May
Hyannis Port Challenge, sponsored by and benefiting Best Buddies International, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of the mentally retarded. Ride runs in mid-May on a 90 mile course starting at the Kennedy Library and ending at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port. Shorter routes will be available. Watch for Greg LeMond (I'm not kidding) and other celebrity guests. Plenty of ride support. Great route marking. Hot post-ride party on the lawn. Limited to 350 riders, so sign up early. For more information: call 800-718-3536; 617-946-8150. For more general information on the organization, check out the Best Buddies website. I have volunteered on this ride last year and can only say: It's a blast.
Ride for Research, a ride that runs in the springtime from Waltham, MA. Twenty-five and fifty mile loops, modest fundraising, supports the Brain Tumor Society medical research.
June
Eastern New England Council of Hostelling International/American Youth Hostels Cape In A Day + One from Boston to Provincetown in June. Proceeds fund biking and hiking trips for urban kids. Well-supported and lots of fun. 603-673-2200 X-108.
July
Yankee Tour- Ride for Children. Tour benefits the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Two Days: 135 miles ($350.00 pledge min.) or Seven Days: 530 miles ($1,000 pledge minimum) + $25.00 registration fee Contact Robin at 617-983-5835 or by email at rlivernois@mspcc.org.Berkshire to Boston Memory Ride to raise money for Alzheimer's Disease research. Three-day ride. Since 1996 Memory Ride, Inc., 508-564-5700, or e-mail e-noonan@memoryride.org.
August
Pan-Mass Challenge. Sturbridge to Provincetown, first weekend in August (193 miles), plus several other rides to and from Sturbridge and Boston. Benefit the Jimmy Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Great cause, great company, great food. This ride, which started in 1980, is the mother of all benefit rides in Massachusetts. Ride is limited and does sell out, so sign up ASAP! If you can't ride, then please volunteer your support. Contact The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, 77 Fourth Ave., Needham, MA 02194; Phone 781-449-5300; Fax 781-449-5301; E-mail to panmass@pmc.org.
September
NEW! Harbor to the Bay One day ride from Boston to P-town, benefit Fenway Community Health Center and Aids Support Group of Cape Cod to help persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. 100% to charity! Choice of 125/68 miles. Substantial commitment, fantastic and worthy cause! 617-274-4560.
Tour de Boston, a Ride for Hunger, sponsored by Project Bread. One-day rides in the suburbs with route choices and modest fund-raising required. 617-239-2515.
Rodman Ride for Kids, a September century ride starting in Foxboro, with lots of flat pedaling (under 1000 feet of climbing!), and options for 50 or 25 mile loops. Modest fundraising required.
October
Cycle for Haylee Bike Tour. 25-mile bicycle tour to benefit cystic fibrosis research. Co-sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, with mechanical support by Landry's Bicycles. For registration details, contact the local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 1-800-966-0444.
Various
The Multiple Sclerosis Society sponsors five great rides in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, with distances from 25 kilometers to 150 miles over two days. The rides start in May on Martha's Vineyard. For more info call 800-493-9255 ext 188. Tyler Hamilton is a key promoter.
Tour de Cure, American Diabetes Association Sixth Annual cycling fundraiser. Many different road rides and some mountain bike rides around Massachusetts, New England, and all over the U.S.. For additional information, or to volunteer, call 1-800-TOUR-888 or (508) 879-1776.
Charles River Wheelman, 19 Chase Ave., West Newton, MA 02165. Lots of club weekly club rides. Call 617-325-BIKE, the CRW Bike Hotline. Annual membership includes membership in League of American Bicyclists, and discounts at local bike shops. The CRW Home Page has a huge collection of useful links and information about other local biking events and clubs, as well as an active e-mail list.
Massachusetts Bike Coalition Local activists promoting our interests in the region, and more. Updates on important political activities. Discounts at local bike shops. An active e-mail list, and plenty of useful cycling links.
Northeast Bicycle Club USCF team, race promoters extraordinaire, club rides, training clinics, newsletter and more. Several weekly rides from Bedford, MA. NEBC also maintains a superb website, with plenty of useful links, and tons of information on club activities and racing results. Spring training clinic begins in March, so sign up now!
New England Mountain Bike Association NEMBA has a great page loaded places to ride and things to do. NEMBA is the voice for mountain bikers in New England.
Mad About Cycling, a group located on Cape Cod, dedicated to safe cycling, and riding for recreation and transportation. MAC is a terrific advocacy group; their share the road signs are widely evident. MAC was formed in 1993 following the untimely death of Donald "Mac" McCulloch, a local cycling figure, in a bicycle-motor vehicle accident.
Bikes Not Bombs is a non-profit organization working for alternative transportation and community development. The group operates the Bicycle Recycling and Youth Training Center in Roxbury, MA, to promote environmental education, meaningful employment, and safe sustainable communities, both in Roxbury and abroad.
Seven Hills Wheelman is a recreational group for adults in the Worcester, Mass., area who enjoy bicycling and other outdoor activities. Rides in the Worcester area and off-season activities. Watch for their Quabbin Century in June, and the Fall Century in September.
Narraganset Bay Wheelman, sponsors of many local rides, including the flattest century in the East in the Fall.
East Coast Greenway Alliance. Pretty soon you'll be able to ride your bike from Maine to Key West on a 2,000 mile long bike path/road network. A most worthwhile endeavor.
The Ride This is the cycling news source for greater New England. Race results, ride connections, and a great point of view. Send your mail, race reports, interesting articles, and subscription requests to The Ride, P.O. Box 228, Woburn, MA 01801. Phone (781) 933-1808; Fax (781) 933-1443; E-mail at RideZine@ridezine.com.
Books
CycleBooks, a new source for books about cycling on the Internet. From yours truly. Great way to support this page at no extra cost to you.
Need A Lawyer? (Shameless self-promotion follows here)
Call me. As a cyclist, I know how to take care of fellow cyclists who have suffered personal injuries from auto collisions, dog attacks, or product defects. Check out the firm's web page.
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