Massachusetts Bike Week 2002
Saturday, May 11 through
Sunday, May 19

Bike Week is part of Bike Month, a national event to celebrate and encourage bicycling.

All events are tentative!

Send your Massachusetts Bike Week (or Bike Month) events to Doug Mink, dmink@massbike.org as soon as you have them scheduled. See the pages for previous bike weeks for ideas.

Check out the City of Boston's Bike Week page and the MassBike Pioneer Valley Bike Week page for more information about events!

Before Bike Week:

Bicycle Driver Training
April 27 and May 4
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Get ready for BikeWeek. This 12-hour class teaches you everything you need to cycle safely in Boston traffic-or anywhere. Two Saturdays, 9 am to 3 pm at Roxbury Community College. Also offered June 8 and 15.
Contact Paul Schimek, 617-635-4606, paul.schimek@cityofboston.gov

All Week:

Bike to Work Week Commuter Challenge	Check with your local Transportation Management Association (TMA) or the Boston Transportation Department to participate in the Bike to Work Corporate Challenge during Bike Week May 11-19th. You have to work in Boston or nearby parts of Cambridge to enter. Here are the rules. Click here for help concerning bike commuting from the League of American Bicyclists.
Clean Commute Week Springfield	11:00 am-1:00 pm daily; alternative commuting events in front of the Civic Center.

Friday, May 10:

Bike to Work Community Breakfast
7:00 -9:00 am
North Adams

Mass MOCA parking lot. Sponsored as part of Bike to Work Week by the Berkshire Bike Path Council

Saturday, May 11:

Breakfast and more Amherst/Hadley line 9:00 - 11:00 am	Breakfast, Bike Safety and Equipment Program, and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Showcase at Big Y Supermarket, 175 University Drive, Amherst. Contact Karen Jones, 413-367-9585
Boston Bicycle Festival Franklin Park	There will be a noon program will include live music, refreshments, free bicycle tune ups, bicycle helmet fitting, and a bicycle lighting information, and displays by bicycle-related groups and three rides: 10:00 am: The morning Boston Hills ride will go over 15 miles through Mattapan, Roslindale, Hyde Park, West Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain, climbing Boston's highest hills. Good brakes and helmets are required; very low gears will be useful. 2:00 pm: A family fun ride will follow the Southwest Corridor bikepath to the Fenway and return along the Emerald Necklace. Helmets are required, but this ride will be fairly flat. 2:00 pm: The afternoon Boston Hills Ride will go through Dorchester and Roxbury, climbing as many hills as we can find. Good brakes and helmets are required; very low gears will be useful. Valet bicycle parking provided by MassBike. Contact Paul Schimek, 617-635-4606, paul.schimek@cityofboston.gov
Learn to Ride a Bicycle 10:30 am - 2:30 pm Somerville	Offered free by the Bicycle Barn and Riding School, Davis Square, Somerville. For all beginners, ages 10 to 100. Potluck lunch break Give your mother the gift of bicycling for Mother's Day. Bike rentals $5/day. Call to reserve your place. 617-776-6524.
Bike Tour of Natick 2:00 pm Pegan Cove Park	Meet in the Pegan Cove Park parking lot for an easy bike ride on trails and roads in downtown Natick, visiting that park on Lake Cochituate, the trail along Middlesex Avenue Extension, and Dell Park Cemetery overlooking Fisk Pond. (Rain date: 2:00 pm Saturday, May 18) Natick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: 508-653-6136, 9am-9pm; Dick Miller, Chair
Berkshire Brevet 200K Westfield	125 mile tour of the Pioneer Valley Meet at New Horizons Sports in Westfield Contact Don Podolski, 413-562-5237
Greenfield Bike Rodeo Turners Falls	Contact Chris Pichette
PEDAL IN VIDEO + FILM FEST Mass Art Courtyard 7:30pm	Ride yer bike to the second annual PEDAL IN VIDEO + FILM FEST at 621 Huntington Ave., Boston. Bigger and better than last year, this year's program will teach you how to make a bike into a nuclear submarine or make it rotate 360 degrees as you ride it. It will introduce you to some top female mountain bikers and the Bikes Not Bombs girls group. It will entertain you with the beauty of a forest bike path and the cheesy horror of the bike helmet massacre. It will feature the work of brilliant local and not-so-local video and film makers who happen to love their bikes. Many of them will be around to answer your questions after the show. There will be bike mechanics from Broadway Bicycle School on hand to help you fix your bike before the show for FREE. The popcorn will be FREE. The soda will be FREE. The movies will be FREE. Getting there will be FREE, since you ride a bike. In fact, everything is FREE except the beer, which is very cheap. For more info contact Cory at pedal_in@hotmail.com or 617-629-0007.

Sunday, May 12: Mothers Day, Arnold Arboretum Lilac Sunday

Emerald Necklace Tour 11am to 3pm Boston Common	Join Boston Bike Tours (for free if you bring your own bike) at the Boston Bike Tours stand on the Boston Common. This tour is processionally lead and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It explores Fredrick Law Olmsted's (the father of Landscape Architecture) finest works. The Emerald Necklace, a chain of 9 interconnected parks, is a hidden treasure of Boston. The tour starts from the Boston Common, and cruises through the Back Bay, Fenway, Brookline, Jamaica Pond to Arnold Arboretum which is run by Harvard University and features over 15,000 species of trees and a great view of Boston atop Peter's Hill. Along the way we see many different Boston neighborhoods and stop for homemade Ice Cream at JP Licks. The ride is 12 to 17 miles with some moderate hills and will take 4 hours. For information, contact Lyall Croft at 617-308-5902 or email LyallCroft@cs.com.
Walk Across the Zakim Bridge noon - 5:00 pm	This is not a bicycle event, but you can park your bike at the O'Neill Building next to North Station and walk over. The Leonard P. Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge isn't scheduled to open to traffic until October, but pedestrians are getting a chance to travel on the bridge in a special event on Mother's Day when Boston's striking new landmark will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Tentative plans call for walkers to assemble that day at North Station. The bridge will be wheelchair accessible. Watch for future public announcements for other details. This event is being organized by walkBoston and the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.
Learn to Ride a Bicycle 1:30 - 5:00 pm	Offered free by the Bicycle Barn and Riding School, Davis Square, Somerville. For all beginners, ages 10 to 100. Potluck celebration afterward. Give your mother the gift of bicycling for Mother's Day. Bike rentals $5/day. Call to reserve your place. 617-776-6524.

Monday, May 13:

Bike to Work Community Breakfast 7:00 -9:00 am Great Barrington	Studio 21 parking lot across from Price Chopper Plaza. Sponsored as part of Bike to Work Week by the Berkshire Bike Path Council
Bike Commuter Breakfast 7:30 - 9:30 am West Springfield City Hall	Contact Mike Vezzola, 263-3390
Bike Commuter Breakfast 8:00 - 9:30 am Longwood Medical Area	Longwood Medical Area, 375 Longwood Ave. Contact: Melissa Marantz, mmarantz@masco.harvard.edu
Bike Commuter Breakfast 8:00 - 9:30 am Westfield	Breakfast at Jester's Café Contact Don Podolski, 413-562-5237
5th Annual Bike Valet Block Party 4:00 - 10:00 pm Davis Square, Somerville	Redbones, 55 Chester St., Davis Square, Somerville, MA $10.00 includes great food, a pint of beer, lomonade, or soda, bicycle valet parking and a raffle ticket. Proceeds benefit MassBike and NEMBA.
Framingham Rail Trail 4:00 - 8:00 pm	4:00 - 5:00 PM Visit the proposed Framingham Rail Trail. {Outdoors; rain or shine}, Hemenway School, 729 Water Street 7:00 - 8:00 PM Rails-to-Trails Presentation by Craig Della Penna New England Representative for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy plus question and answer session with officials. {Indoors} Memorial Building, 150 Concord Street, Lower Nevins Hall, Public Hearing Room Learn about Framingham's newest Historic Rail Trail project from Framingham Centre to Nobscot and beyond. Discuss the Trail with Framingham officials and national Rail Trail experts. Complementary refreshments Sponsors: Framingham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee William Hanson, Chair (508) 628-3686, (508) 904-0446 (day of event only) MetroWest Bicycle Task Force, John Stasik, Chair Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Bike Tour 6:00 pm Westfield	Meet at New Horizons Sports, Westfield; snacks after. Contact Don Podolski, 413-562-5237

Tuesday, May 14:

Bike to Work Community Breakfast 7:00 -9:00 am Pittsfield	Pittsfield City Hall. Sponsored as part of Bike to Work Week by the Berkshire Bike Path Council
Bike to Work Breakfast 7:00 -9:00 am Chicopee	Breakfast at City Hall, Contact Steve Frederick, 413-594-3416
Bike to Work Breakfast 7:00 -9:00 am Turner's Falls	Franklin County Breakfast in front of the Discovery Center Contact Mark Skinder, 617-774-6051
Pancake Breakfast 7:30 - 9:30 am Cambridge	Broadway Bicycle School, 351 Broadway, Cambridge Meet your fellow bicycle commuters over free coffee and pancakes. See the faces behind some of the names you see on the Internet.
Mean Streets: Boston Proper 6:00 pm City Hall, Boston	A ride of about 12 diverse miles, led by Charles Hansen (W: 617-572-0277, velotrain@peoplepc.com) starting at Boston City Hall Plaza, at the Government Center T-stop. This is more of an urban exploration than an aerobic ride, but due to the follow the leader format participants should be capable of 12-15 MPH. Since we may encounter curbs, dirt, glass and other debris, ATB's, hybrids or sturdy commuting tired bikes are recommended. Explore Government Center, the financial district, Chinatown, Fort Point Channel area, Southie and downtown waterfronts, North End and more. We will attempt to discover alleys and nooks and crannies you never knew about.
Bicycling in the Movies Video Fest 7:00 - 8:00 pm	International Bicycles, 89 Brighton Ave., Allston. 617. 783.5804. Sponsored by MassBike, 617-542-BIKE
Community Path Meeting 7:00 - 8:30 pm Somerville	Somerville Community Path Community Meeting at the Visiting Nurses Assisted Living Community, 259 Lowell St. Somerville, MA 6:30PM preview walk of path. We're looking for input on the path extension from nearby residents and from community members, so we need you!! Refreshments! Maps! Discussion! Neighbors! Learn about the path which could connect Somerville to the Charles River, and Boston to the Minuteman Bikeway. Donations are gratefully accepted in person, or online with Visa/MC or check.
Evening Ride Westfield	Evening ride with Northeast Sport Cyclists Meet at New Horizons Sports, Westfield Contact Don Podolski, 413-562-5237

Wednesday, May 15:

Bicycle Commuter Breakfast 6:30 - 9:30 am Easthampton	Breakfast at Gazebo on the Common Contact Bill Burgart, 413-527-9080
Bicycle Commuter Breakfast 7:00 - 10:00 am Northampton	Breakfast at the corner of Main & King Contact Jim Desmond, 413-584-6441
Harvard Bicycle Commuter Breakfast 7:30 - 9:30 am Harvard Square, Cambridge	Harvard University's CommuterChoice Program is sponsoring a bicycle breakfast in cooperation with the City of Cambridge on Wednesday, May 15. Come to the Forbes Plaza in front of Holyoke Center anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and show your bicycle helmet to receive a complimentary breakfast.
Flat Fixing and Bike Lubrication 7:00 - 10:00 pm	Free! Bikes Not Bombs. 59 Amory St. #103, Boston. 617-442-0004. mail@bikesnotbombs.org

Thursday, May 16:

Commuter Breakfast 7:30 - 10:00 am UMass, Amherst	Southeast Gateway near Newman Center Contact Robert Hendry, 413-545-6585 More info at: http://www-parking.admin.umass.edu/bike
Commuter Breakfast 7:30 - 9:30 am Hadley	At Valley Bicycles Trailside, Norwottuck Rail Trail Contact John Coull, 413-253-0700
Back Bay Breakfast and Bike Week Celebration 8:00 - 10:00 am Prudential Center, Boston	Join us at the Boylston Plaza of the Prudential Center for free breakfast, bike tune-ups, vendors, exhibits, and more. Extra bike parking provided. Brought to you by the Prudential Center merchants , Boston Properties, and the Artery Business Committee TMA. For more information contact the ABC TMA at 617-557-7322. Group rides are being organized by Kevin Porter, 781-363-3329.
Kendall Square Bike Breakfast 8:00 - 9:30 am	Breakfast in the park at 8 Cambridge Center on Broadway. Sponsored by Charles River TMA. Phil Warnock. 617-914-8261, pwarnock@mit.edu
Snake Brook Trail Ride 6:30 pm Wayland	Easy off-road bike ride on the Snake Brook Trail. If the trail is dry, we have special permission to take an unusual bike trip in Cochituate State Park, on the Snake Brook Trail and to Cochituate Dam. Natick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: 508-653-6136, 9am-9pm; Dick Miller, Chair
Evening Ride Springfield	Evening ride with Northeast Sport Cyclists Meet at Fitness First, Feeding Hills Contact Don Podolski, 413-562-5237

Friday, May 17: National Bike to Work Day

Bicycle Commuter Breakfast 7:00 - 9:00 am Civic Center, Springfield	Contact Tina Manos, 413-748-3495
Boston Bicycle Commuter Breakfast 7:30 - 9:30 am City Hall, Boston	Come to Boston's City Hall Plaza for breakfast and a celebration of bicycling in the city on National Bike to Work Day. Contact Paul Schimek, 617-635-4606 paul.schimek@cityofboston.gov Group rides are departing from Burlington: 7:00 am, Owen Mcgonagle Sharon: 7:00 am (or earlier), Kevin Porter, 781-363-3329 Winchester: 7:00 am, Winchester Square, Dave Adams Medford: 7:15 am, Medford Hillside Little League field (Winthrop St and Rt. 16) Dave Adams Milton/Quincy: 7:15 am, Dave's Bike Infirmary, 440 Granite Ave in East Milton Square We'll follow Granite Ave north to Fields Corner, then cut west on Quincy St to the SW Corridor, pick up Columbus Ave at the end of the path and make our way to City Hall via Boston Common. Diane Daniel Roslindale: 7:30 am, Adams Park, Doug Mink Somerville: 7:30 am, Ace Wheelworks (Elm St. at Beech), Dave Adams Jamaica Plain: 7:40 am at the Monument, Centre and South Sts. Doug Mink To add another ride, contact Doug Mink
Bicycle Commuter Appreciation Giveaways 7:30 - 9:00 am Cambridge	Cambridge cyclists will receive gifts to thank them for improving air quality, traffic flow, and quality of life. Contact Joseph Barr, 617-349-4671, jbarr@ci.cambridge.ma.us
Share the Path Morning & Evening Commutes Somerville	The Friends of the Community Path will mark Bike-To-Work-Day offering bicycle bells and information on courtesy toward pedestrians. Help us "share the path" near the Davis Square MBTA stop.
Bicycle Commuter Lunch Noon Greenfield	Lunch on the Greenfield Town Common Contact Mark Skinder, 413-774-6051

Saturday, May 18:

Kahpre Hodge Memorial Ride 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Boston	Proceeds go to college scholarship funds 13 mi., picnic provided. Must register and get pledges in advance. Meet at Bikes Not Bombs. 59 Amory St. #103 Boston. 617-442-0004. mail@bikesnotbombs.org
Breakfast/Bike Rodeo 10:00 am Holyoke	Contact Jack Hunter, 413-534-2240
Bike Rodeo 11:00 am - 1:00 pm South Deerfield	At the South Deerfield Police Station Contact Arjen Vriend.
Neponset Greenway Bicycle Safety Fair 1:00 - 4:00 pm Dorchester	Pope John Paul II Park, Dorchester. For families and children age 4 to 12. Greenway path safe riding tips, equipment checks, contests, and fun. Boston Natural Areas Network, http://www.bostonnatural.org, Contact Betsy Johnson, 617-542-7696 betsy@bostonnatural.org.
Tour of Brookline 1:00 - 2:30 pm	Historic highlights south of Rt. 9. Meet at the old Brookline town green, Walnut, Warren and Sumner Streets. 7 mi, not advised for children under 12. Marian Lazar, mlazar@world.std.com
Bike Ride and Picnic Greenfield	Bike Ride and picnic at the Greenfield Swim area Contact Mark Skinder, 413-774-6051

Sunday, May 19:

CRW Spring Century 7:30 for 100 9:30 am start 10:30 for 25	Meet at Wakefield High School, 1 mile east of Wakefield Center on Rt. 129 East. There will be 25, 50, 62, and 100 mile rides. Sponsored by the Charles River Wheelmen. Coordinator is Melinda Lyon, melindalyon@juno.com, 978-887-5755.
Bike the East Coast Greenway 10:00 am - ? Boston	Meet (and finish) in Sullivan Square in Charlestown at the corner of Bunker Hill St. in front of the Schrafft's Building. Join us for a 40-mile ride on the the proposed route of the East Coast Greenway through Boston, along the Mystic River in Charlestown, up the Charles River and the Emerald Necklace, down the route of the proposed South Bay Harbortrail from Ruggles Station to the Harbor, along the Harbor through Dorchester, and up the Neponset River on existing and proposed segments of the Neponset Trail to the southern edge of the city. We will return via the Southwest Corridor.
Historic Somerville Bike Tour 10:00 am	Meet at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., to tour many of Somerville's historical sites with the Historical Commission and the Bicycle Committee. The ride will be about three hours long and include a snack stop. Families are welcome and the ride will be paced according to participants' skill levels. Click here for a map and cue sheet of the ride. Click here for the city's site about the ride Contact: Ron Newman, 617-628-8895, rnewman@thecia.net
Blessing of the Bikes 10:00 am Fairhaven	More than 500 bikes of all shapes and sizes are expected to line up at Fort Phoenix State Beach starting at 10:00 am. A procession of St. Joseph School is scheduled at noon, when the bikes will be blessed by Fathers David Lupo and Robert Charlton. The procession will go to Adams Street, and continue on Bridge Street until the last bike is blessed. The event is followed by a two-hour ride through the back roads of Bristol County. The ride will then conclude at the Highlander in Acushnet. For information on the event, call Cathy Melanson, development director at (508) 996-1983.
Bike Ride to Fresh Pond Community Celebration 12:40 pm Cambridge	The Cambridge Bicycle Committee, local bike shops, and the City of Cambridge are sponsoring a ride from the eastern part of Cambridge (including Cambridge City Hall) to the GoGreen Celebration at Fresh Pond (see below). Riders will start at various locations throughout Cambridge and ride through Central Square, Harvard Square, and Danehy Park on their way to Fresh Pond. The ride is open to cyclists of all ages (children must be accompanied by an adult) and all abilities. Riders will be accompanied by Cambridge Police Department Bicycle Patrol Unit officers. Rides will leave at 12:40 pm from 2nd Gear Bicycle, Broadway Bicycle School, Cambridge Bicycle, and Dana Park 12:45 from City Hall, 1:00 pm from Cambridge Common (Civil War Memorial), 1:15 pm from Danehy Park (field house at Sherman St.) (good place for families with small kids to join), and arrive at Fresh Pond at between 1:20 and 1:30pm. A final map of the route will be available on the Cambridge GoGreen web site during Bike Week.
Fresh Pond Community Celebration Noon to 4:00 pm Cambridge	Celebrate the new bicycle and pedestrian facilities at Fresh Pond. Environmental and transportation information fair, tours, performances, and inauguration of the multi-use pathway along Fresh Pond Parkway. Contact Joseph Barr, 617-349-4671 jbarr@ci.cambridge.ma.us
Sudbury Aqueduct Ride 2:00 pm South Natick	Meet us in the back left parking lot of Memorial School in South Natick for an easy bike ride on the Sudbury Aqueduct. It's a surprise for first-time visitors, with great views for all. We'll finish with a quick tour of the adjacent Natick Community Organic Farm. Come early to enjoy the events of Spring Fair at the Natick Community Organic Farm! It's 10am-3pm the same day (and with a next-day rain date, too), and is halfway up the very same Memorial School driveway. Natick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: 508-653-6136, 9am-9pm; Dick Miller, Chair