Raleigh Rides!

2007-08-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

At long last, we have made it to our final route - Route 14! This time we will be headed to north, NORTH Raleigh. Since it will be a long ways from our usual meeting point at Fred Fletcher, one of our wonderful regulars, Tim, has volunteered for us to meet near his place. The address is 827 The Village Circle, Raleigh, NC. Here are directions:

Directions to Meeting Place:
At the traffic signal intersection of Hunting Ridge and Falls of
Neuse, Turn into shopping center, first right past Panera Bread
proceed to the end of the parking lot and park cars, the sidewalk to
the townhomes is right there and we are the middle unit in the rear
building. We'll be sitting out front.

To avoid the heat, we'll be meeting at *11AM*.

For details on the route, check out: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1191996 .

If you plan on coming, please let me know so that we can be sure to wait for you. Hope to see you all there!

Jennifer

DETAILS:
What: Route No. 14
When: Sunday, Aug. 5, *11AM*
Where: near 827 The Village Circle, Raleigh, NC

Why: for fun!

2007-07-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

This is to announce the next two rides, which will be the last official rides of our Raleigh Rides Group. The first ride will be for Route No. 13, this Sunday, July 29 at 11AM, meeting at the usual Fred Fletcher Park (off of Clay Street). As of yet, we haven't gotten the official Route 13 pinned down, so it will be a surprise on Sunday. We promise it will be fun, and between 10 - 15 miles total.

Our last ride will be Sunday, August 4, to complete Route No. 14. Time and meeting location details will be forthcoming next week. If you are interested in participating, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for an email sometime Wednesday next week!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email at raleighroutes@hotmail.com. If you plan to attend either ride, please email beforehand so that we know to wait for you. I hope to see you all on this Sunday or next!

Jennifer

2007-06-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

This email is to announce two things: first, a ride for this Sunday, June 24 for Route No. 12. Second, a call to create Raleigh Route No. 13.

Route No. 12:
Due to the heat and the route's location, we will be changing the meeting time and location for the ride again this week. Route No. 12 is located just north of I-440 and goes from near North Hills Mall, through neighborhoods, and ends at the intersection of Bardwell Road and Brentwood Road. The entire route is about 14 miles long. The Route's start is also close to Crabtree Creek Greenway. Plan to meet at **11AM** at **Crabtree Valley Mall** in the parking lot in front of Barnes and Nobles. From there, we will take the greenway to Route No. 12 for an out-and-back ride, with an option of Mocha Frappuccino's upon our return.

In sum, the plan is:

What: Raleigh Route No. 12
When: Sunday, June 24 at **11AM**
Where: Meet at **Crabtree Valley Mall Parking lot near Barnes and Nobles**
Why: Because it's fun!

For more info about the route, check out: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1069325

Please email me if you will be participating so that we will know to expect you. Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks if you like!

Route No. 13:
Raleigh has routes numbered 1 through 14, but no route number 13. Perhaps its superstition, perhaps its oversight... whatever the case may be, we propose that Raleigh needs a Route No. 13 and we're looking for advice on where it should go. Perhaps it should connect all of the best ice cream shops... maybe all the best bars... or maybe all the best parks... Send us your ideas and from there we'll create a route of the most popular destinations. Once we've put it together, we'll ride it as our next ride - the last one before Route 14! You can either post your ideas on our blog at raleighrides.blogspot.com or email them to us at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

We look forward to your thoughts!

Bike Ride Sunday June 17 - Millbrook Exchange Park - 11 AM

2007-06-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Hi All!

Sorry for the late notice but there will be a bike ride this Sunday - new meeting time, new meeting place. We will meet at **Millbrook Exchange Park** at **11AM** to complete the north portion of Route No. 11. From Millbrook Exchange Park, we will ride to Durant Nature Park along Route No. 11 and then return to Millbrook Exchange Park. The entire ride should be a little less than 15 miles. We have moved the start time in order to reduce the heat and also traffic.

Millbrook Exchange Park is located at 1905 Spring Forest Road in North Raleigh. Please email me if you will be participating so that we will know to expect you. Be sure to bring plenty of water and snack if you like!

For more information about the route - check out: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1052653.

I hope to see you all there!

Jennifer

2007-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!

Just a reminder - at long last, we will resume our Raleigh Rides on this Sunday, June 10. As usual, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park at 1PM. We'll pick up where we left off working on Route No. 11. This time we'll head north on Raleigh Blvd from Martin Luther King Blvd to the newly completed Buckeye Greenway. We'll then ride the Buckeye Greenway back to Fred Fletcher. The entire ride should be a little bit more than 11 miles long. For more details, check out: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1024270. Be sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday! If you have any questions, email me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Jennifer

Updates...

2007-05-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Raleigh Rides is still postponed for the next few weeks, but we have a date for the next ride: Sunday, June 10th! We'll be finishing up Route No. 11, and move on to the final last routes!

And now, just a couple announcements that can't wait:

1. Don't forget that next week is Bike to Work Week! Check out: http://www.gotriangle.org/ for more details.

2. Raleigh will have its "Second" Annual Downtown Criterium on Friday May 24th. This is a National Race Calendar Event, and a BIG DEAL! The race'll start in the evening on Fayetteville Street, and they're will be lots of other neat events going on during the day. The Raleigh Crit are looking for volunteers, too. Here's more details:

Ever see a Professional Cycling Race take place right in your backyard? Then, come out and see the Raleigh Twilight Criterium, starting on Fayetteville Street!

Event: Raleigh Downtown Criterium
Date: Friday Night, May 25, 2007
Start Time: 6:30pm Women, 8:15pm Men

Are you an organization who can provide 5 or more volunteers? If so, you will receive free advertising of your logo on www.raleighcrit.com and we will promote your group by hanging your banner in downtown Raleigh during the event.

If you're interested in the contact information - email raleighroutes@hotmail.com and I'll send the details along.

I hope you all are enjoying the nice spring weather. Looking forward to our next ride!

Till then,
Jennifer

Raleigh Rides Announcements

2007-04-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All!
It has been a long time since we have posted. I am sad to have to write this, but unfortunately due to other committments, the next Raleigh Rides will probably not be until the end of May/beginning of June. At that time, we will resume our rides at the mid-point for Route 11. Hopefully, we will finish all 14 by the end of the summer! I will be sure to post more as I know it. If you would like to help lead a ride, or have any questions about Raleigh Rides or how to participate, please email raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

In the meantime, here are some announcements about a couple of bike related events you can participate between now and June to keep your spirits up:

1. The good people at 1304 bikes are putting on an Alleycat Race, Saturday May 5th! Check out - http://www.1304bikes.org/news.html for more details.

2. One of our riders, Bruce Rosar, will be hosting a Street Cycling Course coming up in May. To protect Bruce from un-wanted spam, you can email the Raleigh Rides email address at raleighroutes@hotmail.com, and we'll forward his contact info and additional details to you.

3. May 14 through May 18 is Bike to Work Week! Events include a cyclists' after-work get-together on Tues. May 15 and the annual Ride of Silence on Wed. May 16. Check out: www.smartcommute.org for more details.

Till next time!

Jennifer

2007-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ride this Weekend!

Hi All!
There will be a ride this weekend, Sunday, April 8 at 3 PM meet at Fred Fletcher Park. Yes, you read correctly, **3PM**. Due to the holiday, we have pushed the start of the ride back a couple hours to accomodate potential family obligations. Also, we will taking a brief break from riding Route No. 11 to return to some of our previous routes. So, for those of you that didn't get a chance, come out and join us as we return to ride Route No. 4 this weekend. Route No. 4 is an easy loop route that goes past the NC State Fairgrounds and through some nice residential neighborhoods in Southwest Raleigh. If you would like to learn more about Route No. 4, click on the link to the right that reads "Route No. 4 Summary" and "Route No. 4 Photo Blog."

If you think you will be joining us, please RSVP to raleighroutes@hotmail.com so that we can get an approximate headcount of participants. Also, weather is crazy these days. In case of rain, please remember to check your email or the blog as late as noon on Sunday to find out if the ride is still on.

In summary:
What: Repeat Ride of Route No. 4!
When: Sunday, April 8, at 3PM **Note change of time!!
Where: Meet at Fred Fletcher Park

See you all soon!

- Jennifer

2007-03-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Last minut Annoucement!

There will be a Raleigh Rides, tomorrow, Sunday March 24 at 1PM. Meet at Fred Fletcher Park as usual to start Route 11. For details about the route, see the posts below. Sorry for this being so last minute - if you can't make it this week, do not fear! There will be another ride Sunday, April 8th meeting at Fred Fletcher Park at 1PM.

Any questions or comments, feel free to email raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Also, for those of you in Durham, the Durham Bike Coop has their grand opening tomorrow (Sunday) from 1 - 6PM. Check out www.durhambikecoop.org for more details.

I hope to see you tomorrow, but if not then at our next ride!

Cheers!
Jennifer

Ride Postponed to Sunday March 25!

2007-03-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
There has been a change of plans. Due to the potential for low turn-out (partially a result of today's ACC championship game which also starts at 1PM), today's ride will be postponed until Sunday March 25. I am sorry for the late notice on this and hope that everyone will be able to make it to the next ride.

See you all soon!

Jennifer

Ride Sunday Mar. 11 - 1 PM Fred Fletcher Park!

2007-03-07T20:40:00.001-08:00

Hi All!

After a three-week hiatus, Raleigh Rides is starting back up again. This Sunday we'll pick up where we left off last time and head out for the southern-most third of Route No. 11. Plan to meet at Fred Fletcher Park, 1 PM per usual.

If you're trying to remember where Route 11 is, here's a brief blurb on Route 11 to jog your memory from the Raleigh Bike Route Map:

"This north-south route along several major thoroughfares on the east side of the city connects Durant Park to Sanderford Road Park while crossing five other routes. Defensive cycling techniques should be used with additional caution during rush hours."

There is also a map posted on the raleighrides.blogspot.com website. Right now the forecast is calling for a slight chance of drizzle. I'll post and email on Sunday by noon if the ride is cancelled - but for now let's cross our fingers for sun.

I hope to see you all there!

- Jennifer
raleighroutes@hotmail.com

Ride and class tomorrow (Sunday Feb. 18) postponed!

2007-02-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'all,

After checking out the weather for tomorrow, it looks like it is going to be REALLY cold... too cold for it to be any fun to change tires in the park. In fact, weather.com says it's going to be about 33 degrees tomorrow at 1PM. Although usually the policy is to ride warm or cold, as long as it is sunny... this will be an exception. Thus, we're going to postpone Route 11 and the tire repair class until March, which will be when the next ride will be. We'll post and email more when we have more details. Till then, keep warm!

Looking forward to seeing you at the next ride!

Jennifer

Tire Repair Class and Route 11!

2007-02-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Gang!

This post is to announce our next ride - Route 11 - this Sunday, Feb. 18, meet at Fred Fletcher Park (802 Clay Street). In addition to the ride, Kit has generously offered to teach us all how to change a tire and fix a flat - important in emergency bicycle repair situations! He'll be bringing all the necessary equipment, all you'll need to do is bring yourself, your bike, and if possible a couple dollars to help cover equipment costs. If you don't have money on Sunday, well, buy Kit a beer sometime on the next ride. Kit will begin instruction at 1PM. If you'd like to skip instruction and just come along for the ride, we'll be leaving Fred Fletcher for Route 11 no later than 2PM.

A little bit about Route 11: As some of you may have noticed, Route 11 is the longest route in the Raleigh system - over 15 miles. We will be doing the Route in thirds, starting with the southern-most third this Sunday. As a precaution for you all, this ride will be more technically difficult than all the others, with a lot of busy streets. Here's what the Raleigh Bike Map has to say about Route 11:

"This north-south route along several major thoroughfares on the east side of the city connects Durant Park to Sanderford Road Park while crossing five other routes. Defensive cycling techniques should be used with additional caution during rush hours."

Click here for a link to the route.

In spite of the potential traffic, this route should be a lot of fun. Plus, we'll be learning necessary make-it-back-home skills thanks to Kit! As usual, we'll probably go for food/drinks after the ride.

I hope to see you this Sunday, Feb. 18, at 1PM at Fred Fletcher Park!

Cheers, Jennifer

Route 10 Sunday Feb 11!

2007-02-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!

Sorry for the late post... I'm writing to announce that we will be riding Route No. 10 this weekend, meeting at Fred Fletcher Park at 1PM. Route 10 is one of our shorter rides (5.84 miles), so I'm thinking that we might be able to do the whole route and back. If we're feeling amobitious, we could even try some of the greenway near the route.

Here's the Raleigh Bicycle Map's description of Route 10:

"Route 10 is an east-west route from Kiwanis Park in east Raleigh to Laurel Hills Park at Edwards Mill Road. Cyclists may experience rolling hills on quieter residential streets. Other attractions include the All Children's Playground and Glen Eden Park."

For a map of the route, click here.

I'm looking forward to experiencing some rolling hills on quieter residential streets! If you have any questions or comments, email me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com. Hope to see you all then!

Jennifer

Bike Route 9 South this Sunday (Feb 4)

2007-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!

This email is to announce the next ride: the completion of Route 9, or, Route 9 South. As some of you may know, last ride we took Route 9 North past North Hills to Cedar Hills Park. This time we will take Route 9 South through downtown to Worthdale Park. As usual, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park Sunday (Feb. 4) at 1PM. If you would like to see a map of the route, click here.

Also, we have gotten more press. Check out the News & Observer article here. Thank you Joe!

Last, we have pictures from Bike Route 8 posted: Bike Route 8.

Hope to see you all on Sunday!

Jennifer

Ride this Sunday (Jan 28)!

2007-01-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hi All!
Just a reminder that we will be having a ride this Sunday (Jan 28). Meet at Fred Fletcher Park at 1PM per usual to do a portion of Bike Route No. 9. If you have any questions about the route, check out the entry for Wednesday January 17 below. You can also email me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

I hope to see you all there!

Jennifer

Ride Today (Jan 21) Postponed to Next Week (Jan 28)

2007-01-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I apologize for such a late notice, but the bike ride today is postponed until next Sunday, Jan 28, meet at Fred Fletcher at 1PM as usual. I was hoping and hoping that the wintry mix would hold off today, but it has begun to sleet at my place, and I can only assume that it will get worse from here.

I hope to see you all next week - enjoy the wintry weather!

Jennifer

Bike Route 9: Sunday, January 21

2007-01-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All!
The next Raleigh Rides will be this coming Sunday January 21, meeting at Fred Fletcher Park at 1Pm. We will be completing Route 9, which runs from north of North Hills Mall south to Worthdale Park. For a complete route map, check out this link. Because of the route's length, we will be completing the route in two segments. On Sunday, we will decide whether to complete the northern or southern route first. Route 9 South looks to be a more urban ride: it passes through downtown, along Milburnie Road and then south to Poole Road and Worthdale Park. Route 9 North appears to be a more residential ride, with some significant hills, but we can always stop at North Hills Mall for refreshments. It appears that this route also passes near to the Five Points area, in which case we could stop in at Lilly's Pizza, Third Place, or another fabulous dining destination. Come with your thinking caps on, and a vote in mind!

I look forward to seeing you all at the ride. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a note below or email me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

See you on Sunday!
Jennifer

Summary: Route 6 (Finally!)

2007-01-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, this write-up was a long time coming. But, here it is:

We completed Route 6 on Sunday, November 26, 2006. Route 6 is located in the southern-most part of Raleigh, and connects Gorman St. in the west to Sanderford Rd. in the east. The day was beautifully sunny, if a bit chilly, and we were all well-fed from Thanksgiving dinners and leftovers. We also had our largest group yet - with over eight people (one from Durham and another all the way from New York!). It was also our longest ride yet - the entire route one-way was about 6.5 miles, which made for about 13 miles riding.

Most of the way is well signed and along residential streets, however, we did get a little lost in the part of the route along Renfrow Road just before we got to Rush Street and the intersection with Wilmington Street. There are signs for the route if you are traveling east-to-west, but none for if you are traveling west-to-east. We also encountered some uncomfortable road conditions along the part of the route along Trailwood Drive, between Thistledown and Lineberry, where traffic was heavy and speeding, and there was limited shoulder. There are a couple of nice hills, which can be tiring on the way up, but a lot of fun on the way back down. A fun stop along the way is Carolina Pines Park, where there are restrooms. We also greatly appreciated the gas station at the corner of Thistledown and Gorman, where we stopped for refreshments before biking back to downtown Raleigh. They have a nice grassy knoll where we dropped our bikes and had a mini-picnic. It'd be even better if they had bike racks and a bicycle-fitted air pump, then they'd really be doing some business. In general, the signage along Route 6 needs to be improved to make it easier to follow the route, and perhaps some bicycle amenities should be added - like racks and pumps.

With beautiful weather like that, and a nice residential ride most of the way - we had a great time. Up next - the story of halfway: Route 7!

Route No. 8 Update

2007-01-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

Hi All!

Well, there's good news, and there's bad news. The good news is... the ride as of right now is still on for today. The bad news is... the weather doesn't look promising. Since it is not raining yet in Raleigh, the ride will still start at 1PM at Fred Fletcher. However, in the case that it starts raining during the ride, we will cut the ride short and complete the remainder of the route next weekend.

Also, I (Jennifer) have come down with a cold+fever, so Megan has graciously agreed to lead the rides today. She will see you all at 1PM at Fred Fletcher!

Jennifer

Ride Jan. 7: Route No. 8

2007-01-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Happy New Years! This post is to let you all know that the next Raleigh Rides will be this coming Sunday, January 7 starting at 1PM, meet at Fred Fletcher Park (802 Clay Street). From there, we will ride Route No. 8, which is a cross-town connector running east-west through the City from the NCSU Veterinarian School to Worthdale Park.

The entire route is approximately 9.5 miles long - we will determine on Sunday whether to ride the entire route in one day or to split it into two rides. For more information about the ride, check out this map of the route. Also, if there is rain, be sure to check back to this website for updates about ride status - the ride may be cancelled as late as within one hour of ride start (noon on Sunday).

I look forward to seeing you for the ride on Sunday! If you have any questions or need additional information, feel free to email me at raleighroutes@Hotmail.com.

Thanks,
Jennifer

Happy Holidays

2006-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! Rides will continue on Sunday January, 7 2007. More postings also on the way. Till then...

photo courtesy of:
http://www.canaaninstitute.org/photos/bikeski_xmas.jpg

Second Half of Route 7 Sunday Dec 17.

2006-12-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

What: Route 7 North
When: Sunday, December 17, 1PM
Where: meet at Fred Fletcher Park
Why: Because it's fun!

Hi All!

After a brief hiatus, the next Raleigh Ride will be this weekend on Sunday, December 17. We will meet as usual at Fred Fletcher Park at 1PM in order to complete the second half of Route No. 7. Two weeks ago we were only able to complete the southern portion of Route 7 before the rain began. Fortunately for us, this means we will be able to extend the celebration of halfway-through for a second ride! This weekend we will finish the route - riding from Fred Fletcher Park north to North Hills Mall and back again. This will probably be about 10 - 12 miles total roundtrip, and we can make a stop for drinks/food either at North Hills or back at Cameron Village. If you would like to see a link to the entire route 7, please click here.

I will be posting the details of our ride of Route 7 South soon, so check back for more information. Also, the Raleigh Rides have recieved some friendly blogger press - click HERE.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you all at the ride!

Jennifer

Halfway! Route 7

2006-11-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Route No. 6 was a success, and now it is time for Route No. 7! We will be meeting this Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1PM at Fred Fletcher Park and bike over to the route. Route No. 7 is a north-south route over 8 miles long. You can check it out here. Its two end-points are the Lake Johnson Park area on Avent Ferry Road and Brooks Elementary off of Northbrook Drive. This is what the Raleigh Bike Route Map has to say about it:

"Cyclists may use this route to cross the 1-440 Beltline on Yadkin Drive between the North Hills neighborhoods and the southern half of Raleigh. Route 7 passes through NC State University and extends to the greenway and park attractions at Lake Johnson. Use special caution at Glenwood Ave. and through NCSU where weekday traffic is heavy."

From Fred Fletcher Park, we will start in the middle of the route on Brooks Avenue and head south towards Lake Johnson. Once we have reached Lake Johnson, we will back-track to the north part of the route. At Lake Johnson, there will be an opportunity to take a break and get drinks/refresh. We will then circle back around to complete the remainder of the route. For those of you who are interested, we may also stop at North Hills Mall for a little bit of celebration before continuing on our way (Fox and Hound, perhaps?) or we could wait until our return to Fred Fletcher.

This ride will be the longest yet - between 20 and 25 miles including the trip from Fred Fletcher Park to the route - but there will be several opportunities for breaks. The ride is also the halfway point in completing all the bike routes in Raleigh - woohoo! I hope that I will see some of you there.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions/comments: raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Bike Route 5

2006-11-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

At long last, we moved beyond the recreational routes and took on our first cross-town route: Bike Route 5! Bike Route 5 is a north-south route in west Raleigh that starts near 440 at the intersection of Gorman St and Thistledown Drive, and finishes at north of the Quail Ridge Shopping Center at the intersection of Glen Eden and Ridge Road.

Although the route is a linear route, we rode it as a loop, heading down Gorman Street from the intersection of Hillsborough and Faircloth, completing that end of the loop and heading back up past the Quail Ridge Shopping Center to the end of the route. This route was our most heavily trafficked so far, especially along Gorman St. south of NCState's campus. We had quite a bit of trouble triggering lights at the following locations:

Faircloth and Wade Ave.
Gorman and Hillsborough
Gorman and Western
Gorman and Avent Ferry

We found the following drainage grate headed north on Gorman at the intersection with Avent Ferry. We actually found it first on our return to Fred Fletcher Park on Bike Route 4, but we passed it again for Bike Route 5. This grate probably originally had the slots in the wrong direction like all old-school grates, and the metal strips were later put on top to protect bike tires like ours thanks to our friendly Raleigh staff (woohoo!). It looks like that first metal strip on this one came off from wear...

Between Western Blvd and Avent Ferry, the facilities on Gorman range from standard width lanes with curb and gutter to extra-wide lanes with on-street parking. The area is fairly residential, but traffic is in a hurry. South of Avent Ferry, Gorman St. develops a nice wide shoulder, which is nice given the level of high-speed traffic on the road. There's a nice gas station at the intersection of Gorman and Thistledown for a good break.

Headed north on the route, we enjoyed the wide shoulder along Wade Ave between Faircloth and Ridge Road. It has a bit of a drop off next to it though, so be careful and don't try to talk to the people behind you while riding. As before, the stretch on Ridge Road is, of course, very beautiful. And the nice bike lane also meant we didn't have to worry about traffic too much excepting when it disappears a little bit near Lake Boone Trail.

Once we finished the route, we rode back to Fred Fletcher Park using some of Route 7 - a nice little preview. Overall, Route 5's requires some patience with some finicky signals, comfort in traffic, and a little bit of power to get over a couple hills. Total Route length: 5.3 miles. Ride length: 10.6 miles, plus 4.5 miles to and from Fred Fletcher Park to the route, for a total ride of 15.1 miles.

Summary: Bike Route 4

2006-11-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

As with most of our rides, we rode Bike Route 4 on an absolutely beautiful day. A little chilly, but beautiful. Route 4 is the last of the Raleigh system's "Recreational" routes, and so it has fairly low volumes of traffic excepting on Beryl Road and Gorman St. The ride circles around the neighborhoods just south of Littlejohn Colliseum and west of the NCSU campus, which makes for some very nice scenery. We had a little trouble crossing Blue Ridge Road on Beryl Road - the light doesn't change for our little bikes, so we sat there for a while till we asked a car to pull up for us to trigger it. The area along Beryl Road is fairly industrial - particularly interesting spots along the way include a couple of historic-looking churches, the Lumber Company's buildings, and the NCSU botanical gardens.

When we got to the neighborhood south of 440, we found this cool piece of decorative work:

Melbourne Road has a pretty neat on/off-ramp to 440 - talk about quick access right out of your front yard! We got a little lost headed up Kaplan drive looking for Kent Road. See picture of Cara and Sam returning from their slight detour/missed turn adventure:

We wait patiently:

We recommend some signs there to advise people where to go.

Overall, the entire route was quite scenic and fairly flat. Total ride: approx. 6 miles. Plus the ride to the smoothie place.

Route 6 Ride!

2006-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hello All and Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is having a good Turkey Day. I'm emailing to announce that we will be having our ride of Route 6 this coming Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1PM for those of you who are still in town. You can check out the route at: Route 6. Route 6 is the southern-most route in Raleigh's system. It's about 6.5 miles long, which will make for about a 13 mile ride, start-to-finish. Since it's a little farther away from Fred Fletcher Park than usual, we'll be meeting at the intersection of Gorman Street and Thistledown Drive, where there is a gas station for those of you who drive can park your cars (this is also the southern-most end of Route 5). For those of you who will be biking to the start of the ride, if you would like to ride with me, I will be at the intersection of Gorman and Hillsborough (the Meredith Greenway) at 12:30 PM. Please email me if you are going to be there and I will be sure to wait for you.

I hope to see you at the ride this weekend - I'm sure it will be a wonderful opportunity to ride off some potatoes-and-stuffing pounds! If you will be unable to make it to Route 6 this weekend, we will be doing Route 7 next weekend, Dec. 3. Route 7 is our half-way mark through all 14 routes, so we will be celebrating with (alcoholic) beverages aftewards! More details next week.

As usual, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com. I look forward to seeing some of you out there!

-Jennifer
Raleigh Rides!
raleighrides.blogspot.com

Route 5 Rescheduled: this Sunday Nov. 19!

2006-11-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Just a reminder that the ride for Bike Route No. 5 has been rescheduled for this Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1PM! As before, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park (802 Clay Street) and head over to the route from there. We should do about 15 miles, roundtrip. For more information about the route, please check out http://raleighrides.blogspot.com/2006/11/route-5-this-sunday.html or email me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Look forward to seeing you there!

- Jennifer

Route 5 Postponed!

2006-11-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
The rain has done it again... we're going to postpone the Route 5 ride until NEXT Sunday, when hopefully it will be sunny and dry. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Jennifer at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Thanks for your interest, and we hope to see you next week!

- Jennifer et al.

Photo Blog!

2006-11-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

At long last, I have uploaded the complete set of the pictures from the past four rides!

Route 1

Route 2

Route 3

Route 4

Also, Route 4's summary to be posted soon.

Enjoy!

Route 5 this Sunday!

2006-11-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

When: Sunday, November 12, 1PM
Where: Fred Fletcher Park
What: Raleigh Route #5!
Why: Because its fun!

Hi All!

As promised, Route 5 will be this weekend, Sunday Nov. 12 at 1PM. Unlike the past four previous routes, Route 5 is a "Cross Town Route". The Raleigh Bicycle Route Map describes it as follows:

"This north-south route in west Raleigh travels along Ridge Road and Gorman Street primarily. It passes the west side of N. C. State University and links Route 10 on Glen Eden Drive to Route 6 on Thistledown Drive. The streets on this route are wide, but often busy with traffic. Use caution at street crossings, particularly on Wade Avenue."

For this ride, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park, as usual. From there, we'll ride to the intersection of Faircloth and Hillsborough St, which happens to be approximately the half way point in the middle of Route 5. We'll first head south, down Gorman St, complete the southern leg of the route, re-trace our steps... er... pedals... back to the intersection of Faircloth and Hillsborough, at which point we'll take a pit-stop/re-fill water bottles before heading north up Ridge Road for the second leg of the route. The entire ride will be approximately 15 miles, including the trip from Fred Fletcher Park to the intersection of Faircloth and Hillsborough.

This ride is intended to be fun and at a leisurely pace, however, it should be noted that there may be some traffic. Hopefully, this can be avoided since it will be a Sunday, but please be aware that we may encounter some cars traveling with speed. Our policy, as vehicles of the road, is to obey all traffic rules.

As with our other rides, along the way, we're taking pictures of neat things we see, some of the conditions on the ride, and of course, any goofiness. Eventually, our goal is to do all 13 bike routes by the end of the year (for a route map, see here.). For more information, or if you're interested in coming and want to make sure we wait for you at a particular stop along the way, feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you out there!

Route 4 - Second Attempt

2006-11-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

When: Sunday, November 5, 1PM
Where: Fred Fletcher Park
What: Raleigh Route #4!
Why: Because its fun!

Hi All! We're back at it, gonna give Route #4 a second try, hopefully there'll be sunny weather this time. The re-ride of Bike Route No. 4. will be this coming Sunday. As originally planned, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park at 1 PM, and ride from there to the route, which is located in the neighborhoods south of Beryl Road. As usual, we'll be taking pictures of the conditions along the route (and any fun things we see too), and afterwards we'll go somewhere to catch a bite to eat. Route 4 should be about 5 - 6 miles, making for an entire round trip of about 10 - 12 miles. For a map of the ride, see here.

This ride is intended to be fun and open to people of all skills and ages. We welcome both newbies and experts! As with Routes 1 - 3, this ride is part of a series of rides intended to explore all of the bike routes in Raleigh. It's a fun ride, so it's no drop and we're going fairly slow. Along the way, we're taking pictures of neat things we see, some of the conditions on the ride, and of course, any goofiness. Eventually, our goal is to do all 13 bike routes by the end of the year (for a route map, see here.). You can check out our adventures so far at raleighrides.blogspot.com.For more information, or if you're interested in coming and want to make sure we wait for you at a particular stop along the way, feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

We hope to see you there!

Route No. 4 Ride Postponed

2006-10-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hi All!
Sorry for the late notice, but we've decided to postpone our ride of Route No. 4 for today due to weather. We'll let you all know when we decidee on a time to reschedule. Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you next time!

- Jennifer

Route 4 Sunday!

2006-10-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

When: Sunday, October 22, 1PM
Where: Fred Fletcher Park
What: Raleigh Route #4!
Why: Because its fun!

Hi All! The Raleigh Bike Route Rides group just keeps on truckin'... we've made it past Bike Routes 1 - 3, and this Sunday we'll be riding Bike Route No. 4. In order to avoid State Fair traffic, we'll meet at Fred Fletcher Park at 1 PM, and ride from there to the route, which is located in the neighborhoods south of Beryl Road. As usual, we'll be taking pictures of the conditions along the route (and any fun things we see too), and afterwards we'll go somewhere to catch a bite to eat.

Route 4 should be about 5 - 6 miles, making for an entire round trip of about 10 - 12 miles. For a map of the ride, see here. This ride is intended to be fun and open to people of all skills and ages. We welcome both newbies and experts! As with Routes 1 - 3, this ride is part of a series of rides intended to explore all of the bike routes in Raleigh. It's a fun ride, so it's no drop and we're going fairly slow. Along the way, we're taking pictures of neat things we see, some of the conditions on the ride, and of course, any goofiness. Eventually, our goal is to do all 13 bike routes by the end of the year (for a route map, see here.). You can check out our adventures so far at raleighrides.blogspot.com.

For more information, or if you're interested in coming and want to make sure we wait for you at a particular stop along the way, feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

We hope to see you there!

Route 3: Ridge Road and Beyond

2006-10-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

We rode Route 3 on Sunday, October 15th, as planned. The entire route took little less than an hour (maybe even more like half an hour), and was about 5.35 miles long. It took us down Ridge Road, which has a nice wide striped shoulder/bike lane for most of it, and then on into the neighborhoods north of the Quail Ridge Shopping Center.

We started our ride at the intersection of Ridge Road and Leonard Street, where we all posed for the camera:

Not shortly thereafter, we encountered this:

Cars ARE allowed to park in the bike lane/shoulder/whatever it is on the weekends, but you can imagine what it must be like if it were a weekday.

Overall, the ride took us through some beautiful neighborhoods, and was quite pleasant. There was some debris in the bike lane/shoulder on Ridge Road, and also some bumps in the road where the asphalt was heaving that were pretty jarring to ride over. Nothing too dangerous, just surprising. The ride along Banbury Road next to the linear park was particularly pleasant, especially because it was shaded and had some greenery, although there might have been some better signage to indicate which bike route we were on if we didn't have a handy map.

At the end of the ride, some of us headed to Whole Foods for some healthy refreshments. Compared to Bike Route 2, this ride was a piece of cake!

Route 3 this weekend!

2006-10-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

When: Sunday, October 15, 1PM
Where: Whole Foods/Quail Ridge Shopping Center off of Wade Ave, meet near the ATM next to All-Star Bikes
What: Raleigh Route #3!
Why: Because its fun!

Hi All! It's time again to check out another one of the City of Raleigh's bike routes! This weekend we will be hitting Bike Route No. 3, which is the route behind the Quail Ridge/Whole Foods Shopping Center off of Wade Ave. We will meet at 1PM this coming Sunday, Oct 15, in the Quail Ridge/Whole Foods Shopping Center near the ATM next to All-Star Bikes. From there, we'll ride the route, taking pictures and having fun as we go, and then we'll stop and get food from Whole Foods afterwards. This ride is intended to be fun and open to people of all skills and ages. We welcome both newbies and experts!

As with Route 2, this ride is part of a series of rides intended to explore all of the bike routes in Raleigh. It's a fun ride, so it's no drop and we're going fairly slow. Along the way, we're taking pictures of neat things we see, some of the conditions on the ride, and of course, any goofiness. Eventually, our goal is to do all 13 bike routes by the end of the year (for a route map, see: http://dotw-xfer01.dot.state.nc.us/gisdot/DOTBikeMaps/_Raleigh/raleigh-front-sm.jpg). So far, a group has already ridden Bike Route No. 1 and 2, and you can check out our adventures at raleighrides.blogspot.com.

For more information, or if you're interested in coming and want to make sure we wait for you at a particular stop along the way, feel free to contact me at raleighroutes@hotmail.com. I hope to see you there!

Route 2: North Hills

2006-10-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, Oct. 1, we finished Route 2. Wow! What a turn-out! And what a ride it was! We had 10 people, including 3 year old Ben. The route was a little over 5.7 miles. Thanks to Sam and the power of ped-google, I was also able to calculate the entire RIDE, which went from Fred Fletcher Park near Cameron Village, to Bike Route 2, around Bike Route 2, and then back to Fred Fletcher Park, and eventually the smoothie place on Hillsborough (the name of which I've forgotten now, but if anyone knows it, please remind me because those smoothies were goooood). This turned out to be more like about 15 or 16 miles, including about 300 feet of climbing and descending. Along the way, we learned that, apparently, there is a reason why it's named North Hills... because there are some HILLS.

Here are some pictures of us at the start of our ride at Fred Fletcher Park.

As you can see, our variety of bikes now extends to road bikes, mountain bikes, a BMX bike, a tandem, and Steve with Ben in the buggy in back. Who knows what we will have next?

Our adventure first began with a little confusion traveling to North Hills itself. Initially we wanted to take Route 9, but we got a little lost getting from Harvey Street to White Oak Road. We got back on track, but we think there might be some signage issues in there that may have contributed to our confusion. We also had trouble turning on to Lassiter Mill Road from White Oak Road - the light wouldn't change for us. Maybe we need a bike sensor there?

Once we were finally on our way, we encountered THE HILL. Which by the way, is on Lassiter Mill Road from Marlowe to Pamlico leading up to North Hills. It was pretty intense. We had to take some breaks.

But we all finally made it, and passed over I-440 to the neighborhoods behind North Hills, where we started the actual route:

Route 2 stays in a primarily residential area, which means that the roads have low traffic volumes, traveling at low speeds, and are pretty well-kept up (not a lot of debris in the way). We also passed two elementary schools, North Hills Country Club, and cut close to Optimist Park and Shelley Lake. There was some construction at the North Hills Country Club that left a big pothole in the road - I took a picture but I think it will go away with the completion of the construction. At West Millbrook and Dixon, we had trouble triggering the light with our bikes for us to pass, but then coming back at West Millbrook and North Hills Drive, the light changed right away for us.

When we finally finished the route, we still had the ride back to Fred Fletcher Park to go, so we took St. Mary's straight there.

We then headed for some well-deserved Smoothies, which were MmmMMmm, Good.

With all the hill-climbing and distance riding, this was probably the most intense ride yet. We took lots of breaks, but the hills were pretty steep so I'm proud that we finished so much! We will definitely be prepared for Route 3 coming up!

Route 2 is coming!

2006-09-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

Want to ride in Raleigh, but don't know what's out there? Want to get to see parts of Raleigh you've never seen before? Interested in taking fun pictures? ... Then come out this Sunday at 1PM to Fred Fletcher Park to ride Raleigh's Bike Route #2! The ride will go from Fred Fletcher Park over to the nearest part of Bike Route #2, and then start the loop from there. If you would prefer not to ride from downtown to the route, then you can join us at the Panera Bread at North Hills at about 1:45PM.

When: Sunday, October 1, 1PM
Where: Fred Fletcher Park
What: Raleigh Route #2!
Why: Because its fun!

Route 1 is a success!

2006-09-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

We completed Route 1 on Sunday, September 16, and it was a great success! We had about six people - well, five after we lost one to another ride, and we had a great time. The entire route was 5.7 miles, which took us 35 min 47 seconds, to make for an average speed of 9.57 mph.

Here's are some images of the group at the start of our ride:

This route goes through Raleigh's historic Oakwood neighborhood, through some quiet neighborhoods, onto the Buckeye Greenway, and then past St. Augustine's College. St. Aug's has what looks like an old burnt-out church on Oakwood between State St. and Tarboro Rd. - we wished we had gotten to take a picture. At Watauga and Oakwood, we took a little break, and I had a chance to take some pics:

Overall, we felt that the route was easy to follow - it was well-marked with signs like this one:

We thought this sign at Boundary and Watauga was funny:

It says: "Cyclists: Stripes do not designate bike lanes".

Unfortunately, we found there was some signage confusion at Brookside and Vale, where a sign was blocked by a large overhanging tree so that we didn't see it until we back-tracked to look for it. We also had some trouble on the Buckeye Trail figuring out the fork that occurs to get back to Crabtree Blvd.

At the end of the ride, we were pretty pooped, so we stopped in Turkish Delights on Glenwood for some tasty treats to boost our energy! I strongly recommend the chocolate milkshake.

We're looking forward to Bike Route No. 2: the North Hills Adventure! more to come...

Welcome!

2006-09-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Welcome to the Raleigh Routes webpage! This webpage has been established as part of a big adventure to ride all of the Bike Routes in the City of Raleigh. Throughout the adventure, I (Jennifer) will be posting updates about our rides for each route, what we see on them, and the fun things that we do along the way. I'll also be posting updates about upcoming rides for those who want to join in.

The Raleigh Routes Adventure is intended to be both part fun and part advocacy. If you would like to join in the fun, the rides are open to everyone of all skill levels and with all sorts of bikes. We go at a fairly slow pace, making plenty of stops to take pictures and water breaks along the way. We also encourage post-ride dining! Eventually, our goal is to do all 13 bike routes by the end of the year (for a route map, see: http://dotw-xfer01.dot.state.nc.us/gisdot/DOTBikeMaps/_Raleigh/raleigh-front-sm.jpg).

For more information, or if you're interested in coming and want to make sure we wait for you at a particular stop along the way, feel free to contact us at raleighroutes@hotmail.com.

Where did the Raleigh Routes idea come from? It all started when I attended ProWalk/ProBike 2006, a bicycle and pedestrian conference held this year in Madison, WI. I was so awed by Madison's bike facilities, that at first I thought - we don't have anything like this in NC! Then I realized I don't really know what any of Raleigh's bike routes are like so how can I compare? That's when I came up with the idea to ride all of Raleigh's Bike Routes, in sequence. I mentioned it to some friends, and they all thought it was a good idea, and here we are. We want to open it up to everyone in the hopes that more people will get a chance to see what's out there and be encouraged to ride.

Why ride the Raleigh Routes? First, because its fun. Second, cause you get to be outside. Third, because you get some exercise. Fourth, because you get to explore parts of Raleigh you might never see in your car. And fifth, to help maintain and monitor Raleigh's Bike Routes so that others may ride them safely and enjoyably. Our goal is not only to ride the routes, but also to document what we see along the way so that perhaps Raleigh's routes can be improved, and then so that some day, we can maybe be consider a bicycle-friendly city too!

We hope to see you out there!