TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL BIKE MONTH!

By Matt Glenn, President of Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders

Matt and Anne at the May 3rd Seacoast Greenway event

May is National Bike Month, a celebration of biking as transportation and recreation and a way to improve our well being. Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders (SABR) is again partnering with other organizations to celebrate biking on the Seacoast by supporting or offering a variety of events (see Seacoastbikes.org/events) – there’s something fun for every kind of pedaler!

Have you pedaled or walked or run on the very popular NH Seacoast Greenway trail that now links Portsmouth to North Hampton/Hampton? On May 3, my daughter and I pedaled a tandem with two rakes over to the Portsmouth Skate Park (parking available) to participate in the first-ever NH Seacoast Greenway volunteer clean up. One team started from a trailhead in North Hampton, and other volunteers were spread along the 8-mile trail to clear leaves and branches and to maintain drainage. We enjoyed working alongside others and seeing a steady stream of appreciative people on foot, bike, and trike using a trail that opened less than a year ago. Are you interested in helping maintain the trail?  

SABR is offering or collaborating on rides that are social (and sometimes food-forward), such as a ride May 10 to HiFi Burritos in Dover. Riders will meet at Hilton Park and take back roads to downtown to visit this new Bicycle Benefits business. SABR is part of this national program that rewards donors with a sticker that offers discounts to bicyclists when they ride to participating shops and restaurants. 

The annual Portsmouth Mayor’s Ride will roll on Sunday, May 18 when SABR, in partnership with the City of Portsmouth, will hold a slow tour of bike lanes, paths, and recommended routes with a focus on recently completed and planned improvements. This year’s ride is especially timely as the city is wrapping up its update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Peter Britz, Director of Planning and Sustainability, will join the ride and answer questions, along with Mayor McEachern. The ride starts from Portsmouth Middle School at 2 PM, heads out Middle Street and Middle Road, and goes by two access points to the rail trail (the new side paths on Borthwick and Hodgdon). The route also goes by the future North Mill Pond Greenway. Learn how the on-road Greenway route could ultimately connect to Maine. Families and riders of all types are welcome. This is a great way to show your support for safer routes!

Exploring the Granite State’s rail trails is the focus of the Tour de New Hampshire, presented by the Bike-Walk Alliance of NH. There will be 10 free guided rides for all types of riders throughout the month, on generally flat surfaces, 15-20 miles long, at a leisurely speed. On May 20, we’ll show off the Seacoast Greenway when we team up with Treeline Outfitters in Portsmouth to lead a 17-mile out-and-back ride at a social pace. 

We love programs like bike rodeos, which are an excellent way to teach elementary school-age kids bike safety skills. On June 1 SABR will assist the Town of Kittery and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine with a Bike Rodeo at Mitchell Primary School. Volunteers will help with helmet and bike mechanical checks, and monitoring the traffic skills course. 

We hope you’ll join us this month or anytime for a ride, and consider exploring SABR volunteer opportunities. In addition to rides and events, SABR’s Seacoast Pedal It Forward program, with the help of dedicated volunteers and donors, works all year long repairing donated bikes and giving them away to those in need of transportation. Get details about SABR and bike riding at Seacoastbikes.org, on Facebook and Instagram, by signing up for our newsletter, and volunteering. Contact us at info@seacoastbikes.org. 

So pump up your tires and we look forward to seeing you during National Bike Month and all year long!