At-large Boston City Council Candidates Debate on Parks & Open Space – Thursday, October 22nd 6:30-8:00 pm at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse. Come hear the eight candidates talk about how they will promote and support greenspace if they are elected. There will be questions about funding, park management, bicycling, public safety in parks, green jobs for youth, arts and nature programs, the link to health and wellness, community gardens, and more. Half the program will be devoted to questions from the audience. Show the candidates how important parks and open space are to the quality of life for all Bostonians! The Golf Clubhouse is on Franklin Park Road in Dorchester and can be reached via the #16, 22, 29, or 14 buses – there’s also plenty of parking. Sponsored by Boston Park Advocates – for more information contact: debate@bostonparks.org or call 617-442-4141.

We had a big crew ride out to Sherborn on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We loaded up on McIntosh apples and were a bit heavier on the way back. The Dairy Queen in Natick gave us the energy to pull those apples home. There were riders on road bikes, hybrids, fixed gears, and even a family of four with kids in a trailer! Check out the pictures in the “Pictures” section, and I posted a link to the route in the “Maps and routes section”. Stay tuned for our fall foliage ride in October.

From Nicole Freedman, bike czar:

Olympians. National champions. We’re talking the country’s BEST pro cyclists pedaling by you so fast, you’ll feel the breeze! It’s the first annual TD Bank Mayor’s Cup Pro Race on Saturday, September 26th at Boston City Hall Plaza. It’s all FREE to spectators. The “Boloco Block Party” kicks off at 2pm. Then catch the pro races, a kids race, and a mascot race. It all wraps up with a free concert featuring Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra on The Plaza.

And if you’re adrenaline is still pumping on Sunday, come on out for the fifth annual Hub On Wheels citywide bike ride. All proceeds go to support Boston school kids. When you’re done, The Boloco Block Party will still be there waiting for you.

Check it out today and enter to win a free bicycle. www.tdbankcyclingweekend.com

JP Bikes is leading a ride to Dowse Orchards in Sherborn on Sunday, September 13. Meet at Ferris Wheels Bike Shop, 66 South St., opposite Harvest Co-op, at 9:45 a.m. (ride leaves at 10:00 a.m.) Moderately hilly route, relaxed pace; 35 miles round trip. Bike ride is free. Rain or shine (call first if torrential downpour). Bring money for apples; lunch; and a bag for apples that can be closed. Bags for transporting apples home may be available if you don’t have an easy way to do it yourself. Call 617-524-BIKE for more information.

JP Bikes rides to beautiful Farm Pond in Sherborn this Sunday August 23rd. Bring lunch and a suit so you can take a dip in the pond. It’s about 18 miles each way with some rolling hills too so this ride is more suited for those with some experience with longer distance rides. I expect we’ll average around 15 mph, so not too slow or too fast.

If you really want to go but are concerned with the speed or distance, the commuter rail stop in Natick is six miles from the pond and there are lots of good roads for biking in this area. Reply to this email if you’re interested in doing this and I’ll look into a good route.

Meet at Ferris Wheels at 10 am. -Bob

We’re a bit tapped out from the ROCK, Roll, and Ride planning, so Sunday’s ride to Blue Hills is postponed. It’s supposed to be a nice day so do get out and ride. If you need a recommendation on how to get down to the Blue Hills, where to ride, and what to do, send us an email (Contact Us link above).

Also, our Deer Island ride is being merged with the MassBike and Rozzie Bikes ride so is now on Saturday the 25th. See the link in our calendar to the right on this page.

Perhaps not unexpected given the weather in June, but our trip to Cape Ann was misty. But that’s OK since it’s still a very nice ride in the mist. Like Scotland I suppose (I’ve never been). And it never really rained so we were comfortable riding. Jeffrey Ferris even jumped in the ocean. We had five take the train to Rockport and then ride down to the beach in Manchester, and we had five riders ride to Manchester from Boston. The bike train was great, although we were all stumped on the correct usage of the Thule bike racks screwed to the ends of the bike car. All in all a great day, maybe we’ll do it again on a nice sunny day! Let us know if you want to go and I’m sure some will join you.

At the Manchester train station

The train home wasn’t a bike train, but there’s always a car with a bunch of space on one end for bikes, so we piled them up.

Department of Conservation and Recreation
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Arnold Arboretum Visitors Center/Hunnewell Building
125 Arborway, Boston

At the meeting, design alternatives for safer pedestrian crossings to Jamaica Pond will be presented, and public input sought, for the following three locations:

• Jamaicaway at Eliot Street
• Parkman Drive at Kelley Circle
• Parkman Drive at the Parkman Memorial

If you have questions about the public meeting, please email DCR.Updates@state.ma.us or call 617-626-4974.

Department of Conservation and Recreation
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Arnold Arboretum Visitors Center/Hunnewell Building
125 Arborway, Boston

At the meeting, design alternatives for safer pedestrian crossings to Jamaica Pond will be presented, and public input sought, for the following three locations:

• Jamaicaway at Eliot Street
• Parkman Drive at Kelley Circle
• Parkman Drive at the Parkman Memorial

If you have questions about the public meeting, please email DCR.Updates@state.ma.us or call 617-626-4974.

The T-shirts that we sold at the Spring Roll are available for sale at Ferris Wheels for $10. They come in the green color shown, as well as a natural color.