Long-Range Bike Rides on the East Coast Greenway

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride Friday, and about 150 people did just that.

The bicyclists were all part of an East Coast Alliance ride that went from New Haven to Simsbury — a few ambitious riders left from Granby and went to New Haven and back, some 90 miles.

The ride is part of the spring meeting the East Coast Greenway Alliance held in Simsbury on Saturday.

The East Coast Greenway is a developing trail system, spanning nearly 3,000 miles from Calais, ME, at the Canadian border to Key West, FL. The trail links all the major cities of the eastern seaboard. More than 25 percent of the route is on safe, traffic-free paths.

On April 29, riders gathered in Simsbury at Iron Horse Boulevard and Wilcox Street, where they filled two buses with riders and a truck with about 60 bicycles, all heading to New Haven. Other bikes were loaded onto the buses and a few cars to ensure that no one was turned away.

Tim Branch of Avon took the day off from work to take the ride.

“I rode right by work on the way here,” he said, adding he wasn't the only one.

Nigel Logan of Old Lyme works for himself, so he gave himself the day off. In Old Lyme, he is part of a cycling advocacy group. He said he got more into biking 10 years or so ago when he “started getting too old to run.”

Beverly and Dick Hughes of West Hartford are members of the Farmington Valley Trails Council and have been biking for close to 20 years. The roughly 45-mile ride from New Haven to Simsbury was not daunting to them.

“It’s a long ride, but it’s not hard,” said Dick.

Both said they are excited at the progress the greenway is making; piece-by-piece it comes together as towns complete portions. Still-missing sections in the area include trails in Southington and Plainville.

“I love to see people out riding more,” said Beverley, who added that with gas prices increasing, she expects to see more riders soon.

Colleen Yates and Marion Paterson are both from Simsbury. They ride together “as much as we can,” said Paterson. For a few moments, the two were not sure there was going to be room for them on the bus or for their bikes. The two had already decided they would take their own ride if they were turned away, but in the end they were on board the bus.

Paterson said the trail system is great because she can ride with her family. She would not feel comfortable riding on the road for 20 or 30 miles with her children, but the trail is perfect.

Yates said her husband rides early in the morning — as in he has to provide his own light source — and to do that on a street would be almost impossible.

“The path makes that easier,” she said.  

Simsbury was designated by the League of American Bicyclists with Connecticut’s first-ever Bicycle Friendly Community Award in 2010, recognizing the efforts to encourage bicycling in the community. Both women said that is part of what makes Simsbury such a great community to live in.

But it’s not only locals who were attracted to the ride. There were riders from as far away as Florida, who were staying in town to participate. East Coast Greenway Alliance folks are from all over as well — traveling to Simsbury from Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Ron DeGray, from Glastonbury, said he has probably ridden 50,000 to 60,000 miles over the years. He puts in at least 50 miles a week, started riding when he was five years old and hasn’t stopped. Today he was riding his Cannondale, a bike he’s had for 10 years. He has ridden in different parts of the country and the world.

“I’d like to do more,” he said. “Bicycling rules.”

He said Americans are too entrenched in automobiles, and that has to change. It took him an hour to drive to Simsbury from Glastonbury.

By almost 10 a.m., the riders were loaded and it was all about getting to New Haven to begin. In New Haven there was a send-off from Mayor John DeStefano at noon.

“I’ve been looking forward to this,” said Gary Miller of Canton, who is on the board of the Farmington Valley Trails Council.

After passing through Hamden, Cheshire, Southington and Plainville, riders started arriving in Farmington for the last 10-mile leg that would take them through Avon and into Simsbury at around 3 p.m. In Farmington, where the trail crosses Red Oak Hill Road, was Mary Jane Gattley of Avon. She is part of the trails council board and was there to offer riders water and granola bars. There were many takers.

“So far it looks like a success,” she said.

David Read, an East Coast Greenway Alliance board member who came down from Massachusetts for the ride, was impressed with the sections of trail, which he had not ridden before.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

Back in Simsbury, Miller was packing up his gear before heading to the Iron Frog, where, if you showed your riding number, you got a free beer.

“It was fabulous,” he said of the ride, adding it was well organized. “You couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.”

He clocked his miles at 45.8.

On the grounds of the Simsbury Historical Society, Steve Mitchell was thanking participants and organizers. Mitchell is an alliance board member also, and a rider. This was where the day’s events ended.

“Good things happen when people care,” he said.

Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman, who rode a tandem bike with Tom Roy, the director of public works, said if Simsbury can do this, the rest of Connecticut can as well.

Embracing multi-modal transportation methods was the underlying theme to the event.

“Someday we’ll all be riding from Florida to Maine together,” she said.

She and Roy completed the New Haven to Simsbury ride in 3 hours and 9 minutes.

Editor's note: This article was originally published by Simsbury Patch.