Autumn is 'Better by Bike'

Heights Bicycle Coalition (HBC) has adopted “Better by Bike” as a theme for many recommended destinations and rides. It’s a theme that works throughout the year, with the possible exception (in the view of some) of snowy and icy days. Indeed, riding a bicycle is one of the best ways to enjoy the vibrant colors and cooler temperatures of fall. To that end, the coalition is sponsoring some enticing rides in October.

Longtime Heights resident Leonard (Lenny) Horowitz will show bicyclists his favorite recreational ride around the Heights. This 13-mile “Park to Park to Park Ride” starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1, from the DeLisle Options Center parking lot at 14780 Superior Road, Cleveland Heights. The ride will wind through Cain, Cumberland and Forest Hill parks, circle the Forest Hill pond, then progress, primarily via side streets, toward Cedar Fairmount. The ride up Bellfield Avenue will connect to North Park Boulevard’s bike lanes and quiet streets en route to Hathaway Brown School, then return to DeLisle.

On Sunday, Oct. 8, 1–3 p.m., Roy Larick, Ph.D, archeologist and founder of Bluestone Heights environmental consultancy, will lead the “Ghost Stream Bicycle Ride, Featuring Dugway Brook.” When Cleveland and the Heights were being developed, covering and culverting streambeds was the norm. Dugway Brook is completely buried in Cleveland, but traces of it can be seen in the Heights. This ride will highlight what remains of Dugway above ground in the Heights, what’s hidden, and what the future holds, in light of recent EPA requirements for our watersheds. The ride also will point out notable institutions that have crowded out Dugway. Starting from Coventry Village Library on the southeast corner of Euclid Heights Boulevard and Coventry Road, the ride will progress—in rain or shine—as far as Laurel School before looping back. Reservations are required for this ride, and participants must sign HBC’s liability waiver. To register, call 216- 325-7781. (Bike helmets are highly recommended.)

On Sunday, Oct. 15, “Biking Has Its Perks” will take participants on a ride from the Heights to downtown Cleveland, to visit coffee shops en route and savor their brews. Participants can either ride their bicycles back to the Heights or put their bikes on RTA buses that will carry them uphill into the Heights. Ride details, including starting time and place, can be found on HBC’s website, www.bikesintheheights.org, or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bikesintheheights/.