Short on vacation, but want to tour? Join the Mass BikePike Tour!

[obie]

Hi TE friends,
As you may know I work on the Mass BikePike Tour, an annual bike tour celebrating our state and raising money for Massbike. (we are their #1 donor the past few years).

This past summer I actually got to work at the event, and I truly fell in love - it offered a great mix of super riding that was as challenging as you'd wish, the friendliest riders, and just a wonderful "summer vacation" vibe. I hope you'll consider joining the 2013 edition - the early bird discount ends at the end of the month, and the ride will sell out, so sign up asap. Here's more information below:

Give us two vacation days – and we’ll give you a Massachusetts bicycle adventure!

The Mass BikePike Tour is a scenic bicycle tour celebrating all the best that Massachusetts has to offer! Taking place from August 1st to 4th, it is “The Friendliest Ride in the East” and is suitable for novice to experienced cyclists. It’s a GREAT use of limited vacation time - join us after work on Wednesday and we’ll enjoy the next four days of exploring on two wheels. You’ll return home Sunday afternoon with new friends and fun memories.

2013’s ride features the rolling hills and picturesque towns of north-central Massachusetts, from the Johnny Appleseed Trail to the Connecticut River Valley. The ride will also head north into Keene, NH, and (long ride only) Brattleboro, VT.

The Mass BikePike Tour offers two routes each day. The shorter route is between 25 and 45 miles and the longer route is between 45 and 70 miles. The shorter route can be shortened further with our free "Head Start Drop-Off Service" - this ride is a great way to introduce friends to the joy of touring - while still wonderfully challenging for experienced tourers.

Each evening features a pre-dinner “social hour”, and optional nightly field trips to local attractions. The Mass BikePike Tour is affordably priced – less than $400 if you sign up before March! – and proceeds go to the MassBike Coalition. For more information please visit www.massbikepike.org.

[obie]

Just an update - we still have some space on the tour, and registration closes on July 14th.
We still do have volunteer opportunities - a great way to ride two out of four days FOR FREE and meeting wonderful people in the process.

This is a very social tour, and very friendly to women. Our ratio is pretty close to 50-50, and off-the-bike fun is emphasized. We have a daily social hour, we have volunteers to lead cooldown yoga at least once, and we have fun "field trips" to a country fair and a chili cookoff. Sign up at www.massbikepike.org or you're welcome to e-mail me with questions at karin at tugboat23 dot com.

Happy riding!