Lawrence Township bicyclists will embark on an 8-mile-long meandering tour of the township during the annual “Let’s Move Lawrence/Ralph Copleman Neighborhood Bike Ride,” set for Oct. 6.
The free, family-friendly bike ride, which begins and ends at the Lawrence Intermediate School at 66 Eggerts Crossing Road, starts at 10:30 a.m. It is open to all who love bicycling.
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 the Lawrence Intermediate 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 Lawrence Intermediate School, the tour takes bicyclists out onto Eggerts Crossing Road and through Central Park to the Rider University campus, where the route crosses Route 206 and onto Vanderveer Drive.
Riders will traverse open space to Pine Knoll Drive and then cross Princeton Pike to Crest Hill Road and Glenn Avenue. It takes bicyclists to Coolidge Avenue and back across Princeton Pike to Gainsboro Road.
Bicyclists will cross Route 206 and ride along Meriline Avenue, through the Eldridge Park and Eggerts Crossing neighborhoods to Johnson Avenue and back to Eggerts Crossing Road and the Lawrence Intermediate School.
The event is being sponsored by Sustainable Lawrence, the Environmental and Green Advisory Committee, and the Trails, Open Space and Stewardship Advisory Committee.
