Musician Ben Sollee and Band Touring by Bike: The Routing Dilemma


© Kip Pierson

Guest blogger and musician Ben Sollee is contributing a series of articles from the road about his Ditch the Van tour. He’s traveling by bike, unsupported, throughout New England.

Routing

At times we get routing advice from experienced cyclists. The suggested routes are often tempting because they ride through serene areas or have less traffic. But the plain truth is that we are commercial cyclists, not recreational, and our routes reflect that.

Day 2: Fall River, MA to Marshfield, MA (44 Miles)

With the heavy gear and the show schedule we have to respect the terrain and the distance. Those beautiful country roads that our friend raved about will have to wait. For instance, on the ride in to Marshfield a cyclist with knowledge of the area suggested a coastal route that would have been stunning with low traffic. The downside is that it added 8 miles and a gnarly, chain-shredding climb back into town.


© Kip Pierson

So, we opted for a more traveled route that was graded politely and took our place in the passenger side of line. The motorists were respectful for the most part and we made killer time. So good in fact, that we had time to take a dip in the ocean!


© Kip Pierson

Running along this path to Portland, ME is the East Coast Greenway. It’s a recreational highway that we are using here and there when it makes sense. The vision is for the infrastructure to run continuously from Portland, ME to Jacksonville, FL. That would be epic!

Follow the whole series here.

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