ABC Ride: Wednesday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m. from 151 Davison Ave, Woonsocket, RI

[Joel Arbeitman]

Hi everyone.

This Wednesday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m. the Ashland Bike Club will be doing one of our easiest rides on the Blackstone River Greenway.  We’ll meet at the trailhead in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.  Plenty of free parking is available.

GPS Address:  151 Davison Ave, Woonsocket, RI 

Route Name:  ABC - Blackstone River Greenway

Ride Rating:
Distance:  Easy (20.3)
Elevation: Easy (22)
Total Gain: 450 feet
Steepest:  3.7%

Wednesday’s Weather
The current forecast for Wednesday is calling for a cloudy day with temperatures starting out around 67 degrees and then soaring up, during the ride, to, well, 68 degrees. You might want to bring a windbreaker or light jacket. At least put one in your car.

The Ride
We’ve gotten several requests for bike path rides recently.  Well, here you go!!

The Blackstone River Greenway is ideal for casual and beginner cyclists.  The paved path is level most of the way. Our round-trip bike ride will total right around 20 miles.  When completed, the greenway will cover 48 miles from Worcester to Providence.  It will also be linked to the East Bay Bike Path resulting in a trail more than sixty miles long (one-way).

The ride includes a lunch stop on the patio of Angelo’s Palace Pizza in Cumberland, RI.  The food is great there and the patio provides a stunning view of … the parking lot. We hope you’ll consider joining the club for lunch. Here’s a link to Angelo’s menu.

Here’s a link to a map of the route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13265852

SPECIAL NOTE #1 on Rhode Island E-Bike Laws
RI only allows Class I e-bikes on their bike paths; other classes are prohibited. ABC wants those with Class II or Class III e-bikes to be aware of this law and use their own judgment as to whether to ride their e-bikes.  We do NOT see it as ABC’s job to be enforcers of the law.  If you choose to join the ride, we welcome you.  Be advised, though, that infractions can be costly if you are stopped by the police.

The following sign has been installed along RI bike paths:

SPECIAL NOTE #2 ON CHANGES TO DOWNLOADING RIDEWITHGPS ROUTES
RideWithGPS has made a couple of minor changes to the way we download routes to our phones. The changes are fairly minor but it would be good to familiarize yourself with the new process.

The attached document provides the details (see attached).

Off the Route
Our “Off the Route” feature includes topics that we think are worth sharing with the ABC cycling community.  Please let us know what you think.

Ashland Bike Club Radio
Pearls Before Swine – Another Time

Today’s “Off the Route” is focused on all things local.

Natick Bridges Falling Down
We’ve had a couple of requests recently to develop a new route that would incorporate the Cochituate Rail Trail that runs through Natick and Framingham.  Nothing yet but stay tuned …

Having said that, it looks like a short section of the trail is going to be closed … for a long, long time.

Read the article:  https://patch.com/massachusetts/natick/natick-pedestrian-bridge-section-cochituate-rail-trail-closed

Many Rivers to Cross (listen)
Riding a bike over the Charles River (which really should be called the Massachusetts River) from Boston to Cambridge or vice-versa can be dangerous and even fatal. Squeezing cyclists into infrastructure designed for cars and trucks needs some urgent redesign. Changes are being made but they are being made much too slowly.

 A new plan seeks to link Boston and Cambridge with a bridge that would be for cyclists and pedestrians only. Far more than this one bridge is needed, but the proposed bridge is still very welcomed.

Read the details:  https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/08/proposed-car-free-bridges-would-connect-boston-and-cambridge-over-charles-river.html

Rebels Without a Cause Clue?
We can choose to be part of the solution or part of the problem. The Ashland Bike Club is dedicated to improving the safety of all cyclists.  One key component of our safety campaign is to improve the public’s perception of bike riders.  If we want to be safer when riding on the roads, we have to demonstrate respect for car drivers and we need them to respect us as well. The two go hand-in-hand. Roadway users, including cyclists, cars and trucks, and pedestrians need to work together, like teammates, to ensure everyone’s safety.

There is absolutely a time and place for large groups of cyclists to gather together to protest unsafe roadway conditions. If our cause is just, our actions should be given much greater latitude.

But forming a “biker gang” with no clear purpose other than juvenile rebellion hurts our cause far more than it helps. On Saturday, more than 100 dirt bikers and motorized scooter riders took to Boston-area highways disrupting traffic and breaking the law.

This type of activity gives all cyclists a bad name.

Read the details:  https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-highways-bikes-100-people/

See you Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. in Woonsocket.  Bring a windbreaker or light jacket, plan to have lunch, and plan to have a great time.

Be sure to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning to make sure we didn’t postpone or cancel the ride, and … don’t forget those helmets.

Joel