVP)

Introduction to Bicycling Safety: Saturday, April 14, 9:00a.m.-12:30 p.m., Northampton. Free off-bike lecture/discussion. RSVPs required.

Introduction to Bicycling Safety: Saturday, April 28, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Northampton. Free off-bike lecture/discussion. RSVPs required.

To register for our upcoming classes, click here http://www.massbike.org/skills/classes.htm

MassBike Spins Bicycle Tour: Sunday, April 22

A Watershed Tour to Celebrate Earth Day

The second of the MassBike Spins - Boston rides will be an urban bikepath ride through the Stony Brook watershed on Sunday, April 22. Cyclists will meet at Adams Park in Roslindale Square at 10:00 am and ride to the top of Bellevue Hill, Boston's highest point. They will then descend to the Charles River, following the route of Stony Brook and the very large conduit in which it now flows, returning along the Muddy River on Boston's Emerald Necklace. Some busy streets will be involved, though bikepaths will be used in the Stony Brook Reservation, the Southwest Corridor, the Emerald Necklace, and Arnold Arboretum. The 18-mile-long ride is cosponsored by the DCR and a new group, the Friends of Stony Brook Reservation. Helmets are required.

For more information about this ride, click here http://www.massbike.org/mbmb/rides/

Fix The Paths with the MassBike Metro Boston Chapter: Saturday, April 28

Do you bicycle, run, walk, or rollerblade on the Charles River paths? Are you concerned about the condition of the paths? If so, then join MassBike Metro Boston Chapter in a campaign to get the state to "FIX THE PATHS!"

Saturday, April 28th will be the big day as we blanket the river with volunteers with the goal of getting 2,500 people to sign a petition to the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Volunteers are needed for two-hour shifts from 11-1 and 1-3 at locations along the river in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton. Volunteers are also needed for a 4:30 - 6:30 shift on Friday, April 27th. Inclement weather postpones until May 4/5.  

To volunteer or for more information, email fixthepaths@massbike.org.

MassBike/Harpoon Social: Monday, April 23, 5:30pm-7:30pm

Celebrate the coming of Bike Month with MassBike at the Harpoon Brewery in South Boston’s Seaport District! Enjoy great Harpoon beer, while hanging out with new and old cycling friends in Harpoon’s Tasting Room. Forget about stuffing envelopes, this is not a volunteer night. It is strictly to have a good time, have a drink and have a laugh. So, if you like having fun and biking, then come join your MassBike friends at Harpoon!

Click here for more information and directions http://www.massbike.org/news/socials.htm

Kick Off Bike Month at The Peoples Pint: Friday, May 4

Cheers! Celebrate 30 years of MassBike at The Peoples Pint located in Greenfield, MA. During the month of May for every pint purchased The Peoples Pint will donate $ .25 to MassBike (and for every pitcher a dollar will be donated). You can help The People’s Pint support us by drinking a pint of Sprocket Kolsch, a delicious light-bodied summer ale brewed in the style of a lager.

To jumpstart this thirst quenching month, MassBike (David Watson & Pete Collins) will be on hand at The Peoples Pint from 5-9pm Friday, May 4 to provide information on MassBike, ideas on riding in Franklin County and to drink a beer with our friends in Greenfield.

The month will be capped off with a bicycle ride to some of the local farms in Franklin County (where some of The Peoples Pint’s amazing food comes from!). The ride will begin and end at The Peoples Pint on Sunday, May 27. Details will follow shortly.

Come out and enjoy a great cause in a tasty fashion!

For more information about The Peoples Pint, click herehttp://www.thepeoplespint.com/

Northampton Rail Trail Cleanup: Saturday, April 21

On Saturday, April 21st, from 9:30am to 12:30 pm, there will be a Northampton Bike Trail cleanup. Please come and bring the kids and join your neighbors for some good clean fun!

Come meet members at one of these locations along the City of Northampton bike trail:

• The intersection with Hatfield Street, near the cement plant
• The intersection with Bardwell St. in Florence
• The end of the trail at State Street behind Stop & Shop

The Northampton Bike Trail will supply the bags, but B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Stuff), if you can-including brooms, rakes, garden carts, trash barrels, and work gloves.

The trail cleanup is sponsored by Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways, Incorporated. FNTG helps to support the expanding network of former rail trails in Northampton, MA. FNTG is involved in raising funds for the trail, educating users, improving signage and organizing fun activities. FNTG is a broad-based community group that seeks members who want to help improve these recreational and transportation trails. If interested, please contact: Julia 413-587-0340

For more information, please click here
http://www.fntg.net

11th Annual Redbones Bike Party & Benefit: Monday, May 14

It’s the traditional kick off for Bike to Work Week – Redbones BBQ in Davis Square, Somerville, throws a big street party, with hundreds of cyclists, food, drink, prizes, music, expo, and valet bike parking! And all proceeds benefit MassBike and the New England Mountain Bike Association. Join lead sponsors Redbones and Alternative Needs Transportation at this is a not-to-be-missed event!

For more information about the party, click here
http://www.redbones.com/bikeparty.html

Ride the Granite State Quest Century: Saturday, July 14, 2007

The mission of the Granite State Quest is to raise funds to conquer childhood cancer. Partnering with the Massachusetts General Hospital, the funds raised by The Granite State Quest will be specifically directed towards pediatric cancer research developed and initiated by the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit of the Mass General Hospital for Children. The MGH team has world-renowned experience in treating leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors.

In it’s fifth year, the Granite State Quest is a one-day one hundred mile or fifty-mile bicycle ride throughout southern New Hampshire. Our commitment is to make the Granite State Quest an annual event, thus providing the opportunity for individuals and families to directly participate in the quest to conquer cancer.

Date: Saturday, July 14th 2007
Beginning and ending: The Timberland Company, Stratham, NH
Capacity: 100 Riders
Registration Fee: $125
Fund Raising: $1,000 minimum for 100 mile ride, $500 minimum for 50 mile ride
Event Goal $150,000  (First 4 years have raised $423,000)
Contact:  Bruce Taylor 603 773-1345

Register on line: www.firstgiving.com/granitestatequest

For more information, please check
www.granitestatequest.org

One Earth, One Climate Rally: Saturday April, 14

One Earth, One Climate rally will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2007, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common (near Tremont Street).

The Rally is part of Step It Up 2007, a nationwide effort to draw attention to the global climate crisis. The purpose of these events is to ask Congress to pass legislation reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. As of this moment, 1,253 events are planned in all 50 states.

In Boston and surrounding communities, Step It Up volunteers are organizing dozens of local actions on April 14 – from Hull to Somerville to Lexington – which will culminate in the One Earth, One Climate Rally on Boston Common in the afternoon.

I hope you will join me at the Parkman Bandstand on April 14.  If you're out of town that day, I hope you will consider attending a Step It Up rally wherever you are. There are also other ways to support Step It Up’s effort -- you can sign-up to volunteer, buy blue wristbands, or make a donation - all by visiting www.stepitupboston.com .

Join MassBike

If you ride a bike in Massachusetts, you should be a MassBike member. All year round, we are working across the state to improve bicycling conditions. Whether you’re a commuter, recreational rider, racer, or mountain biker, MassBike’s advocacy efforts help make riding safer and better for you. Please join our growing membership and support better bicycling. We truly appreciate it.

Click here to join MassBike
http://www.active.com/donations/campaign_public.cfm?key=massbike&CFID=7493593&CFTOKEN=34423737