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transportation back to Burlington. The entry fee for the June 1 Tour de l’Île de Montréal is included, as well. The 30th edition of the Tour de l’Île is the culmination of a weeklong biking festival called Go Bike Montréal. Starting May 25 with the 150- or 75-ki lometer Metropolitan Challenge, the series of events includes the 20-K Tour la Nuit that starts at 8:15 p.m. on May 30. What accounts for Montréal’s status as, arguably, the best cycling city in North America? “It has been like a snowball rolling,” says Joelle Sevigny, director of Vélo Québec Événements et Voyages. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger.”
Mountain biking
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years ago, with the second of five due to be completed this summer. A long-planned bike path along the Barre-Montpelier Road has been slow to take shape, and a completion target date remains elusive, reports Nancy Schulz, director of the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition. But some progress has been occurring. Construction on part of the path could begin next year, Schulz says. Cycle trail advocates who dream big should plan to take part in a June 22 tour starting at Morse Farm in East Montpelier. It’s a fundraiser for the Cross Vermont Trail, an envisioned 90-mile route connecting towns in the northcentral portion of the state, f rom Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River. About a third of the trail is complete and
open to riders and skiers. Supporters describe the route along the Winooski and Wells rivers as a patchwork quilt that will knit together many different pieces. Back in Burlington, a study is under way that examines converting North Avenue into a “complete street” — meaning redesigning it to better accom modate cyclists and pedestrians and to enhance motorists’ saf ety. A similar assessment is expected to start soon on the downtown sections of North and South Winooski avenues, regarded by many urban riders as the most danger ous streets in Burlington. Plans f or the endlessly delayed Champlain Parkway still lack adequate amenities f or pedestrians and cyclists, according to the Walk/Bike Council. The group adds in its recent statement on “Go f or Gold” priorities that it ex pects such improvements to be f ormu lated soon.
Tours
Several national companies orga nize cycling tours in various parts of Vermont. For a days-long ride with down-home roots, check out the offerings of Richmond-based POMG (Peace of Mind Guaranteed) and VBT (formerly Vermont Bicycle Touring), which still operates from offices in Bristol after 43 years in business. Local Motion organizes a f our-day “Vermontreal” trip f rom Burlington to Montréal starting May 29. It’s priced as a f undraiser f or Local Motion, with the $1,095-per-person cost covering three nights’ lodging, some meals and
Fif teen regional chapters around the state have launched a coordinated drive to increase the membership of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association nearly fivefold this year, f rom 450 to 2,200 dues payers. The aim is to im prove and expand the 600 miles of single-track trails available to riders on private, state and f ederal land, says association publicist Sarah Galbraith. Individuals will pay $49 a year and receive dis count coupons f or 40 shops, ski resorts and restaurants. Mountain biking is growing in popu larity, with Vermont emerging as a leading destination, Galbraith notes. “It makes you feel like a kid again,” the Marshfield resident says in explaining why she sets off on rides of up to 18 miles on many evenings. “It’s the way I let go of my workday.”
transportation agency focused on alter natives to commuting in single-passen ger vehicles. Cohen will be proselytizing for cargo bikes, which, he argues, can substitute f or a car f or shopping and errands. Besides creating environmental dis turbances, “the automobile is designed as a sensory-deprivation device,” says Cohen, who works as a psychotherapist. “It’s intended to restrict users’ access to the eco-world.” New designs enable cargo bikes to climb hills more easily, he notes. Taking the pain out of elevation gain is also a motivating f actor f or Larry Gilbert, co-owner of ZoomBikes in Middlesex. Gilbert and Lauri Scharf sell electric cycles that they’ll offer daily f or three-hour test rides in the Montpelier-Moretown-Middlesex area starting June 3. The battery-powered bikes, which can operate f or up to 30 miles per charge, have a maximum velocity of 20 mph but average about 10 mph f or most riders because the pedals must be pushed f or the motor to work. Zoom’s cycles sell f or $2,400 to $3,400. Electric bikes “provide enough assis tance to make it possi ble f or lesser mortals to ride up hills,” says Gilbert, 59. He sees Zoom’s market as consisting mainly of aging cyclists such as himself — “people who want to keep riding but who just can’t deal with the hills that are pretty much everywhere in Vermont.” m
Burlington appears to Be setting the pace among Vermont localities in encouraging residents to
get out and ride.
Bicycle innovations
Brattleboro resident David Cohen started a cargo-bike delivery business in Berkeley, Calif ., nearly 20 years ago that’s still pedaling strong today. Now he’s been hired as a consultant f or Go! Vermont, the arm of the state’s
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More info at the following websites: localmotion.org, burlingtonwalkbike.org, burlingtonbikeparty.org, pinehillpark.org, vtbikeped.org, pomgbike.com, vbt.com, veloquebec.info, explorebybike.com, vmba. org, connectingcommuters.org, zoombikes.net