Upcoming Events
Join us for a social event or training ride! All our rides are open to the general public. Our training rides showcase how Best Buddies works for inclusion in its programs and on the bike. We care for our riders like our programs care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by producing rides that make every attendee feel safe, that they belong, and that they matter.
A properly functioning road bike and helmet are required for our rides. We highly recommend clipless pedals. Please join our Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port Strava Club and stay connected to our cycling community!
March
12
5:30 PM
Annual Kickoff Party + Crank It Up Races
142 Mystic Ave., Medford MA
This event will feature raffles, music, refreshments, and the finals of our indoor race series. Don’t miss the chance to meet fellow riders and supporters, hang with the Buddies, and compete for the gold, silver, or bronze medal in a short, high-energy virtual race!
As for the racing, participants will take on a fast, fun 1.2-mile virtual course on Zwift in timed heats. The top three men and women qualify for the finals and race for prizes. If you don’t make the finals, bragging rights against your friends are always on the line. No bike, spandex, or cycling shoes required – anybody can jump right in!
April
4
9:00 AM
Cape Cod Classic
Nove Yoga, 581 Main Street, West Dennis, MA
Our annual season opener, this ride convenes at Nove Yoga on Cape Cod. We roll out in two groups and explore the rolling roads of the Cape during the off-season. The longer ride will roll at a spritely pace and work on group riding skills. The leaders will routinely regroup at select locations to ensure everybody stays with the group. The shorter ride, to which beginners are welcome, will be a friendlier pace with a focus on bike skills.
April
5
9:00 AM
Cape Cod Women’s Ride
Nove Yoga, 581 Main Street, West Dennis, MA
Beginner and novice women riders tired of “mansplaining” are welcome to this “dude-free” training ride. All of the ride leaders, the mechanic, the yoga instructor, and the support staff are female. In addition to pre-ride coffee and pastries, this ride will also offer a roadside repair clinic to teach riders how to manage mechanical basics, along with tips on training with data, basic bike skills, and group riding skills to help any rider become a road master. Led by Jitka Borowick the new BB Femmes team, this ride will feature post ride snacks and a chance for Q-and-A.
April
18
9:00 AM
Cape Ann Classic
Marblehead Cycle, 25 Bessom St, Marblehead, MA 01945
Launching from our new bike shop partner, Marblehead Cycle, this tour will offer something for riders of all abilities. Keeping the ocean to our right, we’ll roll gently through Marblehead, Salem and Beverly before turning up the wick a bit. We’ll regroup at Rebel Coffee & Creamery in Hamilton. From there the Pedal Pushers will press north to Gloucester for a quick stop at the fabled Stage Fort Park and a photo stop at the Eastern Point Lighthouse. We return to hear tall tales from super pro Tim Johnson, the North Shore’s greatest cyclist of all time.
April
25
9:00 AM
Westchester Classic
Signature Cycles, 102 Heights Rd, Darien, CT 06820
A tour of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, this ride is a welcoming ride for beginners and novices that packs a little punch of a climb at the turnaround point. But the effort will be rewarded with a rest stop at Bash Bish Falls, one of the tallest and most spectacular waterfalls in the Northeast. Thereafter we will pedal back using Route 22 taking in shops, farm stands and perhaps an ice cream! Pre-ride coffee and pastries. Post-ride snacks and libations provided.
April
26
9:00 AM
Three Trails Classic
Mighty Squirrel Brewing, 411 Waverly Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452
Through a bold statewide initiative, Massachusetts has developed hundred miles of bike paths in the last decade. This ride will explore and explain three of the most ambitious projects that continue to evolve. After coffee and pastries, we’ll depart from the Mighty Squirrel Brewery in Waltham and hop on the Mass Central Rail Trail. We’ll navigate west to the intersection with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and head north. In Acton, we’ll hop on some farm roads to Concord and then take the Reformatory Branch Extension of the Minuteman Bikeway before returning for a cold libations and tacos.
May
9
9:00 AM
Lost Lake Classic
Franny’s Diner, 170 Main St, Pepperell, MA 01463
Curated over the past three years, this route is arguably the most fun, fast and glorious loops of the entire spring calendar. We like this loop so much that we’ve chosen to have the Pedal Pushers do it twice! We start and finish from Franny’s Dinner, close to the covered bridge in Pepperell. We roll north on the Nashua River Rail Trail. After the turn off on to the farm roads, the faster group gets the green light to truly work on pace lines and group ride tactics. The Easy Riders get to absorb the beauty of orchards, stables and wetland. The highlight is the three-mile roller coaster that is Lost Lake Road, Thereafter we chill out through Ayer and roll north back on the rail trail. But the challenge is whether the Easy Riders can fend off the hard charging Pedal Pushers. Riding with the Domestiques, Pedal Pushers will be taught about how to ride efficiently using such metrics as heart rate, power and “PRE” (perceived rate of exertion).
May
10
9:00 AM
Blue Hill Spectacular
Fast Splits, 626 Washington St, Canton, MA 02021
Hosted by our new friends at Fast Splits, this ride will focus on quality over quantity. Out of respect for Mother’s Day, both groups should be done by noon! Both rides are shorter but feature the challenging ride to the top of Blue Hill, overlooking the entire Boston Basin. We’ll regroup at the top, safely manage the descent, and then split into the Pedal Pushers and Easy Riders. The faster group will put in some additional miles while the shorter group can enjoy the ride back to Canton to enjoy post-ride libations. Both group should finish about the same time.
May
23
9:00 AM
River and Reservoir Ride
Assabet River Bicycles, 90 Cherry St, Hudson, MA 01749
To celebrate the creation of our new team, Assabet River Bicycles, we’re bolting together two popular rides to help attendees prepare for the follow weekend’s Best Buddies Challenge. Starting in Hudson, we’ll roll together to the Fruitlands overlook atop the Monadnock Plateau. From there we mostly descend to the Wachusett Reservoir, switching to the glorious Mass Central Rail Trail in Sterling. We return east, worm our way through the railroad cut and absorb the majesty of both the Wachusett Reservoir and the dam that created this water resource. There we split. The Pedal Pushers will put in 15-mile paceline to encircle the reservoir without interruption while the Easy Riders “enjoy” the series of moderate step climbs back to Hudson.
May
24
9:00 AM
Great Bay Spectacular
Papa Wheelies, 653 Islington St, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Our longtime friend Dan Houston of Papa Wheelies will host this fantastic ride from Portsmouth. This spectacular finale to the spring series will be a circumnavigation of New Hampshire’s Great Bay. We’ll keep the massive estuary to our right for the first 17 miles, pausing for a hilltop photo and snack. From there, the Pedal Pushers will continue on to Durham to complete the loop while the Easy Riders turn back to finish up just a little before the others. With an ocean breeze, salt marshes, and craggy terrain, this is the perfect prep for the Hyannis Port ride.
Meet your Ride Leaders
Our training rides are led by our expert on-staff cyclists.
