Healthy contingent joins in safety-first activity traveling 14 miles throughout area

By Greg Ellison

(May 6, 2021) Roughly five-dozen riders suited up for a community bike ride sponsored by the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition in Ocean Pines last Saturday afternoon.

Early arrivals began to cycle in just after 3 p.m. for the 14-mile ride that set off around 4 p.m. from the Racquet Center on Manklin Creek Road.

Pines resident Chris Thomas joined the community event last week and hopes to participate in subsequent bike rides scheduled in Worcester County to commemorate National Bike Month.

“I just moved here last June and this is my first,” he said. “I used to go mountain biking a lot and that got a little rough for me with my age.”

The community ride is part of a series of local events organized by the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition to celebrate National Bike Month in May.

Patti Stevens, with the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition, said rides are planned the next three Saturday’s to raise community interest in the activity.

“It’s a fun way to get around [but also] to remind drivers and cyclists to be ‘streetwise’ and share the road safely,” she said.

Photo by Greg Ellison
Arriving first for a community bike ride in Ocean Pines last Saturday, from left are, Chris Thomas, Roelof “Dutch” Oostveen and Steve Arthur.

Also among the early birds for last week’s bike ride were Ocean Pines residents Roelof “Dutch” Oostveen and Steve Arthur.

“We bike everyday, 20-25 miles back and forth to Assateague Island, and I’m 90-years old,” Oostveen said.

While no longer concerned about maintaining top speeds, Oostveen averages a 12-13-mph clip during the excursions.

Decked out in a safety helmet and spandex bicycle suit, Oostveen noted the shirt bore the logo of a group he helped found many decades ago in Limburg, the southernmost province in the Netherlands.

“This is my bicycle club from the Netherlands and I’ve been a member for nearly 70 years,” he said. “Maybe next year, if I go home, they’re going to celebrate.”

Prior to the throng’s departure from the Racquet Center last week, Stevens reviewed safety protocols, followed by remarks from board of directors President Larry Perrone and Recreation and Parks Director Debbie Donahue.

Helping assure the community bike ride was conducted safely, in addition to Ocean Pines Police and Volunteer Fire Department personnel, were roughly a dozen volunteers from numerous volunteer organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City, Ocean Pines Pickleball Club, the Sierra Club and the Eastern Shore International Mountain Biking Association.

Formed in June 2020, the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition seeks to promote safe walking and biking throughout the region, along with expanding trails, walkways and recreational facilities to attract tourism, and to offer transportation alternatives for area residents.

According to the coalition, National Bike Month was established in 1956 “to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to giving biking a try.”

To mark National Bike Month this May, the coalition is promoting the following events on its Facebook page:

• On May 15, the Bike Safety and Fun for Kids event takes place at the Worcester Recreation Center in Snow Hill from 9-11:30 a.m.
• Additionally on May 15, the Snow Hill Community Bike Ride launches at 2 p.m. from Sturgis Park.
• On May 22, the Pocomoke City Community Ride starts at noon from Newtowne Park.

Riders in these events will be requested to complete a survey to rate the bike-ability of their community sponsored by Julie Woulfe of Shamrock Realty Group.

The largest area event for National Bike Month, the Maryland Coast Ride, will take place this Saturday, May 8, and starts from the West Ocean City.

With varying ride lengths of 15, 35, and 65 miles, the Maryland Coast Bike Festival will begin and end near the West Ocean City harbor with food, drinks and musical entertainment.

For more information visit marylandcoastbikefestival.com

For more information about the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition, contact Patti Stevens at patti59.stevens@gmail.com or search for “Worcester County Bicycle Safety Coalition” on Facebook.