Finding a Route for Your Bike Trip

Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. It’s the newsletter that makes you realize your office chair shouldn’t be the only set of wheels you ride this week.

—Sam Westby @samcwestby

Here’s what we have today.

• 🌍 RIDE: Ciclismo Classico Jingle Ride

• 💡 TIP: Finding Bikepacking Routes

• 🎥 WATCH: Cycling the Perimeter of Britain

• 🚲 ARCHIVES: Bike Messenger (1922)

• 📰 NEWS: automated bus ticketing and e-bike speed limits

RIDE ON MY RADAR

Ciclismo Classico Jingle Ride

Here’s what you’d be getting yourself into.

• Where: Arlington, MA, to Boston and back

• When: Sunday, December 14, 2025, 11:00 - 2:30 pm

• Cost: Free, with a $25 suggested donation supporting MassBike

• 18.5 miles along the Minuteman Bikeway

• Official Website

BIKE TRIP TIP

Finding a Route for Your Bike Trip

There are 3 places with the best pre-made routes.

Adventure Cycling Association

• Where: 30+ routes across the United States

• Terrain: Road and Off-road

• Cost: $60 - $120

Nearly every person I met who has biked across the United States has used the Adventure Cycling Maps. On my cross-country trip with my dad in 2023, we used an ACA for 1/3 of the trip.

You can get physical or digital maps, and they come with insider information. There will be notes telling you where to camp for free in small towns, the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and what to expect for the route ahead.

Find the interactive network map here:https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/interactive-network-map/

Bikepacking.com

• Where: All across the world

• Terrain: Mostly off-road

• Cost: Free

This website has user-created bikepacking routes ranging from day trips to month-long adventures. Lots of my favorite routes (like the VTXL) are on here. Each route has been curated by vetted authors, and you can read comments to stay updated with current route conditions.

Explore the route map here: https://bikepacking.com/bikepacking-routes/

EuroVelo

Going to Europe? Like the Adventure Cycling Association, EuroVelo maintains 19 routes all across the continent. I rode on parts of these during my Europe trip this summer. The best part was running into dozens of other bike tourists.

Here’s a link to their map: https://en.eurovelo.com/

P.S. Building your own route is its own beast. I can write about that in a future edition of the Bike Bulletin. Getting comfortable making routes opens up a lot of options for new adventures.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

Cycling the Whole British Coastline

Chris Hall documents his 6500 km journey around the UK over 30 days. He hammered hard and raised money for Movember, an org supporting men’s mental health.

Watch all 52 minutes on YouTube

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Bike Messenger (1922)

The National Women’s Party famously employed an entirely women staff, including their bike messengers. After successfully advocating for a woman’s right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the organization continued to push for equal rights.

• $285 million. The amount awarded by the Texas Transportation Commission to 73 bike and pedestrian projects. (KSAT)

• 15 buses. The number of buses in the UCSD system that will start automatically ticketing cars blocking bike and bus lanes. (LA Times)

• 18 mph. The new, slower max speed of electric Lime bike rentals in Washington D.C. (The 51st)

• Cincinnati. This Ohio city released a downtown redevelopment plan that makes bike and walking advocates very happy. (Local 12)

• Banned. The city of Brussels is considering banning cyclists from the large pedestrian-only zone. I’m not mad about this one. (Bloomberg)

A Note From Sam

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