Ride Report: North Shore Area of Boston
I discuss the Boston area cycling below as a Boston Area Ride Report,
September 14-23, 1996.
I went to the Boston area at this time primarily to visit family and friends on the
North Shore (the northern suburbs of Boston). My secondary purpose was to bring my bike
and get some good riding in. By the way, I used my Trico Iron Case to transport my bike -
there was no problem getting the big gray case into the back seat of the Geo Metro that I
rented.
Although I was familiar with driving the North Shore area, I wasn't really
familiar with the best places to bicycle. So I went to the local bike shop to find some
books or maps that would give some suggested cycling routes. I found a cycling map made by
BikeMaps Massachusetts which covered Cape Ann & the North Shore, as well as Cape Cod
& the Islands. It is an excellent map which marks recommended roads in green and
secondary roads in red. The map also gives bike shop locations, beaches, bed &
breakfast inns that welcome cyclists, and other points of interest. I don't know whether
or not they make them for other parts of Massachusetts. The address for BikeMaps
Massachusetts is P.O. Box 1035, Cambridge, MA 02140.
On the first few days I got a couple of good solo rides in. Then the weather was
uncooperative for the next few days, with up to five inches of rain in some parts of the
state. After the rain cleared up, I got another solo ride in before the weekend. It wasn't
leaf-peeping season yet in southern New England (peak for Massachusetts is around late
October), but the cycling weather was excellent, with temperatures in the mid 60s to low
70s.
The roads suggested on the map were excellent for cycling. Even the secondary suggested
roads in red were also excellent. These roads went through the heart of suburbia, with
plenty of trees and very little traffic. The area I spent most of my time riding was north
of Route 128, between I-93 and the Atlantic Ocean. An infinite number of rides are
possible using the suggested roads. Places to stop for lunch were usually a little hard to
find - on more than one occasion I was saved by a Power Bar.
The Sunday before I left I hooked up with North Shore Cyclists (NSC) to join them on
their group ride. They had two rides planned for the morning: a 30 mile and a 45 mile
ride. About eight of us, including myself, chose the 45 mile ride. It was an excellent
loop, starting from the Reading train station, going up through Wilmington and Andover to
North Andover center, and then back through Andover and North Reading back to the Reading
train station. The 45 mile ride included an extra 15 mile loop from North Andover center,
through Boxford, and back to North Andover center. They were a fun group to ride with, and
their hospitality was well appreciated.
