Save Sunday, August 30th to gather with fellow CRW members for our 60th Anniversary rides and party at the Metrowest YMCA Outdoor Center in Hopkinton, MA. This full-day, rain or shine event offers something for every type of rider, and celebrates that at 60 years young, CRW isn’t over the hill but picking up speed!
Registration closes August 15. Register HERE! 

Celebration includes:

Ride

In the morning, club members can choose from 3 ride length options, and choose self-paced or leader-led speed groups.  Start times will be staggered for all distances.  

All 3 routes are designed with a comfortable 45 ft of climbing per mile, so it’s easy to enjoy swapping stories about past exploits and collaborating on future plans:
    • A 21 mile loop southeast to Millis (954 ft vertical)
    • A 38 mile trek that continues to Norfolk & Walpole (1,734 ft vertical)
    • A 63 mile metric century to the northeast corner of Rhode Island (2,869 ft vertical)

Please note that on all 3 routes riders are responsible for their own navigation, safety, refreshments, and mechanical support.

Eat and drink

After returning to Hopkinton, riders can relax and refuel in a tented pavilion with a delicious catered lunch featuring:
    • traditional, vegan, and gluten free selections
    • family and adult beverages
    • and, of course, desserts! 
    • pickle juice is not on the menu…

Activities

In the afternoon the fun continues with 3 special activities:

• Share your CRW photos, videos, club jerseys, and other memorabilia with everyone at the “So Many Memories” tables
• Show off your favorite, trusty two-wheeled steed from the 1960s, 70s, or 80s at the “Classic Bikes Corral” (no carbon-fiber please).  Prizes may be awarded in the following categories:

        ◦ Most Fashionable Paint
        ◦ Unique Water Bottle setups
        ◦ Memorable Friction Shifter systems

• Find FREE bargains and clean out your basement, shed or garage at the 5th Annual Swap Meet.  Bikes, parts, accessories, clothing, tools, and racks are all welcomed!  Any items that are unclaimed at the end of the day will be donated to The Bike Connector in Lowell, a nonprofit that gets bikes to people who need them.

More information

• Tickets $15 each. 
• This is a members only event. 
• Registration closes August 15. 
• Event volunteers and former CRW presidents attend for free!! 
• Due to venue regulations, attendance is capped at 200 people. 
• More information and registration HERE.

"Everyone is a potential volunteer. You just have to ask them."
– Eli Post

More than 50 members, family, and friends gathered on June 14 to celebrate the life and legacy of Eli Post with the dedication of a memorial bench along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail near Heart Pond in Chelmsford.

The memorial bench is located along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail near Heart Pond, a place where cyclists and trail users can stop, rest, and remember a man who gave so much to the cycling community. The installation was made possible through the efforts of former CRW Board member Barbara Jacobs, who spearheaded the project, working with the Town of Chelmsford to secure approval and installation of the bench.

The event began with riders meeting at Byam Elementary School before making the short ride to the newly installed bench. Among those attending was Eli's son, Alex Post, who traveled from Washington, D.C., to join the celebration.

Eli was a cornerstone of Charles River Wheelers for many years. He served the club in numerous leadership roles, including President, Vice President of Rides, WheelPeople editor, and ride leader. Beyond those titles, he was a mentor, motivator, and tireless volunteer who encouraged others to become involved and help strengthen the club. His contributions ranged from organizing newcomer rides and improving club operations to ensuring WheelPeople had quality content and volunteering at club events.

During the dedication ceremony, members shared memories and stories that highlighted Eli's generosity, leadership, and passion for cycling and community. The gathering reflected the impact he had on generations of CRW members and the lasting friendships he built through the club.

Asked to comment on the event, John O'Dowd, CRW's VP of Rides said, "It was like Old Home Day: lots of members who hadn't seen each other in years, coming together to honor Eli. The sheer number of people there was a testament to how well he was liked and respected..I think at this time it's vital the club recognize Eli's spirit of volunteerism as our club could really use more of it."

Following the ceremony, participants continued on either a 24-mile or 44-mile ride through the roads of Chelmsford and Westford. It was a fitting tribute, as spending time together on a club ride reflected the very spirit that Eli brought to CRW throughout his years of service.

CRW is grateful to the Town of Chelmsford staff and Select Board for their support throughout the process. Special thanks also to Dave Boisvert, who attended the dedication on behalf of the town and helped represent the partnership that made the memorial possible.

The bench stands as a lasting reminder of Eli's dedication, friendship, and commitment to the club. His influence helped shape CRW into the organization it is today, and his legacy will continue to inspire members for years to come. Barbara Jacobs later noted, "Eli's Celebration of Life was a wonderful event...I am in awe as to what people said about Eli. He was the epitome of what a volunteer is."

By Ken Hablow

This year's Climb to the Clouds is Sunday, August 16. Register HERE!

I started Climb to the Clouds in October 1991. I ran it for 27 years as it grew to become the premier summer century in New England, especially because it was the only summer century that was not a charity ride.

Beginnings

There were six of us on the original ride, which started at Weston Town Hall and covered 110 miles. There was no charge and no support. After three years, when the ride had grown to 75 riders, I moved the start to Concord-Carlisle High School and shortened the route to 100 miles.

The ride was originally held on a Saturday. I was later asked to move it to Sunday, which meant we needed to add a shorter version per CRW custom to include a 50ish and 25ish ride on Sundays. I opted for a Bolton start with a metric century. For the longer ride out of Concord, I offered a 90-mile cutoff in East Princeton for those who did not want to climb Mt. Wachusett, especially on a hot day. Because the option was there, I then added an 80-mile route out of Concord.

The metric century out of Bolton took on a life of its own, with a consistent 250 to 300 riders. There was no additional work required to add it, and it gave more people a chance to do this type of ride.

CRW’s first supported century

When we moved to Concord, we started support with two fully staffed stops, including multiple porta-johns, five-gallon water jugs, and lots of food and fruit. This was a first for a CRW century. The initial cost to riders was $10 to cover the services. There was never pre-registration. It was simply: show, pay, ride.

When we got above 200 riders, we added pre-ride and on-road tech support offered by Anthony at Cycle Loft. Attendance grew exponentially and always averaged 600 to 650 riders. Our largest attendance was 850.

The Concord Police Department was helpful in getting riders across Route 2 for the first 30 to 45 minutes, as was Lincoln, so we could cross Route 117 at a traffic light. Eventually, I had to work with several towns to hire police details in areas that were tough crossings for cyclists, which added to our cost. We started charging a whopping $20.

When Concord started construction on the new high school, they closed the lot we were using. We moved the start to Lincoln-Sudbury High School and made some route changes to avoid Concord and the Route 2 crossing.

A PMC warmup

The ride was always held on the second Sunday in July. This was ideal for those training for the Pan-Mass Challenge. We were listed on the PMC site as a premier training ride: “If you can finish CTTC, you can easily do the PMC.”

The end of the run

As more towns realized this was happening, even though it was not a race and nowhere near the size of the PMC, they started making unrealistic demands that were more than I wanted to deal with, so I stopped leading it. It was a good run, and I met a lot of wonderful people along the way. We had good support from CRW members who never did the ride but wanted to be part of this CRW signature event.

Celebrity cyclist

One year, when I was told in advance that John Kerry was going to do the ride, I graciously comped him.

Police escort

One year, the police officer who was helping in Lincoln was on his motorcycle and rode it to Concord-Carlisle High School. When we did the mass start, he got out in front, took the group across Route 2, and led us all the way through Lincoln to Wayland. One rider I know well was on the front and said it was like being in the Tour de France!

A deal with God?

In 27 years, it rained only once.

The forecast was for torrential thunderstorms and got worse as the week progressed. By Thursday, I cancelled the ride and stopped all the support, including all the porta-johns, food, water, and police details.

To be safe, I drove to the Concord start and asked a friend in Harvard to go to Bolton. It was wet and dark, but not really raining. Between the two start points, there were 250 riders — when the forecast was for pouring rain! Of course, we did not charge them.

I was told they only got rained on around Westminster. I received numerous emails apologizing from people who never went to the start, saying it was pouring where they were, which was all of New England. Well…except for the sliver of the state where the ride was.

Must have been a blessing.

Grandson Nathaniel Smith, Nancy Smith, and daughter Deborah Smith, pictured at last year's PMC.

Where are you from originally?
Though my family moved quite a lot when I was a kid (during WWII and post-war), I’ve lived in the Boston area since the mid-1950s. I have been at Brookhaven, a retirement community in Lexington, for the past six years - only 15 minutes from my former home in West Newton. My three daughters and six grandchildren (ages 18-28) are more spread out geographically.

When did you start cycling, and what got you into it?
As soon as I graduated from my tricycle to a two-wheeler! I loved the freedom that came from riding my bike. Only later on did biking become ”cycling.” In 1976, my (then) husband and I drove to Louisville KY for the U.S. National Cycling Championships; he competed and I was a groupie. (In those days the bike shorts were made of wool and had a real leather chamois!) This event inspired me to be a more active cyclist; I’ve been doing it for over 50 years!

When did you join CRW, and what brought you to the club?
I became a CRW member in 1991, the year I was divorced, moved from my home of 27 years, and did my first PMC (Pan-Mass Challenge). A memorable year! I wanted to learn new bike routes and enjoy the camaraderie.

Do you volunteer for CRW, and if so, in what way(s)?
I am not a volunteer. Am leaving that to the younger members!

What type of cycling do you enjoy the most?
Exploring the world on two wheels - though that phase of my life is now in the rear-view mirror. I did my first bike trip in 1992, in Italy, and was hooked. I did 27 bike trips - in Europe, the UK, Central America and the American West. For me, that was the only way to travel –  it was total immersion in another culture.

What’s your favorite ride or route?
That’s a hard one, as I’ve had many favorites over the years. Back in the ‘70s, I rode the Allis Loop regularly; it was developed by Olympian John Allis for his training rides. I did the 20-mile segment from Weston, out to Lincoln and Concord. My current “regular” ride starts in Concord, a 20-mile route that includes Strawberry Hill. I also like the Maggie Simpson ride out of Verrill Farm.

What advice would you give a new CRW member?
Try different routes, and do let folks know that you’re a new member – we were all there once, and are happy to answer any questions.

What’s a fun fact about you (cycling or non-cycling)?
Four years ago I found that keeping up on group rides was getting harder, so I got an e-bike – a Specialized Turbo Vado. It is a pedal-assist bike, so helps only when you are pedaling. It has put the fun back in cycling! I still miss my Seven road bike, but love the boost that is now available when I need it. At 87, I’ll take it!

What do you enjoy most about being part of CRW?
The Bike Thursday rides! I did the Wednesday Wheeler rides starting in 2003, when I retired. But I got older and slower, and the rides got faster. The Bike Thursday rides are perfect, with 3-4 small groups that ride at varying paces. And it is a great group of people.

Anything else you’d like the club to know?
That I am an avid supporter of the PMC. I rode from 1991 to 2010, then came out of “retirement” last year when a grandson (who started doing the PMC Kids Ride at age 4) suggested that he, his mom (also a retired PMC-er) and I should do a three-generation PMC ride. We did, and it was wonderful, so we are going to do it again this year. Last year, PMC riders raised $78 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; this year the goal is $79 million. It is an extraordinary event that we are proud to be a part of.

By Ken Schwarz, CRW Century Coordinator

This is the second installment of a four-part series of articles on preparing for a century ride. Are you thinking about tackling your first century this year? Contact ken.schwarz@crw.org if you are interested in joining the Century Training Program in August to help you prepare for the October 18 CRW Cranberry Century. 

If you can comfortably ride 25 to 30 miles today but are unsure about 100, I have good news: your legs are probably already strong enough to ride a century.

That may sound surprising. After all, a century is more than three times longer than a 30-mile ride. Surely you need much stronger legs to ride three times as far?

Not really. The challenge of a century is not primarily muscular strength. The challenge is sustaining the effort for six to eight hours while managing fatigue. To do that, there are three things you need to train:

• Aerobic endurance

• Anaerobic reserve

• Contact-point durability

Aerobic Endurance: Your Foundation

Your aerobic system is your most important energy source on a century ride.

This is the system that powers you when you are cruising comfortably at a conversational pace. It relies heavily on fat metabolism. Fat is incredibly dense with energy: even a lean cyclist is carrying vastly more energy than needed to ride several centuries. Energy supply is not the problem.

Power output is. Your aerobic system can produce enough power for that conversational pace, but not much more.

This is why aerobic endurance rides are the foundation of century training. Long, steady rides teach the body to become more efficient at aerobic work. They improve your heart's ability to deliver oxygen, increase the muscles' ability to use it, and improve your ability to burn fat while conserving carbohydrates.

The majority of your century training rides should be ridden at a conversational pace with progressively longer rides through the season.

Here’s a useful test: if a pace leaves you feeling wiped after two hours, it is almost certainly too hard for a century. Slow down until you can comfortably sustain a conversation.

Anaerobic Reserve: Use It Wisely

Of course, real rides are not perfectly steady, and even a well-paced century includes moments when you have to go harder.

As effort rises, you begin mixing in more anaerobic metabolism.

This system relies heavily on carbohydrates stored in your muscles and liver. Unlike fat stores, carbohydrate stores are limited. Even a Grand Tour racer has only a limited amount stored. If you ride above your aerobic pace for extended periods, you’ll begin consuming a fuel supply that is both limited and difficult to replace quickly. Once depleted, performance drops dramatically.

This is why century riders talk endlessly about fueling and triathletes laugh about Ironman races as being “eating contests.” It’s critical to take in carbohydrates steadily during the ride so you do not run down the limited supply stored in your muscles and liver. The bananas, energy bars, and PB&J at the century rest stops are essential.

Even if you aren’t racing and intentionally pushing yourself above your aerobic comfort zone, there are many situations in a long ride where you will need that anaerobic reserve:

• Climbing a steep hill

• Closing a gap after a stoplight or a climb

• Accelerating back onto a wheel

• Pulling into a headwind

• Hanging on to a group that occasionally surges

Heavier riders often need more anaerobic reserve on climbs. Riders in faster groups may need more reserve to handle accelerations. A rider taking long pulls at the front may need more reserve to deal with wind exposure.

So, while you will rely on your aerobic base for the foundation of your ride, your goal should be to 1) use anaerobic efforts intentionally rather than continuously and 2) ensure that you eat enough carbohydrate-rich food throughout the day.

A useful rule is this: ride the century mostly on fat and top up the carbohydrate tank continuously.

Contact Points: The Forgotten Limiter

Many first-time century riders assume their legs will be the problem. Often they aren't.

Instead, the limiting factor becomes the contact points.

Your hands support part of your upper body for hours. Your neck holds your head up. Your shoulders stabilize your position. Your feet transmit power to the pedals. Your saddle supports a significant portion of your weight. All of these tissues fatigue and can become very sore long before legs cramp.

Fortunately, they adapt to training as well.

The main way to train contact points is to spend progressively more time on the bike, assuming your fit and equipment are basically sound. A four-hour ride teaches the body something a two-hour ride cannot.

This is one reason why century preparation should include longer rides even when fitness already seems adequate.

Incremental Progression

Training works because it applies stress and then allows adaptation. Training stress stimulates your body with a little more than it is used to. During subsequent rest, the body adapts and gets stronger.

A useful guideline is to increase training stress by roughly 10-20% per week.

What many riders don't realize is that duration and intensity are not interchangeable ways to create that stress.

If you ride 10% longer at the same pace, training stress rises by about 10%. However, if you ride 10% harder for the same amount of time, training stress rises by substantially more than 10%. In fact, it rises disproportionately when you start to “redline” and feel yourself breathing heavily.

This is one of the most important concepts in century preparation. If your goal is to ride 100 miles, adding time is usually preferable to adding intensity. Long endurance rides develop exactly the systems a century requires.

Recovery Is Part of Training

Your body does not adapt while you are exercising. Your body adapts afterward, when you rest.

A hard or long ride creates the stimulus. Recovery creates the improvement. Training when you should be recovering can be highly counter-productive: instead of accumulating improvements you accumulate fatigue.

This is why two or three meaningfully hard or long rides per week, separated by recovery days, are often better than riding every day.

How Much Is Enough?

One of the most reassuring facts about century preparation is that you do not need to ride a century before riding a century.

As a practical matter, if you can comfortably complete a ride of 70 to 80 miles, you are ready. You do not need to extend your training rides all the way to 100 miles. You can handle that final step by arriving at the event rested, recovered, and fully fueled.

That is why the final week before the century is not the time to prove your fitness. It is the time to let the training take full effect.

What to Do Now

The Century Training Program begins in August. July is your month for preparation.

Use July to get comfortable in the heat. Even a well-trained cyclist’s body rebels against the first really hot days under summer sun. A few weeks of riding in hot weather and you will be used to it again.

With that summer heat, make sure you drink enough fluids and take in enough electrolytes to replenish what you lose in sweat. A bottle an hour is a good baseline, but on really hot days you could easily need more. It’s all too easy to lose track and forget to stay on top of this. If you suddenly feel tired on a long ride, the natural instinct is to dig deeper. But first ask yourself: have I been eating and drinking as much as I should? Often, the answer is not more willpower. If you have fallen behind, the answer is likely food, fluids, and electrolytes. Remember: better cycling through chemistry!

This is also the right time to address bike fit and contact points. If your hands go numb, your neck tightens, your saddle becomes painful, or your feet burn after two or three hours, solve those problems now. Consider getting a professional bike fit if you are unsure. Check shoes, cleat position, saddle height, saddle fore-aft position, saddle tilt, bar height, reach to the bars and the hoods. All of these affect your posture and balance on the bike and all can enhance or detract from your power, stability and comfort.

Good cycling shorts and chamois cream can also prevent small irritations from becoming major problems after several hours. You don’t want to be experimenting with new ones too close to the event itself, so July is a good time to get new ones if you need them.

Add a few easy stretches and core exercises during the week. You do not need an elaborate gym program—simple leg stretches and a few minutes of planks and dead bugs several times a week will help. The goal is simply to improve the flexibility and strength needed to stay comfortable as rides get longer.

Finally, use July rides to practice pacing, fueling, and hydration. Learn how to climb without surging and to shift before you are forced to grind. Use your gears to keep effort steady. Find your personal rhythm for eating and drinking before you feel depleted. The century will be yours if you learn to ride smoothly, fuel consistently, stay aerobic on the hills, and save enough for the final miles.

By John S. Allen, CRW Safety Coordinator

Let's look into principles which support good braking skills.

Safest against skidding is no braking at all. The force vector (blue arrow) due to the weight of rider and bicycle extends directly downward from the center of mass. Its length is scaled here so that the weight takes it from the center of mass to the ground.

And the most conservative braking on a bicycle is with the rear brake alone. Using it alone is unlikely to result in a fall. The rear wheel may skid, but the front wheel continues to roll, and the rider can steer to maintain balance. Rear braking is weak, though. Using the rear brake alone can result in failure to slow or stop in time.

Why does the rear wheel skid?

The center of mass of bicycle and rider is high above the road surface. They want to continue moving forward but the force slowing them is down is at the road surface. So, braking places more weight on the front wheel and less on the rear wheel. When rear braking overcomes the reduced traction of the rear tire, it begins to skid.

Using the rear bake alone is the safe option though when riding on a slippery surface. That is, as long as you go slowly enough!

The blue force vector in the image below, as in the earlier image, represents the weight of rider and bicycle. The green vector is the force of deceleration due to braking. The red one is their vector sum, combining the downward force of gravity and the forward force of deceleration. This vector reaches the ground closer to the front wheel than the one from gravity alone, reflecting a transfer of weight from the rear wheel to the front wheel.

On a good, paved surface, rear-wheel braking lightens the weight on the rear wheel considerably, and skidding becomes a serious problem. A single stop can wear a flat spot in the tread of the rear tire. Long skid marks left by bicyclists provide ample evidence of this issue.

Those long skid marks also testify that the rear brake is very hard to modulate. To understand this, it helps to look into how friction works.

Skid marks at a Chicago intersection. The right-hook threat here is grist for another article! 

Sliding vs. static friction

Braking is about friction, of two kinds: sliding and static. Sliding friction is only about 70% as strong as static friction. So, when a wheel goes from rolling to skidding (static to sliding),braking decreases by about 30%. 

The tire must re-establish static friction to get rolling again. At the same time, to allow the wheel to turn, the brake must go from static friction to sliding friction. The two effects, together, require about a 50% reduction in brake-lever force to get the wheel rolling again. When it does start rolling again, braking is only half as strong.

Reducing force on the lever slightly would intuitively seem to get the rear wheel rolling, but it does not. Reducing force on the lever by half, then restoring it to nearly what it was before, is highly counterintuitive.The required rapid, precise control of the brake lever is impossible in practice.

Rear-brake bicycle culture

Just as with a rear hand brake, a foot-controlled rear brake -- a coaster brake -- is hard to control because of the static-vs.-sliding friction issue. A bicycle with a fixed gear -- no freewheeling -- gives more "road sense" than a coaster brake when the rider is pushing back against turning pedals, but the braking force rises and falls twice per crank rotation. At the top and bottom dead centers, there is almost no braking. The only continuous strong braking on a brakeless fixed-gear bicycle is with a "skip stop". The feet are planted on stationary pedals, the rear wheel skids and the tire wears out quickly.

Expectations about brake performance shape bicycle culture. Countries where coaster brakes are usual, or were till recently, have a conservative culture of slow riding and separation of bicyclists from motor traffic. Hipsters who ride brakeless fixed-gear bicycles go to the opposite extreme, addressing their poor braking performance through denial and risk-taking. Good use of dual handbrakes is more compatible with bicyclists' operating as normal road users. In any case, a bicycle should have two independent braking systems, because one or the other will fail sooner or later.

Two brakes

Conventional advice to bicyclists with front and rear hand brakes is to use the two brakes equally. So, now let's introduce the front brake.

Equal use of the brakes is usually safe. It can, though, skid the front wheel and result in a fall on a slippery surface or when leaning into a turn.

Equal force on both brake levers reduces stopping distance compared with use of the rear brake only, but braking still has to weaken substantially to take the rear wheel from skidding to rolling. 

Equal use of the brake does make the best sense on a long downgrade, so neither brake overheats. 

Front brake only?

It's heresy, but it's fine for moderate, straight-ahead braking on a good pavement and not riding into a slippery patch.

With only the left hand on a brake lever, you can shift a rear derailer or internally-geared hub as you slow down. This is very practical when approaching a stop sign or red traffic signal.

Anti-lock bicycle brakes?

A motor vehicle with anti-lock braking keeps each wheel rolling by using repeated, very brief skidding to test the limit of static friction. That is why the car shudders in hard braking. ABS also controls the level of braking separately on each wheel. For these reasons, a car with ABS can stop shorter than one without.

ABS on motor vehicles uses electronics to detect the rotational rate of the wheels. ABS is also available on motorcycles, and on some high-end e-bikes. A purely hydraulic system using pumps in the hubs might be practical on a pedal bicycle, but for now, that is just a thought.

A bicycle has braking advantages?

So, you might then ask, does the lack of ABS amount to total loss for bicyclists?

No. I count five compensating advantages of a bicycle:

• A bicycle only rarely attains high speeds typical of motor vehicles.

• Reaction time can be shorter with the hands covering the brake levers than with a foot that travels from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal. 

• A bicyclist has an unobstructed view ahead, and no hood extending forward. 

• With dual brake levers, a bicyclist has separate control over the brake on each of the (only two) wheels.

• A bicycle’s short wheelbase and high center of mass set the limit to front-wheel braking at pitchover rather than skidding.

Four of those features make good intuitive sense, but is the pitchover threat also an advantage? 

The image below shows a bicyclist who has applied the front brake hard enough to raise the rear wheel. The blue force vector, as in the earlier images, represents the weight of rider and bicycle. The green one is deceleration due to braking. The red one, their vector sum, points ahead of the front-tire contact patch. If this vector reaches the ground ahead of the front wheel, as it does here, the rear wheel will rise. Only quick reflexes to release the front brake will prevent pitchover once this happens.

(The weight and combined vectors in the image do not reach the ground because they represent the same forces as in the earlier images, and the weight stays the same.)

Applying the advantages of bicycle brakes in hard braking

Well, the situation looks tough, but let's look at the advantages one by one and see how they can work for you.

The first advantage, lower speed, works even better than intuition would suggest.. At half the speed, perception and reaction distance is half as long. But braking distance is proportional to the square of speed, a quarter as long at half the speed. Even a bicyclist with only a rear brake has about the same braking distance at 15 mph as a car has at 25.

Shorter reaction time, unobstructed view, no hood -- all effectively reduce stopping distance

Separate control of the front and rear brakes can prevent overuse of the front brake, avoiding front-wheel skidding on a slippery surface. But overuse of the front brake still can result in pitchover.

But that pitchover risk can actually be an advantage! It allows safe use of the front brake much more strongly.

The front wheel will never skid in hard, straight ahead braking on a good, paved surface. As braking increases, more and more weight transfers from the rear wheel to the front wheel. When there is little weight on the rear wheel, only a very light application of the rear brake is enough to make it skid. Then, modulating the front brake easily adjusts the weight on the rear wheel enough to take it back and forth between sliding and rolling friction -- a useful signal to modulate the front brake.

This completely transforms the conditions for ABS, making human control possible. The modulation rate is within human abilities, using weight transfer of the entire bicycle-and-rider system, rather than rotational speed of the front wheel.

In hard braking, the weight on the rear wheel changes proportionally much more than that on the front wheel. So, for example, if the front wheel goes from carrying 70% to 80% of the weight of bicycle and rider, that is an increase of 14% in weighting. Meanwhile, the rear wheel goes from carrying 30% to 20%, a 33% decrease. 

With light weight on the rear tire, skidding wears it only lightly. Braking this hard is in any case needed only for emergency stops.

How to be human ABS

Increasing braking safely up to where most weight is on the front wheel does take a second or so. For that reason, using the rear wheel's signal to modulate the front brake is practical only at higher speeds. At low speeds, it is necessary just to know how hard it is safe to apply the front brake. The amount of deceleration felt through the arms provides a clue. Braking distance is in any case much shorter at low speeds. Pitchover is slower, too. so it is possible to get the rear wheel back down. It should be second nature to release the brakes whenever the bicycle starts to go out of control.

For a bicycle with dual handbrakes in good condition and an expert rider, on a good, dry paved surface, maximum deceleration, about 0.5g, is achieved mostly with the front brake. (One g is the force of gravity.) For a car with ABS, maximum deceleration is about 0.8g. So, at any speed, the bicycle has about 1.6 times the braking distance. That translates, though, only to a bicycle’s having the same braking distance when going 60% as fast as a car, say 18 mph instead of 30.

The image below shows a bicyclist at the limit of braking short of pitchover. The vector sum of weight and deceleration is at the front-tire contact patch. The force from deceleration is about half the force of gravity, 1/2 g. The rider could improve this somewhat by sliding back on the saddle, though the forward location of the brake levers on this bicycle with drop bars makes that option less practical than on a bicycle with flat bars.

Direct, mechanical control to release the front brake when the rear wheel lifts has been invented and reinvented repeatedly, and is currently (2026) available on at least one brand of children's bicycles. I have not tested it myself.

Condition of the machine

It should be needless to say, but good braking requires the brakes to be in top condition. Braking needs to be smooth and even. A rim spread wider by a pothole impact should be replaced. Brakes wear and need adjustment, unless they are self-adjusting hydraulic brakes, which need frequent inspection because they offer no sign that they are worn out. A brake lever should not go all the way to the handlebar. But also, the brake should engage when the lever is depressed only slightly, so it is not a "jiu-jitsu" lever where nothing happens till the lever is halfway to the handlebar, then it grabs, and you skid or go over the handlebars.

Handlebar choreography

In the USA, it is standard for a bicycle's left brake lever to operate the front brake. The conventional explanation is that most people are right-handed and the right hand is stronger. That makes little sense. People manage to play musical instruments using both hands, after all. As already mentioned, it is convenient to shift down while using the front brake. And on an e-bike the throttle also is on the right

Most hand signals are with the left hand, but braking with only one hand on the handlebar is not a good idea anyway. In any case, hand signals are rarely necessary when braking. 

If you think of hand signals as communication rather than just announcements, you coordinate it comfortably with braking. A turn signal is usually a request to be let into line, when riding at a steady speed. Once the correct lane position is established, turning is usually obvious from lane position, or you are stopped and both hands are free. A slow signal usually serves to inform a motorist or another bicyclist that passing is unsafe; shifting is usually unnecessary then.

Stopping pedaling indicates that you are slowing (one more reason to keep pedaling on an e-bike unless you are slowing or stopping.)

Note however that the left-hand lever of a motorcycle operates the clutch, while the right-hand lever operates the front brake and throttle. If you also ride a motorcycle, you do well to switch the brake cables on your bicycle. Once good braking technique is burned into muscle memory, a machine with the front brake on the wrong side feels as if the brakes are defective!

More about braking from Sheldon Brown, who recommends operating the front brake with the right-hand lever. And it works differently in countries where traffic keeps left, too. Different spokes for different folks!

By Lorenz J. Finison, Club Historian

For CRW's 60th anniversary, WheelPeople and Club Historian Lorenz J. Finison are taking a look back through the club's history. This article is the first half of an article originally published in November 2016's issue of WheelPeople under the title "The Early Days of the Charles River Wheelmen: Part 3."

In March 1972 the Charles River Wheelmen (CRW) newsletter headlined “A Massachusetts Bicycle Trail System!” Two state legislators, John Ames and Bob Wetmore, had cosponsored a bill to mandate trails in every county of the state. CRW announced plans for a “huge ride to the State House” to support the bill. In August, CRW members rode out to Marlboro to escort a Pittsfield-to-Boston Pedal Against Pollution trek in support of bike paths and lanes. Bike facility proponents, like CRW founders George and Bruce Bailey, were also opponents of increased highway construction: specifically the never-built “Inner-Belt” and the I-95 extension from Route 128 to Boston via the also never-built Southwest Highway. Better to travel, as they did, by bike or multi-modally train and bike. Bicycle manufacturers, too, were hot on the idea of bikeways. Starting in 1966 the Bicycle Institute of America published a nationally circulated newsletter Boom in Bikeways.

What happened to C.R.W.’s foray into bike facilities in the decade after its 1966 founding? Reactions to the Ames-Wetmore bill and others must be understood in the context of auto dominance, the rise of vehicular cycling, and the inadequacies of 1960’s-era bike paths.

Historically, successful cycle paths – early roadside paths called sidepaths, not sidewalks – developed in scattered pockets around the United States, especially in rural upstate New York. Robert McCullough’s book, Old Wheelways: Traces of Bicycle History on the Land, traces the sidepath movement during the bicycle Craze of the 1890s and its decline during the bicycle Bust, post-1900. Boston cyclists of the Craze tried to get bike paths and trails across Boston Common, in Franklin Park, around the Emerald Necklace, and along Commonwealth Avenue. Largely, they failed. During the Bust, highway rights-of-way which had or could have been allocated to bike paths were frequently sacrificed to widen the roads to accommodate more cars at higher speeds. Urban streets had long been recognized as public ways for multiple uses – transportation, play, leisurely walking, and neighborhood gathering. Sidewalks helped keep pedestrians out of the mud and manure, but walkers were not restricted to them. After 1910 streets were more and more claimed for automobiles passing through or parking. The term “jay-walking” helped enforce auto dominance.

The bicycle Bust and an epidemic of cars, interrupted only briefly by World War II restrictions and rationing, ended any talk of bicycle facilities until the Renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Paul Dudley White (made an honorary member of CRW in 1969) started the movement again with his Committee for Safe Bicycling (CSB), which pushed for bike paths on Nantucket (1958) and along the Charles River Basin (1960). But the Nantucket sidepath inaugurated by White only extended a thousand yards along the state road (Milestone Road) and even when finished did not go into the village streets of Nantucket and ’Sconset. The Charles River Basin path has had its own complicated history. Among other problems, it dead-ended at the Boston University Bridge until 1977 and the construction of a wooden underpass around the base of the bridge.

Bike facilities, including bikeways of various kinds, were of considerable interest to early CRW members. Its 1966 founders included many bike commuters. One-third of CRW members lived in Boston or Cambridge in 1970, compared with 14 percent today, and they might be thought sympathetic to bike facilities.

But leadership in bike facilities flowed elsewhere – with mixed results. In 1971 Boston Parks Commissioner Joseph Curtis led a group of lunch-hour cyclists, including Boston’s “bike coordinator,” Lou Antonellis, through the first section of a new Green Belt Bikeway, designed to go across Boston Common and through the Public Garden, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, the Fenway, and the Jamaicaway to Franklin Field. A Boston Globe writer parodied the route and the event in a story headlined “City Opens Bike Path, but Ride is Risky.” She likened the dedication ceremony to a “saké rite for departing kamikaze.” Most of the route was on the road and she added, “The Jamaicaway, dangerous enough to drive in an automobile, can only be described by a bicyclist as thrilling.” Antonellis announced that they planned to install some small ramps to eliminate the problem of having to “portage bicycles over the many curbstones enroute.”

By the following year, the Association for Bicycle Commuting (ABC), supported by the CSB, partnered with Commissioner Curtis, who had a $50,000 bike budget and hoped to combine that with another $50,000 in federal matching funds to improve the “Green Belt” route. The Globe reported that cyclists considered the present route “rough and bumpy and in many areas unsafe.” ABC organizers like Randy Selden and Nicholas Peck, and Commissioner Curtis, spoke of bike lockup facilities and small concrete shelters along the route to protect cyclists from rain storms, and to be equipped with lights, phones, and handy vending machines dispensing drinks and tire repair kits. Curtis also proposed closing several downtown streets to auto traffic, and push button traffic signals to assist cyclists at intersections. He spoke ambitiously of extending the Green Belt back from Franklin Field to Boston Common to make a complete circle, but warned that this “could involve some risk and would entail some extra traffic markings along the roads.” Little happened other than installation of signage – soon to disappear.

At the state level, Ames and Wetmore filed several bills in 1972. The first asserted that a highway be defined to “include a foot or bicycle trail wherever such trail would be of significant benefit to the community.” This might allow highway funds to be expended for trail purposes.

A second bill proposed that the Commonwealth establish “a program to assist the cities and towns which have established conservation commissions under section eight of chapter forty in acquiring lands and in the planning, designing, and constructing bicycle paths and hiking trails.” A third bill directed the “commissioner of natural resources and the commissioner of public works to develop a system of bicycle paths and hiking trails in Barnstable, Dukes, Plymouth and Nantucket counties,” all recreational areas. The bill was later amended to include the entire state, and then further amended to add the Metropolitan District Commission, but to require only an “investigation and study” relative to the “development of a master plan and a method of financing a system of bicycle paths and hiking trails.” No report emerged, or it has been lost to the historical record. Bike path/trail planning fell into a legislative limbo.

State Senator William Saltonstall of Manchester had a keen interest in cycling safety. In late 1971 he circulated a draft of proposed legislation that got MIT professor of mechanical engineering, CRW member (and CSB member) David Gordon Wilson’s attention. After telling Saltonstall diplomatically that “we are delighted that you are putting forward a bill to provide better regulation for bicycles,” Wilson spent much of his letter pulling the draft apart. In particular he objected that the paragraph “requiring bicyclists to use bicycle paths when provided could bring opposition; a similar ordinance was fought for many years in Britain. The reason is best illustrated by, for instance, Memorial Drive and the Charles River bikeway. This may be an excellent facility for recreational Sunday-afternoon bicyclists, but for commuters [such as Wilson] it may be far more dangerous than using the drive, in my opinion. This is because any bikeway in which the intersections are shared with motor vehicles, and in which bicyclists therefore suddenly appear at these intersections, is bound to be more dangerous than if bicyclists pedal with the traffic.”

One section of Saltonstall’s 1972 redraft would support designs “upon the public streets to be used as bicycle lanes.” Beyond that, cyclists should have “all of the considerations of motor vehicle drivers”; cyclists should (may in the final 1973 bill) ride in the rightmost lane except when turning left; be careful when passing a standing/ moving vehicle; hand-signal before slowing down, stopping or turning; stay off limited access highways; slow down at all intersections; ride single file; ride on a seat (!); display a white front light (or a white front reflector in the final bill), and a rear reflector after sunset; have adequate brakes; and have a bell or horn, but not a siren or whistle;  not obstruct pedestrians or vehicles when parked; or be towed by another vehicle. After age 13 (an age criterion not in the final bill) cyclists could ride sidewalks (outside of local business districts) unless prohibited by local ordinance.

Cyclists could not or carry a passenger except in a basket (baby seat in the final bill) or trailer. or have an extended fork. The extended fork was popular among youth since it allowed them to ape motorcycle styles, and they loved to carry passengers on the crossbars, handlebars, rear fenders, and axle pegs.

Another cyclist, Richard Lotreck of Natick, protested the revised Saltonstall legislation in a letter to CRW He called the whole movement a “fiasco” and suggested that more restrictive legislation would yield still more restrictive legislation. And he wrote that if legislation was necessary, then CRW should push for “a requirement that a motorist give a cyclist at least six (or some such number) of feet clearance when passing.”

Saltonstall met with the CRW board along with Randy Selden, ABC president – and got another earful of cyclists’ opinions. In the final bill, most of the cyclists' goals were achieved and it was signed by Governor Sargent in September, 1973. The new law incorporated a watered down version of Lotreck's proposal, amending the motor vehicle code to read: “in approaching or passing a person on a bicycle the operator of a motor vehicle shall slow down and pass at a safe distance and at a reasonable and proper speed.” (emphasis added). This important detail did not make it into local press accounts.

The debate over bike safety and paths, lanes, and trails took place in the context of big interest among Boston university students. The Urban Bikeways Design Collaborative (UBDC) started in the early 1970s and brought together students and faculty from several Boston area universities with a base at MIT. A UBDC member drafted federal legislation that resulted in a budget line item of $100 million approved by Congress for urban bicycle paths. UBDC also sponsored an urban bikeways design competition, raised $10,000 in prize money, advertised it in the Boston Phoenix, and to universities nationally, and received dozens of entrants from around the country. Leading entries were published in a Bikeway Design Atlas (1974). UBDC gave special honors to John Williams’s study for the City of San Louis Obispo. Williams created a typology of cyclists: five levels of tourists, two levels of family cyclists and two levels of commuters. He then critiqued each of five levels of bikeways.

Williams quoted extensively from John Forester, a vocal bikeways critic, and concluded: “since the publication of John Forester’s initial article on bikeways ... a tremendous change has taken place. At that time, almost every bike club and magazine endorsed and lobbied for the construction of bikeways. Now, one and a half years later, no major bike group supports the bikeway concept (with the exception of friends for bikecology).” UBDC turned to other alternatives to increase bike safety and urban bicycling.

In September, 1975, UBDC designed and produced 12,000 copies of a Stanford bicycle safety comic book - Sprocketman. The name “Alice B. Toeclips” was slyly inserted as a UBDC contributor. This was obvious reference to the 1960s counter-cultural heroine Alice B. Toklas, the writer Gertrude Stein's lover. She was also the author of a cookbook with a recipe for what became known as Alice B. Toklas fudge/brownies, whose main (psycho) active ingredient was hashish or marijuana. The brownies played a prominent role in Peter Sellers' popular 1968 movie: “I Love You Alice B. Toklas,” which spiked a nation-wide surge in home-kitchen brownie production. The comic title itself paid cultural homage to the Elton John song “Rocketman,”  a hit single in 1972. Several more editions were tailored to specific localities and in 1976 the federal government's Consumer Product Safety Commission printed half a million copies to promote bicycle safety.

Subsequent UBDC publications included Cyclateral Thinking – a 1976 compendium of ideas about bicycling and bikeways written in a youthful and engaging style. The back cover of Cyclateral Thinking  included a “King of The Road” playing card image, perhaps a playful allusion to the popular 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller. 

Douglas Smith’s introduction to Cyclateral Thinking repeated John Williams’s bikeway typology, and explained the problems with each type. Class I, for example, involved complete separation, as in the 19th century sidepaths or in a typical rails-to-trails arrangement. Smith pronounced this unrealistically expensive for urban areas. Even on vacation-land Martha’s Vineyard a bikeway had cost $100,000 per mile to construct in 1974, according to UBDC associate and landscape architecture student Eti Katoni. Additional articles by Williams and Forester stated that in urban areas the major safety problems were not on the straightaways, but rather in the frequent road crossings, for which a bikeway offered no protection.

Several “blueprint” drafts of a UBDC bike map dedicated to alternatives  circulated to the cycling community. Ben Olken of the Bicycle Exchange in Cambridge provided seed money for BU student and UBDC member John Troja. Troja was able to parlay that money into larger funding from the Environmental Protection Agency - which funded bike related projects to reduce air pollution. The resulting UBDC-EPA Boston bike map (1976) brought in a cartographer, David Weaver, along with coordinator Duff Bailey, son of ardent cyclists and CRW members George and Lucy Bailey. Rather than bike lanes on the roads or specialized bike paths off-road, the map was subtitled “Toward Intelligent Commuting,” and featured “the key to an alternative route system.” The mapmakers went on: “Automobiles are the major cause of Boston’s most serious air pollution: Carbon monoxide and smog. Riding these routes will help you become part of the solution.” Few actual routes were mapped; many were proposed. Cyclists were invited to send their own route suggestions to Cathy Buckley of the Commonwealth’s Central Transportation Planning Staff.

Boston Area Bicycle Coalition (BABC) (and soon to be CRW) member John Allen was a route consultant for a 1978 edition of the Boston bike map, which featured the locations of bicycle shops; inter-modal connections to bus, rail, and subway; cultural institutions; and considerably increased routes – often on less-used residential streets. Safety instructions and suggestions for inter-modal transportation, including folding bicycles, were prominently featured on the map's back, in triptych line drawn form. The map featured Alice B. Toeclip's “Intermodal ride to adventure.” Readers were encouraged to “follow this red route and learn with Alice as she puts Sprocketman's Cycling Skills into practice. ”

The bicycling Renaissance of the 1960s and '70s had ignited a national battle over bike paths and lanes. Legislators and regulators were attracted by the money for urban paths, and they worried about cyclists' safety on the road (with the increasing flow of traffic). One option, which prompted cyclist horror stories across the country, was of localities and even states banning bicyclists from the road where parallel bike paths existed – this was part of Saltonstall’s first draft bill, too. The League of American Wheelmen [LAW] Bulletin printed letters from cyclists who had been stopped by police and ordered onto the sidewalk! Opposition soon developed, led by John Forester and his followers – who were eventually called vehicular cyclists.  The subsequent battles are described in Part 4.

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The article is based on Finison’s book: Boston’s Bicycling Renaissance: Cultural and Political Change on Two Wheels.University of Massachusetts Press, 2019. The book is a follow-up toBoston's Cycling Craze 1880-1900:  A Story of Race, Sport, and Society. University of Massachusetts Press, 2014. Many of the source materials are in the Bicycle History Archives at UMass-Boston Archives. A footnoted version of the article is available at: Bostonscyclingcraze.blogspot.com

The CRW Board of Directors met virtually on May 12, 2026, for a broad discussion covering century ride planning, club branding initiatives, membership operations, and technology improvements supporting the 2026 cycling season.

Century Ride Planning Continues

Planning activity continues across CRW’s major 2026 century rides.

Organizers for the North to New Hampshire Century reported progress on water stop approvals, route vetting, food logistics, volunteer coordination, and event operations planning.

The Climb to the Clouds team shared updates on volunteer outreach and promotional efforts tied to CRW’s century training series, including content planned for Chain Link and WheelPeople.

The Cranberry Century planning group reviewed permits progress and BikeReg setup, including allowing non-members to register while simultaneously purchasing a one-year CRW membership. 

The Board unanimously approved supplemental funding for 2026 century medallions.

60th Anniversary Planning

The 60th Anniversary Committee reported ongoing work related to venue planning, food budgeting, participant fees, guest participation, and commemorative swag. The Board approved charging up to $15 per attendee for the anniversary event while committee work continues on final details.

Branding, Website, and Club Gear

The Club Promotions and Events Committee (CPEC) shared updates on communications and branding initiatives, including logo survey feedback, website strategy, social media outreach, and club gear planning.

After reviewing member feedback from the logo survey, the Board agreed to continue using the current logo while gathering broader stakeholder input before considering future branding changes.

The Board also discussed moving ahead with updated club kit and jersey design options using the existing branding while visual identity discussions continue. Vendor-supported design assistance and possible try-on events are being explored.

Additional communications discussions included homepage improvements, century-page enhancements, Google Ad Grant usage, Strava promotion, and possible podcast outreach opportunities.

Membership and Technology Updates

The Integrated Operations Committee (IOC) reviewed implementation of the club’s updated waiver system, membership trends, Wild Apricot operational considerations, guest management controls, and possible long-term platform alternatives.

The Board also reviewed ongoing development of SMS-based ride support tools designed to assist with ride check-in, rider communication, roster visibility, ride status updates, and event operations.

Board members were additionally informed that the maintainers of the Sheldon Brown cycling website may no longer be able to continue supporting the resource. The Board agreed the topic should first be evaluated by IOC before any formal proposal returns to the Board.

Ride Leader Development

The Board reviewed follow-up efforts related to ride leader training. Approximately a dozen participants attended recent training sessions, and board members may assist trainees as they complete remaining ride leader requirements.

CRW continues its mission of promoting cycling through rides, events, education, and inclusive community engagement throughout the Greater Boston cycling community.

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

Thank you to everyone who came out to ride the North to New Hampshire Spring Century!

Please join us for a celebration of the life of Eli Post. 

When: Sunday June 14

Time: 9:30 AM for 24 miles or 44 miles
           Bench dedication at 10 AM at Heart Pond

Where: Byam Elementary School, Chelmsford

Register HERE

We will dedicate a bench for Eli along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Chelmsford MA near Heart Pond, and reflect on his contributions to Charles River Wheelers.

Eli was the living embodiment of CRW. He was a core member of the club, serving as president, VP of Rides, editor of Wheel People, and of course ride leader.

He was a great motivator and encouraged others to give back to the club. He dedicated many hours improving how the club ran, organizing newcomer rides, making sure Wheel People had quality content, and even manning the hot dog grill after century rides. His contributions are too numerous to list here.

Participants will ride a short distance from the start location to the bench at Heart Pond. Riders may share their memories and stories of Eli, and the bench dedication will take place at 10 AM.

After the dedication ceremony, we will continue our ride (24 or 44 mi) on the back roads of Chelmsford and Westford together, as engaging in a club ride is the best way to commemorate his service to the club.