***SHARE YOUR RIDE PHOTOS WITH CRW!***
Email them to: media-share@crw.org

The CRW Classics Series kicked off in April with Hills Are Your Friends. Thanks to organizers and ride leaders who made this event so successful!

For volunteers looking to pitch in with an important Club event, there are several chances to help out with the upcoming North to NH Century on Sunday, May 18!

The centuries are important events for the Club and require a tremendous amount of organization and help from volunteers.

The Century coordinators have put together this helpful spreadsheet showing the kinds of help that they need.

If you’d prefer to talk to someone about what’s involved before signing up, contact Jim Salvie at volunteering@crw.org and he will put you in touch with the right folks.

And if you’d like to help out with the Century program as a whole (the Club has two more planned for this year), don’t forget that we still need a Volunteer Coordinator for the whole program.

Contact Jim Salvie if you’re interested and you can talk to someone about what’s needed. Rest assured there’s a lot of experience and support that you’ll be able to draw on.

The club runs on volunteers and that includes people who will step up for ongoing “management” (using that word very loosely) positions. Here are a couple that are available now:

Merchandise Manager — the person in this position will select, order, and manage CRW-branded products, maintain inventory, process sales, and track financial records to promote club identity. Essentially, this is the “boss” of all the “merch”! A more detailed job description is available here.

60th Anniversary Committee Chair — next year is the club’s 60th Anniversary and we want to make it a special occasion! If you’ve got some leadership and organizing talent, this could be the position for you! This position requires a self-motivated individual who will coordinate all anniversary celebrations including events, merchandise, and promotions that honor our 60-year legacy. You’ll also help put together a team to assist. A more detailed job description can be found here.

Unsure if either of these positions is right for you? Of course you are, and there’s no need to commit based solely on this email! If you’re interested, please reply to Jim Salvie at volunteering@crw.org and he will put you in touch with the right people to discuss it. No need to commit yet. And don’t worry — there’s a very supportive board with lots of experience to get you started in either position and answer your questions as they come up.

By John Allen

What would you do?

One afternoon last October, I rode my bicycle on Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, shooting video with front and rear cameras. This post includes a video clip of my ride through the intersection with Putnam Avenue.

For your information also, here is a link to the intersection in Google Maps. I was coming in from the west on Mt. Auburn Street, as shown by the arrow in the video’s preview image.

I rode through this intersection hundreds of times when I lived in Cambridge, but I hadn't yet ridden through it with its new lane configuration and traffic signals.

Several people figure in the video:

• A motorist;
• Three cyclists, of whom I am one;
• A pedestrian.

Please view the video and think about their actions. Traffic signals and signs are important too. Let's roll the video and see how it plays.  

https://vimeo.com/1061887218

Was my conduct correct? How about the other cyclists? The motorist? Was there potential for a crash here? How was it avoided?

And what do you think of the lane assignment in the intersection?

There’s more detail looking at answers to these questions in an article on the CyclingSavvy site.

Please feel free to post comments below!

Dear Ride Leaders,

Your rides are the heartbeat of CRW — and we want to help you showcase them in WheelPeople! Sharing your upcoming events and ride recaps helps engage our membership, boost participation, and celebrate our vibrant cycling community.

Why Submit Articles?

• Promote your upcoming rides to reach interested members
• Recognize participants and volunteers who make rides successful
• Build excitement around your riding program
• Share memorable moments from special routes and adventures
• Create a lasting record of our club's activities

It's Easier Than You Think!

Articles don't need to be lengthy or complex. A few paragraphs with key information is all we need! To make it even simpler, we've provided outlines for two types of submissions:

Upcoming Event Article

• Event basics (name, date, time, meeting location)
• Calendar link
• Distance and difficulty details
• Brief description of the route or special features
• Who the ride is ideal for
• Volunteer opportunities (e.g., event support, pace group leaders)
• What to bring and logistical information
• Contact details for questions

Event Recap Article

• Basic ride information (name, date, distance)
• Number of participants who joined
• Brief highlights and memorable moments
• A quote from a participant (optional)
• Information about the next similar ride (include link if available)
• A photo or two to capture the experience

Submission is Simple

Send your articles and photos to wheelpeople-editor@crw.org by the 20th of each month to be included in the following month's issue.

Remember, your stories help build our community and inspire others to join in the fun. We look forward to featuring your rides!

CRW's Women's/Nonbinary Rides Program is gearing up for another fantastic season dedicated to building community and creating an inclusive space for women, nonbinary, and female-identifying cyclists. Our mission is to welcome more diverse riders to the road, help them connect with fellow cyclists, and serve as a gateway to the club's co-ed activities.

Below are our program offerings for 2025. Riders should select rides that match their experience and comfort level. For safety reasons, all participants must have a reliable navigation app or device with the route loaded.

Regular Rides

Praline Croissant Social Ride (Friday mornings)

• 20-mile led ride that runs year-round, weather permitting
• Departs from the Minuteman Bike Terminus in Cambridge (Alewife)
• Social pace of 13-16 mph with occasional regroups
• Coffee gathering afterward
• Riders maintaining a 13-mph average will stay connected with the group
• Slower riders welcome to try the ride, understanding they may finish independently

Speedy Croissant Developmental Ride (Tuesday mornings)

• Departs from Alewife for 20-25 miles
• Runs early Spring through late Fall
• Focus on paceline and other cycling skills development
• "Drop" ride format (we do not wait for disconnected riders)
• Pace: 16-18+ mph
• Requires intermediate group riding experience and fitness

Special Events

Themed Rides (weekends)

• May through October
• Combines cycling with social activities
• Varied starting locations
• Range of "no-drop" pace groups from 10-12 mph through 16+ mph
• Highlights include Season Kick-off, Ice Cream ride, Apple ride, and the Halloween Spooktacular (costumes welcome!)

New for 2025

• Co-ed events including a weekend Allies Ride & new recurring Saturday ride (stay tuned!)
• Skill-building clinics
• Collaboration opportunities with other club programs

Help Us Build the Program!

The Women's/Nonbinary Program actively seeks volunteers to help coordinate and lead rides at all paces, and to plan and execute events.

Join our active, dynamic community for another fantastic season of two-wheeled adventures! Check the club events calendar to register for rides, and contact Program Lead Amy Juodawlkis at AJ@crw.org to get involved as a ride leader/coordinator or with any questions.

The Charles River Wheelers launched its 2025 cycling season with an energetic Ride Leader Kickoff event hosted by John O'Dowd, VP of Rides in early April. The evening began with a lively cocktail hour where 30 dedicated ride leaders mingled, shared stories from past rides, and connected with fellow cycling enthusiasts before enjoying a delicious dinner together.

Following the meal, John presented an impressive review of the club's 2024 achievements, highlighting a grand total of 319 rides spread across various categories. These included 204 led/show & go rides, 74 women's/non-binary rides, and specialized offerings such as gravel rides, centuries, and adventure excursions.

John's presentation outlined CRW's organizational structure and introduced the Rides and Safety Committee members who coordinate the club's diverse ride programs. Attendees learned about exciting plans for 2025, including the Women's/Non-Binary Program with its regular rides and special themed events, the challenging DEVO Program featuring intense rides like the Monthly Mighty Squirrel Ride, and the Century Program with three major events scheduled throughout the season.

A special highlight was the introduction by Nina Siegel of the CRW Classics Ride Series, which will showcase historic club routes that represent the "best of the best" from the club's nearly 60-year history.

Important administrative updates included discussion of the club's new policy for maintaining ride leader status (requiring at least three led rides within a two-year period) and a recognition program rewarding the most active leaders. John provided practical tips for posting rides on the CRW website and emphasized the proper use of tags to ensure rides appear correctly on the club calendar.

The kickoff concluded with a focus on three strategic goals for 2025:

1. Enhancing safety through dedicated clinics and educational opportunities, with a special emphasis on pedestrian awareness
2. Fostering greater collaboration between ride leaders to provide more options for members
3. Building community through increased socialization at pre- and post-ride gatherings

The evening ended with an enthusiastic Q&A session and expressions of appreciation for the volunteer ride leaders who form the backbone of the club's activities. With its combination of camaraderie, recognition, and practical information, the kickoff set a positive tone for what promises to be an exciting year of cycling with the Charles River Wheelers.

Club members: Becoming a ride leader is a great way to give back to CRW. Contact John O'Dowd at Rides-VP@crw.org to get started!

The CRW Board of Directors met on March 9 to discuss several key initiatives and updates.

Administration & Operations

• The Board approved February's meeting minutes.
• A new Partnership Policy draft was introduced for review, with comments due by March 23.
• The 2025 budget has been finalized and published to the shared drive.
• CRW name tags are now ready and will be available in the club store.
• Best practices for meeting invitations were reviewed to improve group communications.
• The new "Contact Us" system is operational but needs a clearer map of who handles different inquiries.

Club Promotion & Events

• Plans are underway to open the Club Store twice this year for cycling clothing orders.
• The club is working on a new contract with Primal for club apparel.

Rides & Safety

Several upcoming events were announced:

• Ride Leader Training: March 27
• Norwellian Ride Season Start: April 5
• Winter Ride Program Celebration: April 5
• Ride Leader Kick-Off: April 6
• Additional programming in development includes classic rides, safety workshops, intro rides, and pace line training.

Century Ride Planning

• Technology improvements for century rides include:
  • StarLink connection for better internet at remote locations
  • Cellular booster availability
  • Exploring electronic tracking systems for rider check-in/check-out
• The Climb to the Cloud Century will transition to Andre Wolf and the Devo Group for organization.
• Storage space is needed for club equipment.

Volunteer Opportunities

• A comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities has been created to help coordinate club activities.
• Members are encouraged to review and suggest additional volunteer needs.

The next board meeting is scheduled for May 11, 2025.

Thanks to all of the people who competed in this year's Winter Challenge! Below are the tabulated results.

The overall winner of the CRW Winter ride challenge is Nick Linsky. Here are his numbers:

• Time: 276.8 hours
• Distance: 3444 miles
• Elevation: 168,812'

Nick wins a new bike light.

The winner for best time (other than Nick) is Pamela Blalock. Pam also got the highest elevation, so she has her the choice of the polka dot socks for elevation or the new CRW short finger gloves.

The winner for best Distance is Beth Rosenzweig. Beth gets a pair of the new CRW socks.

The winner for the best elevation (besides Pam) is Kathy Nowack. Kathy gets a pair of QOM polka dot socks.

The random drawing winners are:

Time (short finger gloves)

• Barry Nelson 
• Craig Burns

Distance (CRW sox)

• Cynthia Zaban
• Janet Westerhoff

Elevation (polka dot sox)

• Mark Adams
• Frank Calabrese

Congratulations to all!

By Jerry Skurla

The 4th Annual CRW Spring Swap Meet & Ride will be held on Sunday, May 4. 

Log some early season miles, get rid of your old bike stuff, and find hidden gems on the popular Free Stuff tables - all in a single day!

The location is in Lexington, MA at the Harrington Elementary School, 328 Lowell Street.

Register here.

2 morning rides are offered - 1 at 10 AM and a 2nd at 11 AM:

• 10 AM start: 38 miles, ride leaders Mary & Larry Kernan   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46575671
• 11 AM start: 25 miles, ride leader Carol Hartigan & Elizabeth Wicks https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46583386

The Swap Meet runs from 1 PM to 4 PM.

What items can I bring to the Swap Meet?

Review the list below to identify your stuff that you no longer need/want:

• Complete bikes, frames, wheels, and tires 
• Components, parts, accessories, and tools
• Car racks, travel cases, bike racks, and bike bags
• Clothing including shoes, jerseys, hats, and jackets

There are two easy ways to participate:

1.  Add your items to the FREE STUFF tables and find some gems for yourself.   

All items remaining at Swap Meet end will be donated to the Bike Connector in Lowell, MA. (https://www.bikeconnector.org/)

2.  Use the For Sale tables to sell your stuff.  

Tag your items with a price and your mobile number, then transact directly with buyers.

PLEASE NOTE - All "For Sale" items remaining at Swap Meet end and not picked up by the seller will be donated to the Bike Connector.

Questions? Contact Jerry Skurla, jskurla@comcast.net with any questions not answered here.