Folks, spring is coming! That means we’ve entered the final month of our winter ride challenge!

There’s still time to jump in! The challenge runs through March 31, and every mile, hour, and elevation gain counts—whether indoors or outside.

Want to join the challenge or update your ride data? Find detailed instructions for signing up and entering your miles by visiting this guide. It’s easy to track your progress and be part of the action!

Most importantly, we will celebrate our winter training with a get together where we’ll hand out prizes to the winners, which includes a drink on CRW. Appetizers will be provided for all. This bash is for anyone who entered the challenge.

Location: The Mighty Squirrel

Date: Saturday, April 5

Time: 1:00 PM

PRIZES!!

• Highest Elevation - Polka dot CRW sox
• Farthest Distance – regular CRW sox
• Longest Time - CRW short finger gloves

There will be two additional winners for each category chosen at random (raffle winners).

Special winner! The rider with the combined highest elevation, farthest distance, AND longest time will win a bike light!

All winners will be notified by email prior to April 5. A rider may only win one prize (Board members are not eligible, sorry).

So, keep riding! ‍We’re almost to spring!

Save the Dates: Preliminary 2025 CRW Event Schedule

We've listened to your feedback and are excited to share a preliminary list of CRW events for the upcoming year! Please note, these dates are tentative until officially posted on the club calendar.

• Happy Hour: Third Thursday of each month

• March 27: Ride Leader Training

• April 5: Winter Ride Challenge Party

• April 6: Ride Leader Kickoff

• May 1: Bike Thursday Season Begins

• May 4: Swap Meet

• May 17: Eli Post Ride

• May 18: North to NH Century

• July 26 or July 27: Climb to the Clouds Century

• September 18: Annual Meeting

• October 12: Cranberry Century

• October 16: Volunteer Party & Ride Leader Appreciation

• October 30: Bike Thursday Party

• December 18: Member Holiday Party

Additionally, we're aiming to open the club clothing store twice this year. Keep an eye out for updates and get ready to show your CRW pride!

CRW Member Survey Results: Your Feedback Drives Our Future!

A huge thank-you to everyone who took the time to participate in our recent membership surveys! Your insights directly shape our rides, events, and the future direction of CRW. Here’s a quick summary of the highlights and trends from 2024 and 2025.

Participation & Motivation
We’re thrilled to report increased participation, with over 150 members contributing valuable feedback across both years. Top reasons members join CRW continue to be Cycling Activities, Health & Fitness, and Community. We've also seen a rising interest in training, cycling advocacy, and e-bike–friendly rides.

What You Value Most
Members consistently rated our Ride With GPS Route Resources as “Extremely Valuable,” especially praising the Route Library and turn-by-turn navigation features. WheelPeople, our monthly newsletter, and the Website Calendar remain popular, reliable sources for club updates. Preferences split between members enjoying quick Slack updates and those who favor traditional email communications.

Areas for Improvement

• Weekend Rides: Many of you miss the classic CRW weekend rides, seeking more varied routes, pace options, and additional ride leaders.

• Skills & Education: Demand is high for events like Fix-a-Flat workshops, paceline training, beginner-friendly rides, and guidance for e-bike users.

• Social Connections: Members expressed interest in more post-ride social gatherings or coffee stops to strengthen community bonds and easier ways to connect with rides matching their pace or availability.

• Inclusivity: Members indicated a need for clearer guidelines regarding ride paces, e-bike participation, and better labeling of “advanced” or “specialty” rides, making participation more welcoming to all cyclists.

• Advocacy: There's a growing call for CRW to engage more actively in local cycling advocacy efforts, partnering with organizations working to improve bike safety and infrastructure.

Plans for 2025

• Volunteer Opportunities: We’re creating clearer volunteer roles and a dedicated mailing list for opportunities. Join by emailing Jim Salvie at volunteer-lead@crw.org or use our contact-us form.

• Enhanced Weekend Rides: Offering more routes, varied pace groups, and frequent rides—dependent on volunteer involvement.

• Social Engagement: Hosting regular post-ride gatherings and inclusive events welcoming all members.

• Educational Opportunities: Scheduling workshops on cycling skills, bike maintenance, and group riding etiquette.

Your feedback is crucial for making CRW a vibrant, welcoming community. Didn’t get a chance to respond to the survey? No problem—reach out anytime through our contact-us form with your thoughts or suggestions. Remember, CRW is your club, and together, we’ll keep improving our cycling community.

Ride on!

CRW Board Offsite and Board Meeting Recap: Turning Your Feedback into Ideas for 2025

At our recent board offsite and meeting, we reviewed your survey feedback, brainstormed exciting ideas, and finalized the budget for 2025. Here are some key suggestions we're exploring—many of which depend on member volunteers to bring them to life:

Building Community & Social Connections:

• Monthly Happy Hours (third Thursday each month) to enhance social connections.

• Ideas to encourage snacks and casual gatherings around rides.

• Exploring ways to include social engagement in ride leader training.

• Possible regular welcoming events for new riders.

Enhancing Safety & Training:

• Considering workshops on group riding safety and essential cycling skills.

• Potential targeted skill-building sessions for new members.

Expanding Ride Opportunities:

• Brainstorming a "Get Ready to Ride" series, similar to a "Couch to Marathon" approach, offering structured training with cohorts and progressive ride experiences that build rider confidence and stamina, culminating in participation in our centuries and other major cycling events.

• Exploring a Century Season Pass concept for members who seek avid long-distance riders.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Clearly defined roles and a dedicated volunteer mailing list.

• Regular volunteer opportunities shared by Jim Salvie, Volunteer Coordinator (volunteer-lead@crw.org).

The 2025 budget was finalized, aligning resources with our strategic goals and member feedback.

Your continued involvement as volunteers will be crucial for turning these ideas into reality. Let’s collaborate for another outstanding year of cycling and community!

[Second in a series of articles about "Advocating for Bicyclists – At the Community Level" First article focused on the new MA Vision Zero program.]

Quiz:

Look at the following choices of words and consider which ones might be more effective when speaking as an advocate or ambassador for bicycling in your community:

1. 'crashes' vs. 'accidents'
2. Speaking as a 'cyclist' or 'somebody who bikes'
3. 'vulnerable road user' vs. 'active transportation user'

Answers:

Let's acknowledge upfront that there rarely is one correct answer for all situations; so treat these as examples which can be modified to fit a specific context and audience.

1. 'crashes' vs 'accidents' - This is the easiest one. The Boston Globe, local Police Departments, Drivers Ed, etc., years ago switched from "accidents" to "crashes"  when referring to car collisions. Using "accident" implies that the incident was unintentional and not preventable, while "crash" acknowledges that most collisions can be avoided through responsible driving or can be attributed to factors like driver error or unsafe conditions.  This encourages a focus on prevention and safety measures. If your local paper, fellow rider, or police officer slip up and says 'accident', remind them in a tactful way of the importance of word choice.
   
   
2. 'cyclist' or 'somebody who bikes' - Many of us can identify as either depending on the circumstances. Wieke Wicks has a great way of describing the distinctions, so I'll quote an excerpt from her article:

Do I consider myself as a “cyclist”? Well, I love to go out into the countryside on my road bike (yes, all kitted out, I’m one of those). After an hour on the road I’ve had every thought in my head, remembered (and forgot), every errand, mulled over every work problem, and had every silly idea that’ll never be followed up. After that, it’s just the road, the landscape, me, and my bike, and maybe the odd pothole. Those are the days when I’m a cyclist.

But day to day cycling is a different thing - it’s not a hobby, or a leisure choice: it’s simple logistics. I’m just a person on a bike. I fully appreciate that for many it’s pretty daunting, or practically unfeasible - often due to the (lack of) infrastructure, bad experiences or near misses.

Why is the distinction useful when speaking as an advocate for improved bicycling policies and safety in your community? There are many articles (one example) out there that delve into psychological reasons why 'cyclist' conjures up negativity among the general public. One simplified explanation is that:

• Cyclists are usually invisible to motorists
• But if the cyclist runs a red light or commits some other traffic violation, they become quite visible
• Or if the cyclist is properly taking the lane on a narrow road and thus holding up impatient motorists, the cyclist is unfairly viewed as a cause of traffic congestion
• Confirmation bias kicks in and we end up with the negative stereotype of (all) cyclists

If you speak as 'someone who bikes' in a public forum you will connect with a lot more people who occasionally bike but who don't identify as 'cyclists.' 

3) 'vulnerable road user' vs. “active transportation user” - No easy choice here.  Recently enacted in Massachusetts with the support of MassBike is the Vulnerable Road User Bill. Because the bill covers multiple road user types including pedestrians, roadside workers, horse riders, bicyclists, and wheelchair users, the label 'vulnerable road user' makes a lot of sense. 

For some trying to promote more bicycle use in their community, 'vulnerable road user' perpetuates the bias that cycling is dangerous. They prefer 'active transportation user' and then describe the proven health benefits associated with regular cycling.

For those of us who have challenging segments for some of our regular trips by bike, 'vulnerable' can be an appropriate term. When encouraging others to bike more often, I try to find the right balance - I will focus on the health and environmental benefits and then help them find routes with minimal vulnerability.

__________

CRW has invited Terry Gleason to contribute articles to WheelPeople from my 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.

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,

John riding his city bike, a modified Raleigh Twenty folder.

Where you are from?

My father made a career as a Community Chest/United Fund administrator. My family moved every four years as his career advanced. So I didn't really feel that I was from anywhere except where we went on vacation summer after summer in Canada and many relatives were there.

How long have you been cycling, and what initially got you interested in the sport?

I first rode a bicycle in 1953, at age 7. I took up cycling as an adult as a student at Middlebury College in Vermont to get around town, and for recreation. Cycling became my main mode of local transportation when I moved to Boston for further studies. My cycling horizons expanded bit by bit as I took up recreational riding.

When did you join CRW?

My first CRW ride was led by Ralph Galen from Cambridge Common in 1975. I joined the club in 1979 and have been a member almost continuously since.

What is your best advice for a new club member?

Get involved and make social connections in the club. Most people who join CRW already are fit and able to ride the distance. But I hope that we have more intro events and skills training to help get people up to that level.

In what capacities have you volunteered for the club, and for how long?

I served on the Safety Committee which was active in the early 20-teens, served on the Board for 6 years, and now serve as Safety Coordinator.

Are you a Ride Leader?

Yes. In the 1980s I organized weekend trips with stays at youth hostels on Cape Cod and the Islands. I more recently took over the East European Ride from its founders. I run a Waltham history ride with cycling historian Larry Finison.

What led to you becoming a Ride Leader?

Wanting to make the pleasures of cycling available to others and maintain the tradition of recreational road riding.

What types of rides are you planning on leading in the future?

Same as before but I also want to lead intro rides. As a CyclingSavvy Instructor, I am keen about helping to build riders' skills and confidence.

How many miles a year do you typically ride?

It was around 5,000 in my heyday and 2,500 in the pandemic year (empty roads, and what else to do!), but otherwise I am down to around 1,500 miles, largely local utility riding but some recreational riding and rides in my courses.

What is your greatest cycling accomplishment?

Building on my cycling experience and engineering background to become an instructor, author, editor, and cycling videographer.

What is your favorite route to ride?

A three-day weekend trip to Cape Cod that can include a stop on Martha's Vineyard and a stay at its youth hostel (cyclists stay young!), then to Hyannis by ferry, next night in Truro, and then take the ferry home -- a tour without the need to carry camping gear. Or you could carry it and stay at campgrounds.

What is your favorite post-ride food or drink?

Oh, I have a story. I took my first ride down to the Cape in 1975, got hungry somewhere around Scituate, stopped at a seafood shack and ordered fried clams. I learned the hard way that they were indigestible while riding and suffered my worst stomach aches ever for the next 50 miles. I quickly turned to fig newtons and, bananas. Drink? Water, with plenty of salt and bananas to avoid leg cramps on a hot day.

Anything else you want to share?

I value CRW's fostering joy, exploration, camaraderie and healthy exercise through cycling and that is why I continue to volunteer.

CRW and the Rippers cycling club members gathered at The Mighty Squirrel in Waltham on February 20 to warm up with bikes, brews, and banter. It was great fun to meet fellow cycling enthusiasts and to look forward to riding together in the upcoming season. 

Watch the calendar for more Happy Hour gatherings in 2025!

RIDES are the heart and soul of CRW, and RIDE LEADERS are its backbone. 

Have you ever thought about leading a ride with CRW? Do you have questions about what is involved? We are offering Ride Leader Training on March 27th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM for anyone who wishes to learn more about what it takes to lead a club ride. Our ride leaders are at the core of what makes CRW an outstanding bike club.

CRW leads a huge variety of rides, from our signature weekend road rides to gravel, devo, women’s, multi-day adventures, centuries, weekly recurring rides, and more. It takes volunteers to develop the routes, secure a ride start location, and consider the details that ensure an enjoyable experience for our riders.

There are a lot of reasons to consider leading rides.  For one, you’re the boss!  Leading rides means you get to do the kind of ride you like, including start location, pace, distance, destination, theme, social activities, etc. You can choose to lead a group at a specific pace or have people ride on their own, pick a great spot for lunch, arrange for ice cream or other treats at the finish, and find other creative ways to make your ride interesting. Leading rides is also a great way to give back to the club.  We’ve all benefited from others who are willing to organize, post to the calendar and lead rides for us, so if you’re looking for a way to give back, this is a great opportunity. Plus, leading rides is a fun way to meet and make friends in the club.

You can also be an assistant ride leader. Sometimes we get big groups at our rides, too many for one person to effectively manage. When that happens, having an assistant or two really pays off. It makes for a better organized, more enjoyable event for everyone. Plus, you don’t have all the work of organizing the ride and taking care of all the minute details!

Anyone who would like to lead any ride for CRW this season (including weekend road rides, gravel, adventure, recurring, devo, etc.) is required to attend this year’s ride leader training and complete subsequent ride leader training tasks. A recording of the Zoom session will be made available. 

Oh, and did we mention that leading rides comes with benefits? You get to join century rides for free, there are great parties for ride leaders and the seasonal thank you gifts are amazing!

By Eli Post

March offers intermediate warm days

And if you ride, you get praise 

It may be before the season 

But it's not for us to reason

The need to be out and play

Alongside a snowy sleigh 

A short ride on a warm day will be ok

You might even shout out "Hooray!"

As you conquer the open road 

And have a story that can be told 

We strive to come up with advice we can provide 

But we hope you enjoy your ride 

And credit us for this poem, so

The biking world will show 

That we are in the know 

When you reach a new plateau 

We will have more to say in April

When we plan to be more wakeful 

WheelPeople is republishing the above poem written a year ago by our dear friend and dedicated editor Eli Post who left us in January 2025. Eli wrote these hopeful words from his hospital bed and went on to exceed doctors' expectations by returning to cycling with us in 2024. As we cyclists look toward April and the promise of a new season, Eli’s determination and passion for the sport continue to inspire our club.

By John Allen

Introduction

In the February issue of Wheelpeople, I gave a basic summary of Massachusetts traffic laws as they apply to bicyclists and to other road users around bicyclists, with links to the underlying statutes. My hope is that the February article will serve as a reference in case of questions or problems.

But the traffic law only tells people what they may not do: it does not teach people how to do what they should. This month, I present a  detailed summary of laws which concern motorists overtaking bicyclists. This is often a sore point for both, no less so on the narrow rural roads which account for much of CRW members' mileage.

The issue becomes more complicated when bicyclists ride in a group, as we often do. But on the other hand, a recent amendment to the law works to the advantage of both bicyclists and motorists. Read on...

A quick summary of Massachusetts laws involving motorists passing bicyclists

• A bicyclist must facilitate passing when safe, but may control a travel lane to avoid road edge hazards (bad pavement etc.) and danger zones – pavement defects, car doors which may open, blind entrances etc.
•  Bicyclists may ride two abreast (side by side) in a single lane if passing would still be unsafe if they were riding single file, or if a passing lane is available.
• A motorist may cross the centerline to pass a vulnerable road user, which definition includes bicyclists.

Looking into details

For bicyclists, riding too close to the edge of the road or to parked vehicles poses multiple hazards. The bicyclist may be controlling a travel lane to avoid hazards or to prevent a motorist from passing when it is unsafe, or passing on the wrong side. This is legal defensive driving. If overtaking would be unsafe, there is no requirement to facilitate it, as it would pose a hazard both for the bicyclist and the driver wishing to overtake.

Note also that, as of an amendment enacted in 2023, an overtaking driver is explicitly allowed to cross the centerline. There is no mention of whether it is dashed or not. Chapter 89, section 2 is explicit about this:

[i]f the way is of sufficient width for the two vehicles to pass, the driver of the leading one shall not unnecessarily obstruct the other. If it is not possible to overtake a vulnerable user, as defined in section 1 of Chapter 90, or other vehicle at a safe distance in the same lane, the overtaking vehicle shall use all or part of an adjacent lane, crossing the centerline if necessary, when it is safe to do so and while adhering to the roadway speed limit.

This relates to the provision in Chapter 90, section 14 of the Statutes requiring a 4-foot passing clearance,

In passing a vulnerable user, the operator of a motor vehicle shall pass at a safe distance of not less than 4 feet and at a reasonable and proper speed.

Chapter 85, section 11B specifically states that a cyclist may use any part of the lane, subject only to the rule in Chapter 89, section 2 and Chapter 85, section 11B, to facilitate passing when it is safe.

Who gets to decide when it is safe? That decision must be the bicyclist’s. A following driver – motorist, police officer, even another bicyclist – does not see the situation from the bicyclist’s perspective, cannot read the bicyclist’s mind to know the bicyclist’s intentions, and is unlikely to be aware of hazards which matter to the bicyclist.

Chapter 90, Section 14 also states:

No person operating a vehicle that overtakes and passes a bicyclist proceeding in the same direction shall make a right turn at an intersection or driveway unless the turn can be made at a safe distance from the bicyclist at a speed that is reasonable and proper.

Facilitating passing isn’t always about moving to the right. Often, a bicyclist waiting for a traffic signal can facilitate a motorists’s legal right turn on red by waiting near the left side of the travel lane. A bicyclist who is alert to motorists’ use of turn signals may motion to the motorist to take that opportunity to pass on the right. This is a nice courtesy which builds good will.

Riding Side by Side

Now, here’s the provision about riding side by side, in MGL Chapter 85, section 11B:

Bicyclists riding together shall not ride more than 2 abreast but, on a roadway with more than 1 lane in the direction of travel, bicyclists shall ride within a single lane. Nothing in this clause shall relieve a bicyclist of the duty to facilitate overtaking as required by section 2 of chapter 89.

Chapter 89, section 2 allows passing only when it is safe, and so singling up is required only when it would allow passing that otherwise would be difficult or unsafe. If another lane is available for overtaking, riding double file does not prevent a driver from passing. Quite the contrary, riding in double file facilitates overtaking, because the group is shorter. The left cyclist of two riding side by side will be as far left as a solo cyclist controlling the travel lane. Single file facilitates overtaking when the driver cannot change lanes, and the lane (or lane plus shoulder or bike lane) is wide enough that overtaking a single row of bicyclists is safe.

Misinterpretations

The rules are easily misinterpreted…some examples:

The following was on the advocacy organization Massbike’s Massachusetts Bike Laws page as of September, 2023:

You may ride two abreast (side by side), but must facilitate passing traffic. This means riding single file when faster traffic needs to pass, or staying in the right-most lane on a multi-lane road.

It has been corrected and updated since then to the following:

You may ride two abreast (side by side), and on multi-lane roads bicyclists must stay in the rightmost lane. MA law states that a bicyclist (and any driver) must permit passing when safe and "not unnecessarily obstruct" a passing vehicle, but a bicyclist may control a travel lane to avoid road edge hazards (bad pavement etc.) and danger zones (door zone, approaching intersection, etc.).

 The “rightmost lane” statement is correct as it applies to a through lane, but a not a right-turn only lane or when passing.

A City of Waltham page abbreviates the September version even further:

You may ride two abreast (side by side) but must move to single file when traffic needs to pass.

Whoever summarized the law for Massbike (until the update) leapt to the conclusion that riding single file is the only way to facilitate overtaking, and whoever further summarized for Waltham ran with that conclusion.

Drivers including bicyclists are required to pull over for an ambulance, fire truck or police car on the way to an emergency. Emergency vehicles are the only ones which, under the law, need to pass to the extent that the leading driver must pull aside when a normal pass would be unsafe. Certainly, it is courteous to make passing easier as long as it is safe – but the older Massbike interpretation and the Waltham one presume that the convenience of the overtaking driver takes precedence over the safety of the bicyclist.

Incidents

I cited this summary of rules in a previous CRW Safety Corner article in connection with an incident in the fall of 2023, when a Waltham police officer pulled over a cyclist riding alone and cited language that conflated riding single file with facilitating passing. I have since then heard of another such incident. Many people misunderstand the rules, and this problem will repeat as long as misunderstandings continue.

Conclusion

My ground rule is that cyclists should be courteous, but assertive when necessary to avoid putting ourselves in danger.  I hope that this summary has helped to clarify where the dividing line is between those two behaviors as it applies to overtaking motorists.