Hi Late,

My son & I signed up for the 35 mile ride. Should be a good time. Several weeks ago we rode from Amato's in Scarboro on the ET to the Casco Bay Bridge, through Portland (around the back cove), and then to the Maine Mall. Lot of fun, especially the South Portland section.

Hi back at you. I will prob be at that ETA ride. I will be the fat guy
on an orange bike. My wife rides a blue bike, and most everything else is blue too, including her tires.

Crud! My van blew a head gasket yesterday ($$$$$)!

I'm gonna miss the 8 Lighthouse ETA ride tomorrow! :-(

Alternate plan B is to go to Pappa Wheelies bike shop in Portsmouth tomorrow, their gonna have a "Ride with the pros" in Seacoast NH (pros here for the York Beach and Portsmouth Criteriums (Criteria?).

Those of you going on the ETA ride, have a great time.

Hope you have a good time. Sorry about your van. Bummer. I will be driving from Dover-Foxcroft to Portland for the ETA. Hope for no rain.

Anyone actually do the ETA 8 Lighthouse ride? How was it?

I was gonna, but my van died, so I wasn't able to go up to S. Portland.

Hi,
the weather was crap, and I was sore from commuting during th week. So I blew it off. My wife and Sis went. They said it was real hard. Lots of wind, a few miles of rough dirt path. But they said they were glad they did it, but they were some tired when they were done.

Thanks!

Well, I at least got the tee shirt in the mail the other day. Hopefully I'll make it next year.

I rode the ETA for the first time. I thought it wasn't too bad. The only thing i did not like was that the ETA group left before we all got back. I wanted to buy an extra T-shirt. The REd Bull Rep was there. It was great to get free Red Bull. It was the first time i tried it. I did't really like the Carbonation it had though.

Ride ON

Bringing up an old thread - anyone still out there? I'm in Scarborough. As soon as I get my 'cross bike squared away, I'll be able to use the Eastern Trail to commute to work, provided I can turn left across Black Point Road at 7AM.

And re: traffic, I feel like I can ride *anywhere* after doing the NYC Century Ride the weekend before last. Probably not the immersive therapy for everyone, but it was really neat and it supports Transportation Alternatives in NYC.

I started reading this thread and thought it was brand new!

I'm in York and commute to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Hey, Ritehsedad, you may well commute past my house in Kittery Point.
I'm a noob and have been riding alone to get the feel. Fun rides in this area so far include the 32mi. RT to Ogunquit (drivers, Yikes!, though), across Memorial Bridge to New Castle and beyond and the S. Maine "25 Best" ride (thanks for the reference, Late). I'm a long way from riding with a group, to be sure, but I'm loving it!

'05 Trek Pilot 5.0
'8x Bridgestone 500
'06 K2 Alturas 3.0

I probably don't ride by your house. I actually live up near Eliot, so I don't go through Kittery Pt.

Seacoast NH here

Line in Cumberland, work in South Portland, Commuter here.

hey - any of you Southerners got any good fall rides in mind? I'm stuck in a rut of the same old rides here in Kennebunk/Wells.

Hi finnegan. Nothing planned but my daily commute to work. Maybe a couple weekend rides along York Beach or Rye/Hampton Beach.

Fun to read about riding in Portland. Someday when I retire (~10-12yrs), my wife and are thinking of buying a condo in Portland, in town, maybe near the Old Port section. I am from Maine originally (Greenville, GO LAKERS!) and someday think of moving back. I live in Vermont and am spoiled by the great road biking aroung here (Upper CT River Valley). I would like to know more about biking in the Portland area. I would be mostly carless. How is the road biking? How is the urban biking in town? How about bike paths? In my misspent youth I lived in Boston, riding my bike as a commuter and as a messanger (Marathon Messanger, I wonder if it is still there...) while in college so I am used to urban riding years ago. However, I went to my college reunion this spring and took my bike with me. I road around some of my old rides. I had forgotten some of the edge of urban riding after being too mellow in Vermont. Davis Sq./ Mass Ave in Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington seemed busier. I did enjoy the Minuteman Rail/Trail to Concord/Bedford. How does Portlan compare to Boston? Are the roads bike friendly or an urban free for all?

MotoMan
An Old Geezer in Hilly Vermont

Hey, Finnegan, I live in Kittery and have been ranging north to my limited abilities, when I don't get drawn to the magnificant Newcastle (NH) area. What are your "rut" rides, briefly? If you get down this way, the York/Eliot/Kittery ride in the 25 rides in Maine book is a nice mix of seashore and rural riding (surprised a huge flock of turkeys this week).

Bump

Hey, I live in Yahmuth and commute to Pawtlandh...

Road bike most of summer, not comptitive, just commute to work(25 miles round trip). I am now getting ready to ride my first winter, in fact first snow tomorrow, I believe. Should be "interesting"!!
Bigfoot

...as long as it doesn't stick to the road...

I actually enjoy riding when it it snowing. Much more pleasent than when raining.

Just seeing this thread again. Motoman, if you've done any 'urban' riding at all, you should be all set in Portland. You may remember it's not so much 'urban' as a big town, and as such, the riding in town is very manageable, at least to me.

Ritehsedad - you ride along the snowbanks in the dark during the winter? I'm not sure I put that much faith in drivers around here.

+1

You always have to have a bail out plan. In winter I think they are more careful around cyclist that during the summer.