Biking followed by massage -- it doesn't get much better than that. The 7th annual Women's Ride for Heart Health takes place in Freeport on Sunday, June 1. This event, sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, keeps getting bigger and bigger as more women join the fun. There are three rides (5, 10 and 25 miles long) as well as yoga, massage, medical screenings and lots of information and presentations about heart health. Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of Maine women? I'll be riding this again with the two girls (now 9 years old) that I rode with last year; it's never too early to develop healthy habits, right? The rides cover lovely rural sections of South Freeport, starting from the LL Bean Conference Center on Casco Street.
Visit the BCM Web site for more information.

If you missed the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's two great bike swaps, here's yet another one where you might find some great bargains. Gorham Bike and Ski, 1440 Congress Street in Portland (near the Westgate Shopping center), is having a bike swap this Saturday, May 17. If you've got a bike to sell, bring it to the shop from Wednesday through Friday. If you're looking for a bike, turn up between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (but remember, early worms do get the best stuff). Get more details on the Gorham Bike and Ski Web site.

Don't forget: Friday is National Bike to Work Day, so make it happen! If you've never done it, then make it easy for yourself. Take work clothes and shoes to the office on Thursday, and bring whatever else would be awkward to lug on your bike. With gas prices skyrocketing, who needs an excuse?

Check out the Go Maine web site for more details on Commute Another Way Week. The League of American Bicyclists has more about Bike Month including a fun list, from American Bicyclist, of 50 Ways to Celebrate Bike Month, including rent a bike movie and host a screening, throw a bike helmet decorating party, have a moveable feast on bikes, or clean up a local bike trail.

Are you biking to work yet? If not, why not?
Next week is Commute Another Way Week, so if you need a little push or advice or incentives, now's the time. Go Maine organizes the event every year to help folks see just how easy it is to walk, bike, carpool, take the bus, vanpool or telecommute. Friday, May 16, is National Bike to Work Day so consider biking to work. Go Maine offers tips, T-shirts, prizes and more, so check it out. If you're in Portland, the Portland Maine Bicycle Commuting group has lots of useful tips too.

It's a little too wet to be out mountain biking on the trails this week, so here's something to motivate you while you wait for drier weather. Cliff Krolik, founder and operator of Back Country Excursions in Parsonsfield, will show slides and talk about a trip he took mountain biking in Bhutan. This little known kingdom, tucked into the eastern edge of the Himalayas, has spectacular scenery, fascinating history and friendly people. Krolik will lead a tour there this fall so the slide show will give you a sense of the tour and a peek at the scenery.
Part of Maine Audubon's Traveler's Forum, the slide show takes place this Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m., at the Audubon's Gilsland Farm center off Route 1 in Falmouth. The show is free and open to the public. For directions visit the Maine Audubon web site or call 781-2330.

At last, sunshine. Finally it's time to get back on two wheels (if you're a mere fair weather cyclist), and if you're hankering for a new ride to motivate and inspire you, just in time comes the 2008 Great Maine Bike Swap. This year it has expanded to two locations (April 27 in Portland and May 4 in Orono). The Portland swap will take place at the USM Sullivan Gym from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and along with all the great deals on road bikes, mountain bikes, kids' bikes and tandems, there will also be a 4-mile bike parade around the Back Cove organized by Green Streets Portland.

Visit the Bicycle Coalition of Maine web site for full details.

This great fall weather has meant an extended biking season, especially for mountain bike riders. There are still races and bike events taking place, including one fun one for a great cause: the Great Osprey Bike Challenge on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Planned as a family event, this race on tar and gravel roads takes place on and around the grounds of the lovely Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport. There's a short course of 4.4 miles (the "Mild" race) and a 5-lap course for more serious riders (the "Spicy" race). There's great food, a pee-wee biker derby and demos too.

The Freeport Recreation and Community Education department puts on the event and proceeds from the $15 fee go to a scholarship fund.

Fall foliage season is upon is and there's no better time to get out on the mountain bikes and into the woods. If you haven't biked up in the Carrabassett Valley, then you really should get up there this fall. There are great trails that serve to remind you just why you live in Maine.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine holds an annual Fat Tire Frolic in Carrabassett Valley, and this year's event is on Sunday, October 7. Here's how the BCM describes it:

Spoiled for choice: a road ride, a hike or a mountain bike ride? MaineShare’s 16th annual benefit on Sunday, September 9, includes three road rides (25K, 50K, 100K), two hikes up the mountain (3K and 8K) and one mountain bike ride. The Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s Pete Phair will lead a mountain bike ride on the trails; it will be geared to the level of the group on the day and explore the trails on the eastern side of the park. The 100K road ride will be lead by Jeff Miller, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. The 50K ride will be lead by cyclist and mountaineer Bill Yeo. Rides have sag wagons and rest stops. There’s also a buffet lunch and live music. The proceeds support MaineShare, a community of non-profits funded through workplace giving. There is a minimum pledge of $60. For a complete schedule and more information visit www.maineshare.org

"Bicycling, barbecue, bucolic beauty..." That about sums it up for Sunday's Tour de Farms in the Wiscasset and Sheepscot area. There are four rides to choose from, from an 8-mile family ride to a century ride, and all stop at farms for snacks and tours. Get the full scoop in this article in today's Press Herald, complete with links to register and a route map. For more, visit the Morris Farm Web site.

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?

The Maine Bike Rally is fast approaching (July 6, 7, and 8) and the good folks at the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the Casco Bay Bike Club and Merrymeeting Wheelers could really use some volunteers. The rallly is taking place in Yarmouth again this year and will offer about 30 rides of all lengths, both on and off-road. There are lots of activities besides riding, too... all in all, it's a big biking social.

You can lead a ride, ride sweep, be an ice cream scooper (there must be fringe benefits for that), help out at the time trial race, or help set up or clean up. Volunteers get a discount on the bike rally registration fee, too.

The Women's Ride for Heart Health was great fun and seemed to be a whopping success. There were well over 200 women -- of all ages and levels -- in Freeport despite gray skies and a slight drizzle. I rode with eight-year-old twins Brooke and Emily Papineau along the 5-mile route and they said they had fun on their first ever group charity ride.