A rite of spring in Harvard is to grouse about the influx of brightly colored, Lycra-clad cyclists who seem to take over the town’s narrow country roads, scenic byways, and the center’s General Store. But as Old Littleton Road resident Sarah Stoddard-Gunn knows, “Every spring they invade us—but they’re so nice, and sometimes they wave!”
Surprisingly, many long-distance cyclists are Harvard’s own. According to Craig Kilmer, owner of CK Bikes located downstairs at the General Store, approximately 60 percent of people living in Harvard are cyclists, in some way, shape, or form. “I average on a yearly basis 600 to 800 customers who come through the door, with the majority being people who live in town,” said Kilmer, “and I keep seeing new faces in the bike shop all the time. It’s refreshing.”
A pack of serious cyclists heads out en masse after convening on the Common Saturday morning, April 29. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Kilmer, a Harvard resident, is cycling more than 150 miles a week with friend and fellow triathlete Della Jennings of Ayer Road, as they prepare for Lake Placid’s Ironman competition this July. Jennings noted in a joint phone interview with Kilmer that there is a “big Ironman community in Harvard.”
Local long-distance cyclists
Many local riders join groups, such as Drink Maple, Minuteman Road Club, Ride Studio Café, Nashoba Valley Pedalers, and Charles River Wheelman, to be connected with the cycling community, said Jennings. There’s an overlap, she said, between out-of-town and in-town cyclists who will travel elsewhere to ride back through Harvard with their cycling club on an organized ride.
“These are our neighbors out riding,” said Jennings, with Kilmer agreeing. Both local and out-of-town cyclists ride through and about Harvard. “Harvard is notorious as a destination to come to and return from,” said resident Jen Schoenberg in a phone interview. “All roads lead to Harvard when it comes to the cycling world.”
A ‘destination’ place
Cyclist Lou (identified by first name only) was having coffee at the General Store before returning to Lexington to log 55 miles on a raw, rainy Saturday morning. “One of the most pleasant memories I have,” he said, “is riding here on the Fourth of July past all the festivities. It gives you a nice feeling.”
Jeff, with the New England Randonneurs, was also recharging at the General before he continued his ride of 125 miles over the course of nine hours. To Jeff, this was a short ride. The Randonneurs ride as far as 374 miles as a noncompetitive, timed, endurance cycling group. Jeff ranked Harvard as “definitely in the top 10 of ‘ride’ towns.”
Mike, from Belmont, and Marco, a Cambridge-based lawyer at MIT, were having breakfast at the General before continuing their century (100-mile) ride. Said Mike, “I’ve been doing this ride for 30 years. I started riding through here when I was 17.” He described Harvard as a jump-off point for rides to New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. He did, however, explain that he had to get home by 1 p.m. for his son’s soccer game.
Marco shared a story about his 86-year-old uncle, who is struggling with emphysema. He competed in the second Tour de Spain in the 1930s, a course of 2,000-plus miles over 21 days through the Pyrenees mountain range. Back then, cyclists “opened their lungs” by smoking cigarettes. After Marco and his uncle recently shared a short ride together, the older man wished only that he could be in his 70s again. When asked why, he said that those were the very best years.
Sharing the road
A common theme among the cyclists interviewed was that being safe on the road is a shared responsibility. Said Marco, philosophically, “The walker needs to respect the cyclist and the driver, and the driver needs to respect the cyclist and the walker, and the cyclist needs to respect both. If we respect the humanity of everyone, then we can share the world.”
Chris, a spokesman for a group of 10 riders from Belmont Wheelworks, called for drivers to be patient on the road. He wanted drivers to remember that cyclists are sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, and even grandparents. “Cars are terrifying,” said a female group member. She explained that cyclists are often paying attention to things in the road like glass, potholes, and sand, and that they might swerve to avoid those things. “In a car, you wouldn’t think twice about it, but on a bike, you have to,” she said.
