* Hub On Wheels: any bike can travel

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BOSTON, Mass. - Sunday, September 23, 2007 was the third annual Hub On Wheels: a citywide bike ride through Boston’s neighborhoods with festivities at city hall plaza. According to the event website, it is the “largest city sponsored sporting event.” It supports the Boston Digital Bridge Foundation, “an organization that brings technology and its benefits to Boston Public School students and their families.” Though part of Storrow Drive was closed for the ride, both routes - a 25-mile and a 45-mile loop - required mainly street riding with vehicular traffic. Event organizers confirmed a record number of registered riders - over 3,000 for the third Hub On Wheels. These riders proved that any bike can travel. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Pat Harris, from the Berkshires, playfully converses with fellow riders before the third Hub On Wheels ride kicked off at city hall plaza in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Pat, who was also a sponsor for a boy under 18 that was riding, said biking was something she told herself she would do at 50. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Anna Bulat (left) of Worcester, Mass. and Jill Bidgood (right) of Manchester, N.H. playfully converse before the third Hub On Wheels ride kicked off at city hall plaza in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007. The two are part of a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team In Training group they formed in May that chose to ride the 45-mile route. They are used to participating in 100-mile routes and ride traditional street bikes by Specialized, typically used for racing. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Anna Bulat (left) of Worcester, Mass. and Jill Bidgood (right) of Manchester, N.H. playfully converse before the third Hub On Wheels ride kicked off at city hall plaza in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007. The two are part of a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team In Training group they formed in May that chose to ride the 45-mile route. They are used to participating in 100-mile routes and ride traditional street bikes by Specialized, typically used for racing. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Senator John Kerry speaks to riders before the third Hub On Wheels ride around Boston, Mass. kicked off at city hall plaza on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Nicole Freedman, former Olympic cyclist, casts a long shadow on Congress St. as she organizes riders before the third Hub On Wheels ride around Boston, Mass. kicked off near city hall plaza on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Freedman is now Mayor Thomas Menino's bike czar (a.k.a. biking director) who will strive to improve the state of biking in Boston. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Senator John Kerry rides the last stretch to the finish line at city hall plaza during the third Hub On Wheels ride around Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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The McElroy brothers both finished the third Hub On Wheels ride in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007, but did so with different bikes. Kevin (left) of Dedham leans on his Fuji Captiva beach cruiser-style bike, while Greg (right) of Boston sports a Specialized bike that can be taken off-road. Kevin said he started biking a couple months ago for the low-impact on his knees, which is why he wanted a comfortable cruising bike. The brothers enjoyed the 25-mile route that took them through nearly seven surrounding towns of Boston. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Kevin McElroy, from Dedham, leans on his Fuji Captiva beach cruiser-style bike after the third Hub On Wheels ride in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, September 23, 2007. He says he started biking a couple months ago for the low-impact on his knees, which is why he wanted a comfortable cruising bike. Kevin, whose brother Greg also rode, enjoyed the 25-mile route that took them through nearly seven surrounding towns of Boston. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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“We decided to ride old bikes today to show everyone you don’t need to wear spandex to bike,” stated Brian Murphy of Cambridge, Mass. after completing the third Hub On Wheels ride in Boston on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Murphy’s friends ride bikes from 1950, 1968 and 1969, while he rides a 1953 Raleigh (pictured above) that has only been minutely updated with new tires, pedals, and a tune up. The seat was bought in 1986, but Murphy asserts it is from an earlier time and still fits the “period look” of the bike. The bike even sports the original bell that has “San Cristoforo” engraved in it. Saint Christopher is said to be the patron saint of travelers in Catholicism. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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A Homer Simpson bike bell dons the handlebar of Jon Currier's (from Waltham) 1968 Phillips bicycle he rode in the third Hub On Wheels bike ride around Boston on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Currier reconvenes with friends at city hall plaza where the finish was. They all chose to ride refurbished, old, vintage bikes to show the accessibility of the activity - that anyone can ride any bike. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Carl Foss of Allston, Mass. waits at Boston’s city hall plaza for perspective passengers after the third Hub On Wheels ride on Sunday, September 23, 2007. The company Seeds of Change hired the bikes and employees of Boston Pedicab to promote brand awareness at the event and provide free rides around Boston for anyone interested. Foss said the units are sturdy street bikes, but relatively light. They are outfitted with Maxxis Hookworm tires that provide superior performance in an urban environment and sport a distinct tread pattern. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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Over 3,000 cyclists registered for the third Hub On Wheels ride on September 23, 2007 in Boston, Mass. to benefit the Boston Digital Bridge Foundation, which brings technology to Boston Public School students and their families. Participants chose either the 25-mile or 45-mile route, both of which took riders through at least seven different Boston neighborhoods. They rode street and off-road bikes, beach cruisers and classic cycles. No matter the style, it was evident on Sunday that people of all ages can ride and that all bikes can travel. Photograph © 2007 Whitney J. Fox.

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