By Marc Fortier
mfortier@eagletribune.com

Chris Bernard said two great things came about as a result of his writing the book, “New England Biking,” a guide to more than 100 of the best rides in the six-state region.

The first was that he met all kinds of interesting people while out riding bike trails, many of them people who hadn’t been on a bike for years.

The second? He got his parents back on bikes after a 50-year hiatus.

“They even rode a couple trails without me,” he said. “If they can do it, anybody can do it.”

Bernard, 39, grew up in Lawrence and North Andover, Mass., where his parents still live today. The St. John’s Prep graduate said he’s been riding bicycles basically all his life.

“I was born on two wheels,” he said. “I raced BMX as a kid, mountain bikes in college, and I ride road bikes and cyclocross bikes now… It’s like steeplechase on bikes.”

Bernard also has been writing for years, so it makes sense that he decided to combine his two loves.

He spent years working as a newspaper editor and reporter — including one year at the Salem News in Beverly, which is owned by Let’s Go’s parent company. He now lives in Portland, Ore., where he works as a full-time freelance writer.

This is Bernard’s first book, but he also has a book proposal under review for a narrative nonfiction about Alaska, looking at how the state has changed over the past century.

For “New England Biking,” Bernard said his goal was to highlight some of the best bike rides in each of the six New England states, while also hitting every possible user group, from hard-core, long-distance road bikers all the way down to beginners.

“A lot of the books already in this market space are more tightly focused,” he said. “Either the best road rides, or the best mountain bike trails. I wanted to give an access point to all those different people, and piece it together by region so if you’re vacationing on Cape Cod, you could piece together a couple of rides with suggestions on places to eat.”

In fact, for each of the more than 100 rides included in the book, Bernard also recommends a place to stay and a place to eat, based on suggestions from locals.

“Eating is such an integral part of biking,” he said. “So many group rides start or end at a coffee shop or burrito place.”

Bernard said he spent about 4 1/2 months in the summer of 2009 researching and writing the book, riding about 95 percent of the trails — a total of 2,746 miles.

“It was my job. It was my life,” he said. “I basically spent the summer driving around New England with two bikes on the roof. I got poison ivy. I got stung by every kind of bug out there. I got sunburned… And I loved every minute of it.”

Bernard said Vermont — where he attended college — is his favorite state to ride.

“It’s actually changed quite a bit since I was there,” he said. “Vermont is really making an effort to be bike friendly. They’ve built all these bike paths.

You can commute to and from the suburbs without ever getting on a road.”
Vermont is also the site of his toughest ride — the Gaps of Glory. The 100-mile trek features 15,000 feet of climbing.

Bernard said the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire are great places to ride, as well. He said the Farms and Forest Ride, which starts at Smolak Farms in North Andover, is just one example.

“It’s a popular route with a lot of local cyclists,” Bernard said. “You often see whole groups of cyclists enjoying doughnuts, coffee and ice cream there.

It’s a good example of combining a ride with a local place to eat. The farm’s a great local treasure, and the trail goes out into Boxford, Topsfield and Ipswich. It really gives you a good example of what’s available in the area.”
Another great local trail is the ride through Harold Parker State Forest, which goes through Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton.

“I grew up riding those trails,” he said.

Windham’s 3-mile rail trail is also a terrific place to ride a bike, Bernard said.
“There are also some great rides out on the New Hampshire Seacoast,” he said. “Really, in New England, you just can’t go wrong.”

• • •
Chris Bernard’s “New England Biking,” published by Moon Outdoors, has a list price of $19.95, and can be purchased at most online retailers, plus bookstores and bike shops across New England.

BEST local bike rides
Windham Rail Trail, Windham and Salem
Starting point: Windham Depot, Depot Road, Windham
Type: Paved rail trail
Difficulty: 1 out of 5
Riding Time: 1 hour
Total Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 164 feet
Summary: Families and beginners will love this flat, short, paved rail trail that runs through wooded wetlands.

Harold Parker State Forest, Andover
Starting point: Harold Parker State Forest headquarters, 305 Middleton Road, North Andover
Type: Single-track, double-track
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Riding Time: 2 hours
Total Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 300 feet
Summary: Enjoy this nontechnical ride through a gorgeous, shady state forest, with opportunities for more intense routes at every turn.

Farms and Forests, North Andover, Boxford and Topsfield
Starting point: Smolak Farms, 315 South Bradford St., North Andover
Type: Paved roads, minimal traffic
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Riding Time: 2 hours
Total Distance: 27.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 364 feet
Summary: A flat, winding route through the shady back roads of northeast Massachusetts, with scenic vistas of ponds and forests.