Four Days, 200 Miles, and a Bike I Never Thought I’d Ride

Biddeford Pool is everything a tiny Maine seaside village should be. An ice cream scoop of land dangling in the cold blue Atlantic. Hand-painted mailboxes. Only one road in and out, the town beach an undulating swath of sand with ocean on one side and the Pool, a body of tidal saltwater surrounded by marsh grasses and sing-songing birds on the other. “Have you arrived?” my friend Jan texted. Biddeford Pool, at 4 p.m. on day two of our four-day, 200-mile summer of 2021 bike tour through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine was the one immovable deadline on the trip. The long-delayed memorial service for Jan’s husband Andy was to begin in a half hour. We had started early some 55 miles ago back in Rye, New Hampshire, and we were close. We were soaking wet from a day’s worth of rains and the only place to change when we got to Biddeford Pool was a porta potty next to the picnic tables outside Pool Lobster at Goldthwaite’s. For a tired cyclist trying to throw around partially paralyzed legs it wasn’t pretty. Twenty minutes along, with urine fumes assuming critical mass, I was leaning over to tie my shoes when I lost balance and tumbled out the unlocked plastic door. Embarrassment, sure. But I was graced with an unimpeded view over the western tip of land to the bay’s Monument Island. The day was brightening. [View in Browser]( [Bicycling]( [SHOP]( [EXCLUSIVE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [Four Days, 200 Miles, and a Bike I Never Thought I’d Ride]( [Four Days, 200 Miles, and a Bike I Never Thought I’d Ride]( Biddeford Pool is everything a tiny Maine seaside village should be. An ice cream scoop of land dangling in the cold blue Atlantic. Hand-painted mailboxes. Only one road in and out, the town beach an undulating swath of sand with ocean on one side and the Pool, a body of tidal saltwater surrounded by marsh grasses and sing-songing birds on the other. “Have you arrived?” my friend Jan texted. Biddeford Pool, at 4 p.m. on day two of our four-day, 200-mile summer of 2021 bike tour through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine was the one immovable deadline on the trip. The long-delayed memorial service for Jan’s husband Andy was to begin in a half hour. We had started early some 55 miles ago back in Rye, New Hampshire, and we were close. We were soaking wet from a day’s worth of rains and the only place to change when we got to Biddeford Pool was a porta potty next to the picnic tables outside Pool Lobster at Goldthwaite’s. For a tired cyclist trying to throw around partially paralyzed legs it wasn’t pretty. Twenty minutes along, with urine fumes assuming critical mass, I was leaning over to tie my shoes when I lost balance and tumbled out the unlocked plastic door. Embarrassment, sure. But I was graced with an unimpeded view over the western tip of land to the bay’s Monument Island. The day was brightening. [Read More](   [A Total-Body Medicine Ball Workout to Challenge Your Strength and Stamina]( [A Total-Body Medicine Ball Workout to Challenge Your Strength and Stamina]( Rev that heart rate with this creative (and tough!) routine. [Read More](     [Stage 3 of the Tour de France Brings One Final Day in Denmark]( [Stage 3 of the Tour de France Brings One Final Day in Denmark]( It should be another day for the sprinters as the Tour enjoys its final day in Denmark. [Read More](   [The Best Affordable Cycling Clothes and Accessories]( [The Best Affordable Cycling Clothes and Accessories]( You don’t have to spend a fortune to get high-quality gear. [Read More](     [Stage 2 of the Tour de France Will Be the First Day for the Sprinters]( [Stage 2 of the Tour de France Will Be the First Day for the Sprinters]( Stage 2 stays in Denmark, and we could certainly see some jerseys change hands. [Read More](   [Here’s What You Missed at Today’s Stage at the Tour de France]( [Here’s What You Missed at Today’s Stage at the Tour de France]( Yves Lampaert won the first stage time trial, gate-crashing the opening day in the rain. [Read More](   [OPR Lift Every Voice]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( Bicycling.com ©2022 Hearst Magazines, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019