This was the scene about a quarter of the way through the 47-mile MassBike Summer Ride, which I did on August 14th ...
I thought to myself as I rode this stretch, "wow, this is why I ride a bike." It's such a wonderful feeling being out there in a new area, with a map and arrows leading the way, constantly meeting fellow riders who come and go along your journey.
The August 14th MassBike Summer Ride, sponsored by the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, took place in the quiet and historic western suburbs of Boston. It began and ended in Lexington, and I chose to do the 47-mile route. It was about a three-and-a-half hour ride, beginning at Lexington High School, looping around the area's rolling hills, and returning back in time for a late lunch.
This was a quiet sort of ride. There was no mass start with hundreds of riders at the line. At 9 am, when the 47-mile ride was set to begin, most of the riders were just hanging out, checking in at registration, or rolling around the parking lot to give their gears some trial shifts.
"It's a rolling start," said one of the organizers, when I asked her whether it was time to begin. "Feel free to leave anytime between 9 and 10 am."
So I headed out around 9:15 on what was a truly wonderful ride! These arrows painted on the road by MassBike organizers led the way...
...and there was one wonderful rest-stop along the route...
As with all event rides I participate in, I didn't take any photos while doing the ride itself, so that I could simply enjoy the road and scenery. But afterwards I drove the entire route by car and snapped these photos of the road-just-cycled...
Here's my bike post 47-mile adventure, sitting up against my rental car (with Alabama plates!):
Thank you to all of the organizers at MassBike for a fantastic ride!
