Doug's Bike Week 2000 Journal

Sunday, May 14
Bikes parked at Redbones
I was supposed to help lead Paul Mentag's Heart Ride 2000 send-off this morning, but the end of one of my rear dropouts cracked off, my rear wheel was only held on one side, and I had to call my wife to rescue me (with a car...). In the afternoon, we took some other bikes on the Brookline Historic Tour. Nine-year-old Sarah, who rode a Trail-a-Bike on the tour last year, has graduated to the back of our Montague folding tandem; I captained, and my wife, Claudia, rode her own bike. Sarah was great to ride with--when I called out, "Afterburner on!" she stood up and we zoomed up some pretty steep hills. Marian Lazar, who led the ride, seemed to know everything there is to know about the historical, architectural, and geological features on the route, and it was just a gorgeous day to be outdoors. After the ride, I went shopping for a new bike.
Monday, May 15
Redbones Bike Week Party
Everyone in Boston's bicycling community, and some from as far away as Worcester, converged on Davis Square for Redbones third annual benefit. Chester Street was closed off, the valet parking area next to the restaurant was filled up with bikes, the MassBike tent was up, and the aroma of fresh barbecue filled the air. I met old friends like Joel Bennett, with whom I biked to New York City 18 years ago, and fellow builders of the Neponset River Bridge, Milton Trimitsis and Michael Hering and Mike's wife, Elizabeth, and talked about bikepath funding and cosmology while eating chicken and beef barbecue (they'd run out of pulled pork...).
Tuesday, May 16
Pancake Breakfast menu
The sixth annual Broadway Bicycle School Commuter Breakfast brought together cyclists who live and/or work in Cambridge for some great homemade strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate chip pancakes and vegetarian sausage. Commuter breakfasts are a good time to get together with the people who are out there on the street with you every day. The City of Cambridge was supposed to be handing out bike commuter goody bags this morning, but none of the people at the breakfast, who had converged from all over (as far away as Dedham) had seen one. Tonight, I picked up the new bike I found at International Bicycle Center on Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday, May 17
Cambridge bike police
Access Boston bike meeting
I biked in a bit late today and stopped in front of Cambridge City Hall to visit the tables set up for "Commute a Better Way Day". I got all the answers right on their commuting quiz and picked up a few bike and car stickers. I rode my 30-year-old Raleigh Super Course instead of my new bike because of the Access/Boston meeting at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square tonight. It was a nice trip down the Charles River Bikepath, though the inline skaters have really come out of the woodwork over the past couple of weeks, and I had to slow down a few times. At the Access/Boston meeting, Paul Smith of Rizzo Associates talked about what will be in the upcoming Boston Bicycle Plan and showed off the study he did for the Emerald Necklace Greenway project which MassBike is working on. In response to my question, he said the report should be out as soon as the Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Bicycle Advisory Committee (BBAC) have vetted it. We had a lively discussion in a breakout session in which BBAC members assured other cyclists that this time, bike proposals will be carried out. The presence of Chief of Environmental Services Andrea D'Amato (who runs the streets and parks of the city) through most of the meeting was encouraging, too.
Thursday, May 18 Car-pool day, and I had to pick up a sick kid, which definitely was easier in a car than on a bike, since she is way too big to fit in a trailer.
Friday, May 19 No events were planned for today, though the steady rain would have dampened turnout if they had been. I did put fenders, a rack, and a bike computer on my new bike, so it got its commuting baptism in Real New England Spring Weather.