Ladies' Night On Two Wheels

Pump up your tires, grab your water bottle and don't forget your helmet, because every Tuesday until the end of August the Northeast Bicycle Club (NEBC) is offering a free Women's Ride, starting from the Battle Green in Lexington Center.

The rides — which can draw as many as 40 cyclists — offer pace-line rides to women in the Greater Boston cycling community, according to NEBC president and five-year member Cathy Rowell. Women who are interested in riding, at any biking level, can begin or continue their learning and improve their riding skills.

There are different paces and distances for each level of riders, Rowell said. Beginners ride at 12 to 14 mph going a distance of 19.5 miles. Intermediates bike at 14 to 16 mph for 20.7 miles. And advanced riders bike at 16 to 18 mph for 26 miles.

All bikers ride in smooth, steady pace lines.

The groups take off promptly at 6 p.m. for the loop, which is the same every week, Rowell said.

"We ride the same loop on purpose so that everyone gets familiar with the route and we can pick up if we have stragglers that get dropped," she said. "All of (the stragglers) we wait for, except the 18 (mph) plus riders (because they know the route well enough)."

Before tires begin turning, members of the NEBC women's team are available to give instructions, if needed, and get waivers signed. During the rides, they lead the groups and give suggestions and encouragement, the NEBC website says.

The rides are great opportunities for riders who aren't racers to get experience from racing women.

"(NEBC) is here as a club and a resource to help riders who are interested in racing," Rowell said. "People who don't know about cycling and are interested can certainly contact us."

"Racing for a lot of us is secondary. We are all riders, yes some of us race, but the reality is we all share the same road and I'm on a big kick about that right now," she continued.

The Tuesday night rides are part of several of NEBC's weekly events designed as training programs for beginners to experts.

Monday nights are Recovery Rides for NEBC registered junior riders ages 9 and up. The slow-pace ride, which runs for 12 to 17 miles at approximately one-hour ride time, is designed to "promote rest and active recovery," the NEBC website says. An NEBC adult rider is always present to supervise.

Wednesday provides two different events. The first is NEBC's Charlie Baker Time Trial (CBTT) where riders test themselves in the "Race of Truth" by riding 30 seconds apart and race alone against the clock. Results are posted weekly on NEBC's website. The second is the Hill Ride, where riders follow a 20- to 25-mile loop along some of the most intense hills in Burlington.

And Saturday offers a 9 a.m. club ride which leaves from the Bedford Public Library parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Groups vary, allowing social rides, pre-race warm-ups, long slow distances and fast rides.

The 53-year-old club, which welcomes anyone and everyone, and currently has about 350 members, was founded by a "small group of racers intent upon promoting and growing the sport of bicycle racing in Greater Boston," according to its website.

Rowell added that co-founder and long time NEBC member, Dick Ring, has been "a staple to New England racing."