RAILS TO TRAILS BIKE TOUR - Sunday, October 5

Sunday, October 5   - Jim Merriman

Please join the BMW CVC on Sunday, October 5th for a bicycle ride on the Norwottuck Railroad Trail (Rails to Trails) in central MA. The paved trail ride will take us over the Connecticut River on a bridge built for the rail line, and winds through the beautiful Northampton, Hadley, and Amherst countryside. There is plenty of scenery and wildlife to view along the way. The trail is approximately 10 miles long, and we’ll do the round trip of 20+ miles. It’s mostly flat but has two miles of approximately 5 degree graduated slopes, for a total of approximately four miles. The round-trip ride will take approximately 2.5 - 3 hours.

Afterwards, we will pack up our bikes and head over to Panera Bread on Route 9 for lunch. Everyone’s on their own dime for lunch.

We’ll meet at the parking lot directly across from the Route 91N exit 19, exit ramp at 9:30 - 9:45 AM. Northampton is approximately 20 minutes north of Springfield, MA and approximately 40 minutes north of Hartford, CT. As the weather in October can be unpredictable, please bring several layers of clothing so you can adjust to whatever the day brings. The trail is mostly underneath a tree canopy and doesn’t get severe sun and heat. If anybody has a lightweight, small, portable first aid kit, please bring it along, as accidents and falls occasionally happen.

For people who don’t own a bike but are interested in joining us for the ride, Trailside Bicycles, located approximately one mile east and also right on the trail, rented bikes last year for $20.00 for four hours. Please contact the shop directly at 413-582-0733 to make arrangements ahead of time to guarantee availability. The group will meet up with the renters at the bike shop at approximately 9:45 -10:00 AM.

Please advise me if you intend to participate. We’ll limit the event to 30 or so people so that we don’t overwhelm Panera Bread’s seating capacity.

Jim Merriman jmerriman@ctvalley.org cell: 203-910-9050