Lawrence Township bicyclists will embark on an 8-mile meandering tour of the township next weekend, during the annual “Let’s Move Lawrence/Ralph Copleman Neighborhood Bike Ride.”
The bike ride, which begins at Lawrence High School, 2525 Princeton Pike. at 10 a.m. June 3, is open to all who love bicycling. The rain date is June 9.
The bike ride honors the memory of Copleman, who co-founded Sustainable Lawrence in 2005. Sustainable Lawrence encourages residents to recycle and adopt other sustainable practices.
Copleman, who was a longtime Lawrence resident, died in January 2011. The first “Let’s Move Lawrence/Ralph Copleman Neighborhood Bike Ride” took place six months later and has become an annual event.
Copleman was an avid bicyclist who celebrated his 60th birthday by embarking on a 3,500-mile trip that took him across the United States.
This year’s bicycle ride starts at Lawrence High School. Since the route takes riders on and off pavement, organizers suggest that riders use a hybrid or mountain bike.
From its starting point at the high school, the tour takes bicyclists across Princeton Pike to Hoover Avenue, to Glenn Avenue and then to Crest Hill Road. Riders will cross Princeton Pike to Pine Knoll Drive.
From Pine Knoll Drive, the riders will turn onto Balsam Court, cross a bridge and onto a path in the former Green Acres Country Club property that runs alongside a creek that winds through the property.
The riders will turn onto Vanderveer Drive, across from Rider University. They will cross Route 206 and go onto the college campus. The bike route follows the remnants of the former trolley line right-of-way and into the Loveless Nature Preserve.
From the Loveless Nature Preserve, the riders will continue on the trolley line right-of-way along Johnson Avenue to Hazelhurst Avenue, Zoar Avenue and Meriline Avenue in the Eldridge Park neighborhood.
The riders will cross Route 206 again and ride on Gainsboro Road, ending at the Lawrence High School parking lot.
