Hardware City Bike Tour Draws 100 Cyclists
By David Huck | Correspondent at October 31, 2023 | 8:15 am | Print
Around 100 area cyclists participated in the city’s first annual Bike New Britain event on Saturday, Oct. 25, which offered participants an opportunity to explore the city’s new bike infrastructure and indulge in some sweets along the way.
Many of the riders came from out of town—including Woodbridge, Oxford, Manchester, and Farmington, having heard about the Hardware City Bike Tour through friends and area bike shops. The idea for the event came from Public Works Director Mark Moriarty, who drew up the plan about a month ago after looking at a map of the city’s nearly 30 miles of bike lanes. “We’ve got the whole city covered,” Moriarty recalls of the early discussions. “So we said, you know what, why don’t we do an event that shows off what we’ve accomplished so far?”
City leaders said they hoped the event drove home the point that they are making changes to the city in their quest to make it more bike friendly. More people are already using the new infrastructure, including people who commute by bike into the city, they say.
Riders gathered in Central Park, where there was bagels, bananas, water, and coffee. After a brief welcome from organizers, the pack of riders took off on West Main Street and meandered through Walnut Hill Park and then split off towards the reservoir. There were three routes as part of the event: a 10 mile ride, 20 mile ride, and 40 mile ride for more advanced riders that travelled out of town. Local police on motorcycles helped to escort riders along the route and directed traffic at busy intersections.
“We’re really happy with the turn out,” Moriarty said after riders returned to Central Park. “This is the first, but it won’t be the last.”
There were a variety of bikes in use: from a 1968 Peugot, to mountain bikes, high-end carbon fiber road bikes, to resident and Board of Education member Merrill Gay’s velomobile—which reached a top speed of 51 mph going to Shuttle Meadow Avenue.
The bicycle ride also gave area businesses a few new faces. Participants were given a booklet awarding riders a free hot dog from Capital Lunch, along with meal deals at Miss Washington Diner, Negrita’s Restaurant, Riley’s Gourmet Hot Dog and Burger, the Frosty Mug, and Staropolska.
Larry Campagna, a Middletown resident, heard about the ride from city resident Bruce Miller, who is a bike mechanic at Berlin Bicycle. Asked to give his impressions of the city’s bike friendliness, Campagna replied: “I think they’re probably one of the most actively seeking that designation and atmosphere out of anyone right now.”
Another rider participating in the event was resident Frank Gould, who said he often went to the Farmington Valley with his wife to ride on the rails-to-trails network. Now that New Britain has more bicycle infrastructure, Gould says he is looking forward to riding more on city streets. He joined up on the 20 mile ride to familiarize himself with the network of bike lanes, he said.
One popular rest point along the way was at Rogers Orchard. Riders were treated to fresh pavement around the reservoir and were given vouchers for a free donut and apple cider at the orchard.
In the future, more bike lanes will be added, Moriarty said. But the real focus is to add trails that are more accessible to children, he said. That might include adding a 5.5 mile paved bike path in the woods from Stanley Quarter Park and hookup with a nature trail. Next year, riders will also be able to use a multi-use path that travels alongside the CTfastrak busway.
In the immediate downtown area, eight new bike racks will be added over the next month. Additionally, the Parks and Recreation Department recently received a $48,000 grant which will go toward additional racks, signage, and other future events.
Next year, Moriarty said Bike Walk CT—which held an event for five years in Hartford that attracted more than 500 riders—is already in discussion with the city to host an event called “Discover New Britain.” Organizers are hoping to coordinate the event during the same weekend as the city’s Oktoberfest.
