A couple of weekends ago, I carried my Brompton on the 9:30 AM Commuter Rail train from Boston to Newburyport, Massachusetts. From there I rode out to the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. '
The Parker River NWR is a prime viewing spot to see migrating birds. While I didn't see anything exotic like Piping Plovers (the rare bird this refuge is known for), I did see lots of egrets, double-crested cormorants, and thousands upon thousands of little tree swallows.
It was a beautiful ride ... and you can experience it too by watching my GoPro video!
Showing posts with label boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boston. Show all posts
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Bookstore Ride ... With Video!
Take an ordinary errand, and make it something special -- that's what a bicycle does so perfectly, especially when that errand is to visit a wonderful bookstore.
Here's a video I created of my ride to from Cambridge to Newtonville Books in Newton, Massachusetts. I shot the video with my GoPro camera and iPhone7, and then I edited it in GoPro Studio. Enjoy!
Here's a video I created of my ride to from Cambridge to Newtonville Books in Newton, Massachusetts. I shot the video with my GoPro camera and iPhone7, and then I edited it in GoPro Studio. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 13, 2016
My Brompton Interview
I'm featured on Brompton's website!
You can read my interview here.
Thanks so much to BromptonUSA for contacting me and running this feature. I had a great time answering their questions.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Magical Morning Brompton Ride
With winter 2016 quickly becoming history, I welcomed in spring this past Saturday with a long Brompton bike ride from my home on Boston's South Shore all the way to Harvard Square in Cambridge. I saw so many wonderful things along the way.
I rode the bike lanes through Dorchester, by the neighborhood's iconic triple-deckers:
The Greenway has a long, long way to go before being complete. But hopefully someday the dream will become a reality.
I then continued my ride onto the bike lanes of Kendall Square and MIT, some of which are completely separated from the street.
I rode the bike lanes through Dorchester, by the neighborhood's iconic triple-deckers:
Then after a quick dash up D Street in South Boston, I stopped to rest on one of the wide benches that line the Seaport District, looking out on the commercial fishing boats that dock at Boston Fish Pier. Here's a watercolor I did of that scene when I got home (click to enlarge):
After my short break by the pier, I continued riding along Atlantic Avenue's bike lanes into downtown Boston, stopping for breakfast at the Equal Exchange Cafe coffee shop near Boston Garden:
Normally this sidewalk would be full of people, especially after a basketball or hockey game at the Garden. But it 7:00 AM on a Saturday, so all was quiet.
How nice it was to simply bring my neatly folded Brompton inside and tuck it under the table as I ordered a bagel and iced coffee from the friendly staff.
Another great thing about the Brompton is that because of its small size, it's easy to walk the bike to become a pedestrian when necessary. This allowed me to make my way from Boston to Cambridge along one of the city's most magical secret spaces ... the network of little public bridges and catwalks across the Charles River locks:
My meandering journey across the river was rewarded by this view of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge...
... and a chance to have a little fun playing the "Charlestown Bells" -- an interactive work of public art by Henri Matisse's grandson, Paul Matisse. You pull various handles to ring the tubular bells that span the walkway's fence.
Each handle even has the note it plays etched into the steel.
I then got back on my bike and rode the paths through the fairly new Paul Revere and North Point Parks. The magical thing about Paul Revere Park is that it makes accessible -- and beautiful -- a space that is usually left to become to dark, dusty, and dangerous: the space beneath the bridge:
I'll have to take a better photo of this sometime, because the picture I took doesn't capture how light, cool, and fun this area is. There are always people around, strolling, running, walking their dogs, or just enjoying the sun. And directly under the bridge are stone sculptures, a skateboard park, and then a pedestrian/bike bridge that lifts you out from under the bridge into the beautiful garden area of playgrounds, landscaping, and well-tended bike lanes that is Cambridge's North Point Park. In fact, the bike path is part of the Maine-to-Florida East Coast Greenway.
I then continued my ride onto the bike lanes of Kendall Square and MIT, some of which are completely separated from the street.
Above is the ultra-modern Stata Center at MIT.
Turning onto the bike lanes of Mass. Ave, it wasn't long until I reached my destination: Harvard Square. I didn't take any photos there, mainly because I've been to Harvard Square thousands of times. But you can read about its bike lanes on this earlier post I wrote.
Happy with this long and wonderful ride, I decided it was time to head home. So I hopped on the Red Line subway for a quick dash back to the South Shore (again, super-easy with a folded Brompton). But unfortunately I forgot that the T was doing construction that day along the Longfellow Bridge between Cambridge and Boston. So they were busing passengers over that part of the route. Argh!
I could have simply carried my Brompton on the bus, but instead I got back on my bike at Kendall Square and retraced my route along the North Point Park bike paths...
... over the creaky gangways of the Charles River Locks...
... and into the North End, where I took a long way around, leading me to this:
This is a very special section of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the linear park that snakes its way through downtown along the old path of the I-93 elevated highway. The highway now runs underground -- the end result of the tumultuous Big Dig project that I was a witness to for well over a decade. This section of the Greenway is designated the Armenian Heritage Park, honoring metro-Boston's large Armenian community.
The labyrinth and the dark polygonal sculpture (on the upper-left of the labyrinth) represent the constantly growing and unfolding immigrant experience. The sculpture is reconfigured each year into a new shape, symbolizing the different ways immigrants reshape their own lives in their new home. The sculpture is dedicated to the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.
I stopped here for a bit to take in the meaning of this space, and then I rejoined downtown Boston's bike lanes to ride on to South Station where I folded up my Brompton, got back on the Red Line, and completed my journey home.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
To the Reservoir
My 40 mile Saturday early-morning ride took me through light rain...
...on Boston's bike lanes all the way to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, near Boston College.
The sky sure looked beautiful, between short bursts of rain...
...and I passed by the awesome Waterworks Museum, which seemed fitting, considering the wet weather.
The Citgo sign over Kenmore Square greeted me on the way home....
...and I rode by the brownstones of the Back Bay...
...and made a side trip through South Boston.
A very cool adventure for a Saturday morning.
...on Boston's bike lanes all the way to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, near Boston College.
The sky sure looked beautiful, between short bursts of rain...
...and I passed by the awesome Waterworks Museum, which seemed fitting, considering the wet weather.
The Citgo sign over Kenmore Square greeted me on the way home....
...and I rode by the brownstones of the Back Bay...
...and made a side trip through South Boston.
A very cool adventure for a Saturday morning.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
A Busy Weekend!
This was a good weekend of cycling!
I've been concentrating many of my recent rides on the Neponset River Trail, which cuts a path along the boundary between Boston and Quincy, and then between Boston and Milton further upstream. It's not as well-known as the much longer Minuteman Commuter Bikeway further to the west, but the Neponset River area has unique charms all its own, such as the 1940's-era streetcars that rumble by the path (still in everyday use by the MBTA)...
...historical and whimsical murals...
I've been concentrating many of my recent rides on the Neponset River Trail, which cuts a path along the boundary between Boston and Quincy, and then between Boston and Milton further upstream. It's not as well-known as the much longer Minuteman Commuter Bikeway further to the west, but the Neponset River area has unique charms all its own, such as the 1940's-era streetcars that rumble by the path (still in everyday use by the MBTA)...
...historical and whimsical murals...
...and the former Baker Chocolate Factory at the Lower Mills area of Dorchester and Milton:
I then continued along the new bike lanes in Milton:
On Saturday, in addition to riding all of the above, I did a loop around the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library on Boston's very scenic Columbia Point:
I've also been experimenting more with acrylics while watching the Ardennes classic races on TV. So I just finished a painting of the riders crossing the river Meuse in the finishing town of Huy, during the Fleche Wallonne race in Belgium:
And ... I finally joined a cycling club! I'm now a member of the Charles River Wheelmen. It's one of the largest clubs in the Boston area, with multiple rides every week, century rides, a newsletter, and more. I'll be honest, the only reason I hadn't joined the club earlier was because of its name. Of course there are both women and men in the organization, so "wheelmen" feels so old-fashioned (although it's still a fairly common name among long-running cycling clubs). But once I discovered all the great things the club organizes -- and I saw that both women and men are in leadership positions (its newsletter is called "wheelpeople") -- I then happily joined up. I guess old names die hard, like YMCA, where the only letter that's still relevant is the "A". Anyway, I'm looking forward to taking part in some of their rides, and maybe making some new cycling friends in the process.
So, a good weekend!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mayor's Cup Race & Hub on Wheels Ride in Boston
What an amazing cycling weekend we just had here in Boston!
On Saturday was the Mayor's Cup Pro-Cycling Criterium, right in the heart of downtown Boston. It was the first professional cycling road race in Boston in over 20 years ... and for me, it was the first race I had ever watched live, in-person.
The City of Boston and the race's principal sponsors (TD Banknorth and Boloco) really did a great job organizing the event. They offered substantial prize money to attract serious professionals, and they created a fantastic criterium course. So bravo to Mayor Thomas Menino and our Boston "Bike Czar" Nicole Freedman for a job well done!
Now on to the races...
The first professional event was the hour-long women's race. Seeing these cyclists launch off the starting line...
...my first reaction was that watching professional cycling in-person sure is a unique and wonderful thing -- especially a criterium race, in which the cyclists ride multiple laps around a relatively short course. There's a great burst of excitement as the peloton speeds by in an incredible rush of color and whirring gears...
...and then there's silence. Then a minute or so later, you hear the lead-out car honking its horn and the cyclists whoosh by again.
It all gives you a fantastic sense of suspense. You may only see one slice of the action, but you know the drama is still unfolding during the quiet moments as you wait for the peloton to return.
And then there's the speed they ride! I can't even begin to describe how amazingly fast these cyclists go. I could barely capture them with my camera. And they're not just fast, they're intense. Watching the peloton zip by, you see a lot of intricate maneuvering going on within that tightly packed group. The concentration on the racer's faces was really impressive, especially as the different teams jockeyed for position.
The Mayor's Cup course for both the women and the men was a wide circle around City Hall Plaza, about .7 of a mile. The fun part about being a spectator was that it was easy to get to other parts of the course simply by crossing the Plaza. The course was long enough that each of the different vantage points gave you a unique perspective on the race, whether it was the long straight section on New Sudbury Street, the hill up Congress Street, or the sharp curve in front of the historic Old State House. It made the roads around the Plaza a perfect cycling venue. From now on, I will always look at often-unappreciated City Hall Plaza with new-found affection!
Here are photos I took of the women's race from different points along the course (many of these shots are somewhat blurry, which is a good indication of the cyclists' speed):
I eventually settled back at a place near the finish line, next to where the announcer was calling out details of the race. Through him, I learned that one of the favorites to win was a cyclist named Tina Pic of the "Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light" team (yes, just like in the Tour de France, some team names are a bit odd. But hey, that's o.k. Hats off to those sponsors that keep pro-cycling alive. I've already added Colavita Olive Oil to my shopping list...). The Mayor's Cup would be Tina Pic's final race after a very successful career as a pro cyclist. I think everyone could feel a good story in the making...
Considering this was the inaugural Mayor's Cup, the crowds were fantastic. Each time the riders sped by the finish line to begin another lap, the crowd cheered loudly, and the anticipation built and built until at last the final lap had arrived.
Now the odd thing about seeing a race in-person is that you can't always get a good view of the lead-up to the final sprint. All I could see from where I stood was the finish line itself. But watching a race live gives you a new challenge that more than makes up for the lack of an overall view: snapping that perfect photo of the winner as she crosses the finish line. The trick is getting the photo without having your eyes glued to your camera. It's certainly no fun watching the big moment on your camera screen!
So as the lead car zipped through the finish line, I simply focused the camera on the finish, pressed the shutter down halfway to set the autofocus, and looked up. Here's what I was able to capture as winner Tina Pic arrived at the line in first place (yes, Tina Pic did win!):
Not bad! You can sort of make out Tina Pic just beginning to raise up her arms in celebration. And behind her are the second and third place finishers: Brooke Miller (Team TIBCO) and Jennifer McRae (Team Type 1).
Here's a photo I took of Tina Pic being interviewed just after the race ended, with Jenifer McRae standing behind her:
And here are photos from the awards ceremony that took place at the end of the day (it was actually pretty dark by then, but I was fortunate that a media photographer's high-powered flash went off just as I shot this photo):
And the traditional champagne blast...
The winners seemed truly elated, especially Tina Pic. What could be better than retiring from the sport on such a high note! It was wonderful hearing the kind things the winners had to say about Boston in the post-race interviews.
After the women's race ended, there was about a half-hour wait before the men's race started. But it went by quickly, having so many cool bikes around to look at:
The men's race followed the same course as the women's, but it was a half-hour longer.
Here they are at the start:
And here are some of my photos from the race itself...
I loved the sounds of the cyclists speeding by. For instance, as the peloton powered up this small hill...
... you could hear so many loud clicks as they all simultaneously shifted gears, like staccato punctuations above the cool cadence of pedals in motion.
After a while, a breakaway of seven riders separated from the peloton, creating a wide gap. It turned out that they would remain in front all the way to the end.
I wasn't as lucky at the finish line as I was during the women's race -- I completely missed getting a shot of the winner (it was also getting quite dark, so my photos were increasingly blurry). But I did get a halfway decent photo of the winners at the awards ceremony:
They winners were: Kyle Wamsley (Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light), Shawn Milne (Team Type 1), and Clayton Barrows (CRCA Empire presented by Northwave).
For a good summary of the race, check out the article at the Daily Peloton.
So what an exciting day! I rode home on the subway with my ears still ringing with all the amazing sounds of cycling.
But the fun wasn't over yet. The following morning was Part II of Boston's great cycling weekend: The Hub on Wheels Ride (with all proceeds going to the Boston Public Schools). There were three courses to choose from ... a 10 mile ride (all on streets closed to traffic), a 30 mile ride, and a 50 mile ride. Over 6,000 people registered! I registered online about a month before the event and received my number in the mail. Since 30 miles is normally within my cycling abilities, I had originally planned on that riding that course.
The night before the ride though, as I pinned my number to my windbreaker, the forecasters on the Weather Channel called for rain, rain, and more rain! Oh no! I had only taken one or two short rides in moderate rain before ... but that was close to home on familiar roads. I couldn't imagine doing 30 miles in the rain, especially having never ridden among thousands of other riders before.
But I went to bed Saturday night simply thinking: lets just see what tomorrow brings.
The next morning I got up at 6 am, and sure enough ... steady rain. Rats! But I went through the motions of getting ready for the ride anyway. I dressed in my cycling clothes, packed my seat bag, put on my cycling gloves and helmet, and walked my bike out the door. "I'll just ride to the T station and get a feel for what it's like out," I thought to myself.
It was pretty miserable. My windbreaker wasn't nearly as weatherproof as I had thought, and in the two minutes it took me to ride to the station, I was getting chilled to the bone. So I went back home, added extra layers under my jacket, and tried heading out again. After nearly turning around and heading home for good, I finally made the decision: "I need to support my city's cycling efforts -- I'm going to the ride". But I decided on a compromise: I would just do the 10 mile course. Having now gotten my mental ducks in order, I got on the T with my already very wet bike at my side and made my way into the city.
It turns out that I was not alone. Of the 6,000 people who registered, I would estimate that maybe 1,500 or so cyclists showed up at the start line. Pretty amazing! And what a nice group of people!
By this time it was still raining steadily; but standing there among all these happy cyclists, it didn't seem quite so bad. I felt like I was part of something truly special.
Because of the rain, I took very few photos ... not wanting to put my little Canon PowerShot SD1000 at risk. But here's one I did take of some riders getting ready at the start line...
And here was my view of the sea of cyclists just before the start of the ride...
And at 8 am sharp, we were off!
Now keep in mind this was a ride, not a race. Yet right from the start, I knew this was going to be an extraordinary experience. The 10 mile course was all on city streets completely closed to traffic. We first coasted down Cambridge Steet, then onto Storrow Drive along the Charles River, through the Back Bay Fens, up Commonwealth Avenue, and finally ended with a good climb up Beacon Hill before returning to City Hall Plaza.
All around me were the whirring of pedals, the clicking of gears, and the swishing sound of tires on wet pavement. It was exhillirating -- and a fantastic exercise in concentration. Sometimes I politely passed by slower cyclists, while other times I kept my riding in an even line so that faster cyclists could gracefully pass by me. It was about an hour of perpetual motion, full of sounds and sensations I had never before experienced. And riding on closed city streets was phenomenal! It was as if the city was ours alone.
The experience was all quite a sensory overload .... and in the rain, no less! I can't imagne what it would have been like if the weather was sunny. But hopefully I won't have to imagine too long ... I'll definitely be back next year.
So to the City of Boston, Mayor Menino, Director of Bicycle Planning Nicole Freedman, the volunteers, and all the event sponsors ... thank you, and great job on creating this wonderful weekend!
On Saturday was the Mayor's Cup Pro-Cycling Criterium, right in the heart of downtown Boston. It was the first professional cycling road race in Boston in over 20 years ... and for me, it was the first race I had ever watched live, in-person.
The City of Boston and the race's principal sponsors (TD Banknorth and Boloco) really did a great job organizing the event. They offered substantial prize money to attract serious professionals, and they created a fantastic criterium course. So bravo to Mayor Thomas Menino and our Boston "Bike Czar" Nicole Freedman for a job well done!
Now on to the races...
The first professional event was the hour-long women's race. Seeing these cyclists launch off the starting line...
...my first reaction was that watching professional cycling in-person sure is a unique and wonderful thing -- especially a criterium race, in which the cyclists ride multiple laps around a relatively short course. There's a great burst of excitement as the peloton speeds by in an incredible rush of color and whirring gears...
...and then there's silence. Then a minute or so later, you hear the lead-out car honking its horn and the cyclists whoosh by again.
It all gives you a fantastic sense of suspense. You may only see one slice of the action, but you know the drama is still unfolding during the quiet moments as you wait for the peloton to return.
And then there's the speed they ride! I can't even begin to describe how amazingly fast these cyclists go. I could barely capture them with my camera. And they're not just fast, they're intense. Watching the peloton zip by, you see a lot of intricate maneuvering going on within that tightly packed group. The concentration on the racer's faces was really impressive, especially as the different teams jockeyed for position.
The Mayor's Cup course for both the women and the men was a wide circle around City Hall Plaza, about .7 of a mile. The fun part about being a spectator was that it was easy to get to other parts of the course simply by crossing the Plaza. The course was long enough that each of the different vantage points gave you a unique perspective on the race, whether it was the long straight section on New Sudbury Street, the hill up Congress Street, or the sharp curve in front of the historic Old State House. It made the roads around the Plaza a perfect cycling venue. From now on, I will always look at often-unappreciated City Hall Plaza with new-found affection!
Here are photos I took of the women's race from different points along the course (many of these shots are somewhat blurry, which is a good indication of the cyclists' speed):
I eventually settled back at a place near the finish line, next to where the announcer was calling out details of the race. Through him, I learned that one of the favorites to win was a cyclist named Tina Pic of the "Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light" team (yes, just like in the Tour de France, some team names are a bit odd. But hey, that's o.k. Hats off to those sponsors that keep pro-cycling alive. I've already added Colavita Olive Oil to my shopping list...). The Mayor's Cup would be Tina Pic's final race after a very successful career as a pro cyclist. I think everyone could feel a good story in the making...
Considering this was the inaugural Mayor's Cup, the crowds were fantastic. Each time the riders sped by the finish line to begin another lap, the crowd cheered loudly, and the anticipation built and built until at last the final lap had arrived.
Now the odd thing about seeing a race in-person is that you can't always get a good view of the lead-up to the final sprint. All I could see from where I stood was the finish line itself. But watching a race live gives you a new challenge that more than makes up for the lack of an overall view: snapping that perfect photo of the winner as she crosses the finish line. The trick is getting the photo without having your eyes glued to your camera. It's certainly no fun watching the big moment on your camera screen!
So as the lead car zipped through the finish line, I simply focused the camera on the finish, pressed the shutter down halfway to set the autofocus, and looked up. Here's what I was able to capture as winner Tina Pic arrived at the line in first place (yes, Tina Pic did win!):
Not bad! You can sort of make out Tina Pic just beginning to raise up her arms in celebration. And behind her are the second and third place finishers: Brooke Miller (Team TIBCO) and Jennifer McRae (Team Type 1).
Here's a photo I took of Tina Pic being interviewed just after the race ended, with Jenifer McRae standing behind her:
And here are photos from the awards ceremony that took place at the end of the day (it was actually pretty dark by then, but I was fortunate that a media photographer's high-powered flash went off just as I shot this photo):
And the traditional champagne blast...
The winners seemed truly elated, especially Tina Pic. What could be better than retiring from the sport on such a high note! It was wonderful hearing the kind things the winners had to say about Boston in the post-race interviews.
After the women's race ended, there was about a half-hour wait before the men's race started. But it went by quickly, having so many cool bikes around to look at:
The men's race followed the same course as the women's, but it was a half-hour longer.
Here they are at the start:
And here are some of my photos from the race itself...
I loved the sounds of the cyclists speeding by. For instance, as the peloton powered up this small hill...
... you could hear so many loud clicks as they all simultaneously shifted gears, like staccato punctuations above the cool cadence of pedals in motion.
After a while, a breakaway of seven riders separated from the peloton, creating a wide gap. It turned out that they would remain in front all the way to the end.
I wasn't as lucky at the finish line as I was during the women's race -- I completely missed getting a shot of the winner (it was also getting quite dark, so my photos were increasingly blurry). But I did get a halfway decent photo of the winners at the awards ceremony:
They winners were: Kyle Wamsley (Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light), Shawn Milne (Team Type 1), and Clayton Barrows (CRCA Empire presented by Northwave).
For a good summary of the race, check out the article at the Daily Peloton.
So what an exciting day! I rode home on the subway with my ears still ringing with all the amazing sounds of cycling.
But the fun wasn't over yet. The following morning was Part II of Boston's great cycling weekend: The Hub on Wheels Ride (with all proceeds going to the Boston Public Schools). There were three courses to choose from ... a 10 mile ride (all on streets closed to traffic), a 30 mile ride, and a 50 mile ride. Over 6,000 people registered! I registered online about a month before the event and received my number in the mail. Since 30 miles is normally within my cycling abilities, I had originally planned on that riding that course.
The night before the ride though, as I pinned my number to my windbreaker, the forecasters on the Weather Channel called for rain, rain, and more rain! Oh no! I had only taken one or two short rides in moderate rain before ... but that was close to home on familiar roads. I couldn't imagine doing 30 miles in the rain, especially having never ridden among thousands of other riders before.
But I went to bed Saturday night simply thinking: lets just see what tomorrow brings.
The next morning I got up at 6 am, and sure enough ... steady rain. Rats! But I went through the motions of getting ready for the ride anyway. I dressed in my cycling clothes, packed my seat bag, put on my cycling gloves and helmet, and walked my bike out the door. "I'll just ride to the T station and get a feel for what it's like out," I thought to myself.
It was pretty miserable. My windbreaker wasn't nearly as weatherproof as I had thought, and in the two minutes it took me to ride to the station, I was getting chilled to the bone. So I went back home, added extra layers under my jacket, and tried heading out again. After nearly turning around and heading home for good, I finally made the decision: "I need to support my city's cycling efforts -- I'm going to the ride". But I decided on a compromise: I would just do the 10 mile course. Having now gotten my mental ducks in order, I got on the T with my already very wet bike at my side and made my way into the city.
It turns out that I was not alone. Of the 6,000 people who registered, I would estimate that maybe 1,500 or so cyclists showed up at the start line. Pretty amazing! And what a nice group of people!
By this time it was still raining steadily; but standing there among all these happy cyclists, it didn't seem quite so bad. I felt like I was part of something truly special.
Because of the rain, I took very few photos ... not wanting to put my little Canon PowerShot SD1000 at risk. But here's one I did take of some riders getting ready at the start line...
And here was my view of the sea of cyclists just before the start of the ride...
And at 8 am sharp, we were off!
Now keep in mind this was a ride, not a race. Yet right from the start, I knew this was going to be an extraordinary experience. The 10 mile course was all on city streets completely closed to traffic. We first coasted down Cambridge Steet, then onto Storrow Drive along the Charles River, through the Back Bay Fens, up Commonwealth Avenue, and finally ended with a good climb up Beacon Hill before returning to City Hall Plaza.
All around me were the whirring of pedals, the clicking of gears, and the swishing sound of tires on wet pavement. It was exhillirating -- and a fantastic exercise in concentration. Sometimes I politely passed by slower cyclists, while other times I kept my riding in an even line so that faster cyclists could gracefully pass by me. It was about an hour of perpetual motion, full of sounds and sensations I had never before experienced. And riding on closed city streets was phenomenal! It was as if the city was ours alone.
The experience was all quite a sensory overload .... and in the rain, no less! I can't imagne what it would have been like if the weather was sunny. But hopefully I won't have to imagine too long ... I'll definitely be back next year.
So to the City of Boston, Mayor Menino, Director of Bicycle Planning Nicole Freedman, the volunteers, and all the event sponsors ... thank you, and great job on creating this wonderful weekend!
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