The Gov signed into law the new bike safety bill today.

Against my better judgment I have to comment on one of the comments posted on today's News Update. One person says "... if a cyclist doesn't stop at a stop sign or red light, which they don't 95% of the time, you won't see them getting pulled over."

This makes me chuckle, because a few weeks ago a colleague (who shall remain nameless, boss!) told me that he got pulled over by a policeman for coasting through a red light while on his bike, though the only car at the intersection had stalled and the light was just about to turn green. He was tongue-lashed and gived a sermon about irresponsible cyclists. Why can't we all just get along?

My Sunday column is about a sweet little ride in the Boothbay area around a few islands, ponds and rivers.
Here are some photos and a link to the route around some of the islands near Boothbay:
Boothbay Region Route Map on MapMyRide.com
(Some of you, depending on the browser you use, may see the map embedded below; otherwise you'll have to click on the above link)

Sorry I'm a little late on this update, but in May the town of Kittery officially declared itself to be bike friendly. Hooray!

From the May 14 Town Council meeting, the minutes state:

"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Kittery Town Council, duly assembled, hereby declares the Town of Kittery, Maine to be BICYCLE FRIENDLY, with all benefits herein described."

There are a lot of great things going on at Bradbury Mountain these days. There are lots of new multi-use trails including some fantastic single-track, increased usage, loads of volunteer hours and enthusiasm, races and events and more... all making this a remarkable example of how a state park is really serving its community and the mountain biking community is giving back.

Much of this is due to the good work being done by the park manager Mick Rogers. Rogers has a request for mountain bikers this week. He's hoping bikers will come show some support and ride the trails this Thursday. Here's why:

So, the 94th Tour de France starts tomorrow. I'm not normally a huge Tour follower, but this year it's dear to my heart because it begins in London. The opening ceremonies and prologue race as well as Stage 1 will all take place/start in London. A few years ago (okay, many many years ago), I did a group charity multi-day ride from London to Paris so now I can feel like I've done a mini version of this year's Tour. Anyone care to comment on the Tour and who they'd like to see wear the yellow jersey?