New England: post event report

I wouldn’t say reserved, more quietly excited. That would be how I would describe the Co-operation Ireland Bike New England Team as they queued for the bus at Boston’s Logan Airport that would take them to Gloucester, MA, to begin the 350-mile cycling challenge. But it was a completely different story by the end of the week. Let me tell you what happened in between!
 
We arrived at our accommodation in Gloucester, a motel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The views of the waves hitting the huge boulders lining the coast were stunning and the solitude of the coastal areas added to our more mellow mood. After getting fitted with the bicycles we would have for our 5 days cycling, we headed for dinner. The Studio in the artist colony of Rocky Neck was an idyllic spot and the food was brilliant too. There is nothing like a ‘good feed’ to keep cyclists happy. Thankfully the bar was open too. Not too much on night one – we wanted to be fighting fit for the first day of the cycle. Our body clocks have not yet adjusted.
 
Winnie and I were awake around 5am and so went for an hours walk along the oceanfront. Feeling virtuous we were rewarded with an amazing breakfast of fruit, muffins and eggs. This sets us all up nicely for the 80 mile cycle ahead of us. Before setting off Gordon, our guide for the week gave the first of what would be our daily pep talks, and as soon as he finished we were off. For the first few miles, we cycled as a group, taking time to visit the picturesque town of Rockport, where artists’ studios line the road down to the ocean. Soon afterwards, groups soon began to form - Paddy, Russell and Derry amongst others broke through the pack and set the pace for the fitter cyclists. Those cyclists who were more interested in viewing the scenery (aka the slower cyclists), hung back and took time to enjoy the maples and the foliage of the Massachusetts countryside. Further up the road, Winnie and I quickly realized we had taken a detour and I stress we didn’t get lost. With women’s intuition and a great sense of direction, we were soon back on track. How and ever, coming towards us was another group of ours who also had also taken a detour - I still can’t figure out how they got there! After a short deliberation, we joined together and continued on the right route and on to lunch at the historically notorious town of Salem. Known for its witch trials, the town is a now filled with museums and tourist attractions. Although with another 40-50 miles to go, we havent time to take in all the sights.
 
From there we continued through charming villages and towns, meeting and greeting as many of the locals as possible (in our own very individual ways. ref DC). And on the final run back into Gloucester we cycled by some of the most expensive property areas in the whole of the United States. Some of us tried to get invited in but alas it was not to be! Following a quick shower, it was down to The Gull in Gloucester for dinner and a couple of sun-downers.
 
Day two and another glorious morning. This full day of cycling brings us from Gloucester to Amesbury in New Hampshire. Our cycle route is flat which allows us to view the miles and miles of salt marshes. We continued on to Plum Island, a beautiful beach, idyllic and undisturbed - a perfect place for a quick dip. But we have no time for that – we get back on the bikes and head for Ipswich. We meet the rest of the team tucking into lunch. Many have opted for the fried clams, an apparent must in this part of MA. Richard (who up to this point lost quite a few pounds in weight due to a combination of exercise and calorie control) orders what he suspects to be a ‘normal’ sized portion of the fishy delicacy! Well, not a bit of it – his plate of clams arrives and I am sure it could have kept the Pilgrim Fathers going for a week or two. Thankfully there were a few of us who helped him half clear his plate. For those of you who don’t know, it takes a while to get going after a belly’s worth of clams is consumed, so a few of us decide to take it slowly and take in the scenery!! And it is well worth it, we take it the Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary and even climb to the top of the observation tower for an even better view of the coastal region. But we are now getting late, today is Arthur’s Day (24 September) and the whole group has planned to celebrate the Guinness anniversary by drinking a pint of the black stuff at 17.59. We slow ones make a break for it – we have about 20 mins to go and we are on the outsides of Amesbury. But no, we take the wrong road and are now heading out of the town. We stop for directions! Derek and Cynthia, who are out tending their garden, give us detailed directions and we tell them our predicament. We aren’t going to make it. Well low and behold, Derek runs to his cooler and brings out four bottles of Arthur’s nectar and at the side of the road we toast not only Arthur, but each other and of course Derek. Even a passing local cyclist, Howard, stops and joins in the celebrations. Another wonderful memory in the growing Bike New England unbelievable memories’ portfolio. Howard leads us back to our hotel, via a detour but at this stage we don’t mind, we are all in good spirits. After dinner we all head back for a relatively quiet night.
 
Next morning, Richard Aine, Catherine and I set out early to complete part of a loop we were too late to complete the previous day. We are rewarded with the stunning view of the Merrimack River and top it off we meet our new friend Derek on his morning jog. We get back to the hotel in time to join the others for Gordon’s morning pep talk. The first part of today’s cycle is a 30-mile loop, which takes us along the coast from Newburyport to Portsmouth. Sounds easy enough, but in reality it’s a killer. A full-on head wind makes the cycle a drag but the thought of the wind on our back on the return loop makes it bearable. It never comes! But with no wind our ride back into Amesbury is relatively uneventful.
 
At dinner that evening, Francie Craven has organised an auction in aid of a cause dear of the heart of one of our cycling group. Dennis Mawhinney, an orthopedic surgeon heads up a charity, whose aim is to build and kit out a hospital on the outside of Nairobi to help people who desperately need prosthetic limbs and other surgery to enable them to lead any sort of a normal life.As well as auctioning off some very fine clothing items (i.e. T-shirts, hoodies and other exceptional apparel), Francie issues a number of fines for those people found guilty of ‘crimes’ during the tour. These included calling out the emergency services, stealing a glass and running over a brown Labrador (I am happy to report neither the dog nor the cyclist were injured during the incident). Throughout the week, a total of approximately $1000 was raised for Dennis’ Kenyan hospital project.
The following morning we begin our cycle to Boston. I cannot begin to write about this leg of the trip without mentioning one of our guides, Larry, loved by all those who cycled with him! Larry, who works in the valve industry, loves cycling! He is just one of the many members of the Boston’s North Shore Cycling Club who have been cycling with us, supporting us if we need help and ensuring we don’t get lost. Well alas that wasn’t to be with Larry. If the arrows pointed straight, Larry turned the corner and if the arrow pointed to the right, then Larry went straight. He subsequently told us that he did this so we would have a more direct cycle into Boston. I still don’t quite believe him. For those of us who had the pleasure of spending the day with Larry,  then the phrase, ‘separated by a common language’ spring to mind. Seamus and I were treated to one of Larry’s jokes but it just didn’t translate into the Irish humour, well perhaps it could have been us!
 
But back to the cycling, the ride into Boston was firstly through agricultural land and then on through colonial villages. We made a pit stop in one of these towns – we were attracted by a table of home made biscuits, cakes and brownies. Young people from the local church were collecting on behalf of a local charity – but really it was the thought of digging into such culinary delights that appealed to our altruistic side! We had another reason for stopping – two of our group have made another detour. Bruce, who is always last (only because he always looks after everyone) and Aine have split away. We hope that they will catch up but alas they don’t. We even send Larry out to look out for him but, not unsurprisingly, he returns unaccompanied. Eventually we decide to move on. Outside of Boston, we make our next stop for lunch. Aine and Bruce have finally caught up and the relief of seeing them raises our spirits. Lunch for some of the group is a larger than normal sized lunch. Terry, Joe and Francie order a pizza each – needless to say when they arrive, they are American sized. One would have done the three. Again, thankfully a few of us help them out. And so it was on to Boston. We cycle through the tree-lined suburbs of Boston’s elite neighbourhoods, past Harvard and along the Charles River. We are nearly home but for one last detour. We don’t care – getting lost has been part of the whole fun experience. Not long later we reach our hotel. We have to say goodbye to our guides – Gordon and his team. They have been excellent – we have warmed to them and they have taken us to their hearts too. They have listened bemusedly to our sometimes warped humour and they have indulged us with our constant requests for picture, comfort and food stops. No doubt some of us will keep in touch.
 
Its now Sunday and we awaken to the sound of rain belting the ground. This is the first rain we have seen all week - not a good start for Hub of Wheels. Undeterred we make our way to City Hall, where we join approximately 3000 other cyclists in the event, which raises funds for Boston’s public school students. The route takes us through Boston’s main thoroughfares, its eclectic districts, the harbour area as well as a number of city cemeteries! And as we finish, the rain also dries up. Feeling smug and exuberant - well you would if you had just completed around 350 miles on your bike - we walk back to our hotel and get ready to celebrate our achievement.
 
After dinner, we celebrate the completion of our cycling trip by taking over the karaoke machine at a local Irish bar. And boy do we have some singers among us! Richard does a mean Elvis impersonation and Donna could give Tina Turner a run for her money. Terry does his own very unique version of a Tom Jones classic – I’ll not say which one, but those of you who know him can probably make a very good guess, and Winnie also takes to the mike like a pro. Those of us who can’t sing, rip it up the dance floor. Despite cycling for 5 days, Anne Marie and Pat show us how it’s done on the boards and the rest of us follow suit. And as they say time flies when you’re having fun, so before long the night is over.
 
The following day is our own in Boston. While some hit the shops while others take in the sites –the Freedom Trail, Boston Common and Harvard. Later that evening, the Irish Consul hosts a reception for the Bike New England team. Both the Irish Consul, and his British counterpart attend and speak highly of Co-operation Ireland’s work and the contribution our fundraising efforts make to the work of Co-operation Ireland. After dinner, some of the consulate staff join us for our final soiree. The evening ends with the customary Irish sing-song and dancing. A final rendition of the Galway Girl brings our last night to a close. The next day we end our trip by having lunch on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower, Boston’s second highest building. The fine cuisine and amazing location was the perfect end to a perfect trip. Bike New England was a fantastic event and I don’t think any of us will ever forget the places we saw and stayed in, the people on the trip and those we met along the way and of course the push-biking. It was the best 350 miles I have cycled in a long, long time.
 
And so as we said our final goodbyes at Dublin airport, we are quiet again. We are all happy to be returning to our normal lives but we also know that our lives have been brightened by the people we have met on this very unique journey.