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Finally, I'm back on the bicycle.
Just ask anyone who knows me, especially my wife Vicky. Miss a few days on the bike, and I get a little snarly. The fact that I had more than 4,300 miles during the 2018 season shows that my bicycles have very little time to gather any dust.
So for me not to have ridden since mid-December — because of minor surgery — well, you can just imagine. But all is better now.
This past Sunday (Feb. 10) I joined nearly 45 other cyclists for an event at Brunswick Landing. As part of a Great Maine Outdoor Weekend Outing, Six Rivers NEMBA led a fat bike ride on the new trails at Neptune Woods. After working up a sweat — despite a temperature reading of only 26 degrees — most of us headed over to Flight Deck Brewing for a Brews for a Cause fundraiser to benefit the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust.
Needless to say, it was nice being back on the bike and enjoying the sunny weather.
The trails
I heard one participant say, "I love these trails," and that was the sentiment expressed by many others. Here's my take on the four miles of loops:
* Well groomed and the abundance of trees kept icy conditions to a minimum
* Wooden bridges, not too many and short, were wide enough that they didn't create freak-out moments
* Well marked
* Ample parking
* Despite the occasional plane taking off at the nearby airport, the wooded area was quiet and peaceful
BTLT reached out to Six Rivers NEMBA to run Sunday's ride. In the end, the event represented a collaboration between BTLT, Six Rivers, the Merrymeeting Wheelers and the Midcoast Conservancy, which provided 20 fat bikes to loan to participants.
"The number of participants was staggering," said Lawrence Kovacs, president of Six Rivers NEMBA.
"Six Rivers had the vision that a trail system close to Brunswick and Bowdoin College would get a lot of use," continued Kovacs. "This appears to be coming to fruition. Especially with the purchase of our SnowDog grooming machine, Neptune Woods is proving to be a popular destination for cyclists in all seasons."
I would definitely recommend heading to Brunswick Landing and giving the trails a try. For mapping purposes, the trailhead is located at 142 Neptune Drive, Brunswick, Maine. And, by the way, if you do work up a taste after your ride, the brew at Flight Deck is worth checking out.