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!

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!

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 Harold Hatch and Nina Siegel

The CRW CLASSICS Ride Series 2025

Building on the success of our Classics kickoff featuring Lindy King’s “Hills are Your Friends,” we’re featuring our second ride in the series, Bob Zogg’s “Brake for Beavers”, which will be run on June 1 starting in Chelmsford, MA.

As a reminder, this ride series is meant to highlight some of the “best of the best” routes that have been created by CRW Route Developers/Ride Leaders over the club’s nearly 60-year history. Familiar to long-time club members, some routes have been running annually since 1999, while others haven’t been offered recently. This season we are focusing on rides that feature 3 or more routes. With beautiful roads, multiple speed and distance options, including a welcoming 10-12 mph pace, these routes offer something for everyone in CRW, new and long-time members alike.

Be on the lookout for upcoming WheelPeople articles featuring the Route Developer and/or Ride Leader and what it is about their ride that makes it special to the club. You’ll find notifications in ChainLink and club social media channels when the rides are posted on the Events Calendar. Please join us as we celebrate what our Club has to offer in its long history of riding.

AND NOW – OUR SECOND CLASSIC FEATURE!

Harold Hatch, Nina Siegel, and John O'Dowd are leading Brake for Beavers on June 1, 2025 out of Chelmsford, MA. 

Brake for Beavers was originally developed in 2010 by Bob Zogg who was looking for some fresh terrain while maintaining a start location that was within reasonable driving distance for most CRW members. Google Maps helped Bob a lot, along with scouting missions to see if the route was interesting, reasonably safe, and could accommodate adequate snack/watering stops. He noticed that the ride passed an old beaver lodge at one point, hence the ride’s name.

Fast forward to 2021. Harold Hatch, a relatively new member to CRW, had spent several years exploring the roads of New England using CRW’s route library as a guide. Much like Bob, Harold was looking for new routes that might appeal to CRW members within a reasonable distance from the usual starting locations. With a bit of internet sleuthing, he found an old CRW ride posting for Brake for Beavers claiming it was voted “best new ride of 2010”. Having never seen this ride on the calendar, he was curious.

The route follows mostly back roads, is reasonably flat with the exception of a few challenging climbs, notably the hill going into Hollis in particular will get your legs burning! As Bob mentioned, there are many good rest stop options, first in Hollis (Buckley’s is a must stop if you’ve never been) followed by the store in Market Square, which has a pretty decent slice of pizza, and the ice cream stand at the end is a must on a hot summer day.

After rediscovering the route, Harold posted on the CRW calendar, not sure who would show up for a ride a bit far from the usual routes around the I-95 area. There was a surprisingly good turnout, with lots of great feedback on the route. One person even mentioned that years ago there was quite a beaver problem in the area and speculated that could be part of the reason for the ride’s name. However, with all the development over the years nearly all the beaver habitat along the route is now gone. Sadly, as far as we know, there have been no beaver sightings on this route in recent years.

After the initial success, John O’Dowd joined to lead the medium route 2022, and Nina Siegel started leading the short route in 2024, and we continue to get a great turnout each year. This route inspired the idea for the CRW classic series, where we hope to continue to highlight some of the great routes that either have been long-time traditions, or like Brake for Beavers, have been rediscovered as “hidden gems”.

************************

Ride a Classic route or two this season and find out exactly why they are such enduring Club rides. Explore new territory, scenic views, and the best snack stops all while riding with great people the way you like to ride.

Some of the exciting upcoming routes include:

• Blue Moon – Barry & Linda Nelson – July 6
• Northern Light(house) Tour – Renee LeVerrrier & Andy Meyer (Route Developers) Nina Siegel (Ride Leader) – September 7
• Bagels and a Witch – Melinda Lyon – October 26

Check out the CRW Ride Calendar and choose your next ride – which will become your Classic?

If you would like to have one of your routes featured as a CRW Classic please reach out to either Nina (ninasiegel7@gmail.com) or Harold (haroldhatch@yahoo.com).

Let’s Ride!

***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!

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.

Last week Joan Klappert passed away on April 4.  Joan and her husband Walter McNeil spearheaded the winter rides program for CRW. Joan was the innovator and founder of mountain bike rides, which was a model and catalyst for this emerging sport in New England.

You can view Joan's obituary here.

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.  

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!

By Terry Gleason

CRW has invited Terry Gleason to contribute articles to WheelPeople from his perspective on cycling community advocacy. We hope that these articles will serve to educate CRW members on local, regional, and national issues that directly affect their safety and enjoyment of cycling.

Bay State Bike Month

May is an excellent time to get more involved with your local bicycling programs and events. MassBike has a host of aids and examples (links below) to help you and hopefully others you team up with. I will share suggestions and tips from years of working with local volunteers and colleagues on award winning Safe Routes To School and Bike to Work events at Bedford Job Lane School and MIT Lincoln Lab, respectively.

Tip: Any time you are working with first-time bikers to work or school, the number one goal is to make their first experience a pleasant one. Plan for a rain date in case the forecast is iffy. Opt for a drive-to meeting place to avoid too many hills, busy roads, or a too lengthy route for inexperienced riders.

Bike To School Day

Many schools participate in Spring and Fall Bike/Walk to School Day. If you have kids in elementary or middle school, work with other parents to organize a safe ride to school. Ask parents to do bike prep work but be prepared to adjust seats and helmets, pump up tires, and tighten bolts. If a first-time event, test ride the route beforehand with a kid or two. The greater the range of ages of the kids, the more likely you will need more adults to allow splitting into slow and fast groups.

Remember that unlike the walkers (often AM only), the bikers need PM assistance to get home. School principals can help in the afternoon by letting the bikers out first so your group can avoid a busy parking lot.

Tips:

• Weather is a critical factor for turnout so Include a rain date option if the forecast dictates.
• Use CRW ride guidelines and leader skills to ensure the kids stay between the leader and the sweep, and plan regular stop points to keep the group together.
• Sidewalks may often be a necessary link for a 'safe route', but sidewalks, especially when traveling against traffic, have their own special set of concerns. Motorists coming out of driveways, parking lots, and side streets too often are not watching for bicyclists on sidewalks. Having extra adults for those crossings is important.
• Draft your local Police Safety Officer to help (on bike!) on your ride

Bike To Work

May 12-18 - Bike to Work Week
Friday, May 16 - Bike to Work Day

Enlist some of your co-workers in this fun event. Offer to be a 'bike buddy' for someone who would like to bike but is looking for help. Find a comfortable length and route for your group with a convenient drive-to location if necessary.

Use the event to encourage your employer to provide amenities for the bicycle commuters including secure and protected bicycle parking, showers, and lockers.

Collect Data

In May, daylight hours are already long, and the weather is ideal for biking. Do a survey of bike racks at schools, large businesses, and T-Stops to obtain baseline numbers of bike commuters. If you discover bicycles unprotected from the elements or more bicycles than rack space, then raise the issue with the appropriate town officials. Community Preservation Act funds can be used to buy bike shelters for schools. Bylaws and the Planning Board can require that businesses provide secure racks for employees.

Identify likely 'bike friendly' corridors and key intersections and then with with a group of volunteers, do a bicycle count. A camera can help with recording time, directions, and numbers. Share your numbers with MassBike (see below).

TIP: At a busy intersection, a notepad to graphically record with lines and arrows the direction into and out of the intersection is an efficient way to capture the numbers and directions of the bicyclists.

Links to additional aids, tips, and organized events for Bay State Bike Month at MassBike webpages:

• MassBike Event Calendar (search for events near you)
• Bike Month home page: Additional tips and aids for organizing your own bike counts, breakfast, rodeo, or group ride

Comments, suggestions, and alternate opinions are always welcomed. Click on “Add Comment” below to share your thoughts and get a public conversation going. Feel free to contact Terry directly via email (BedfordBike@gmail.com [include "CRW" in the Subject]) If you are an active bicyclist advocate and/or wish to do more in your community.

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.