By Susan Meyers, Guest Columnist

I wasn't going to write about The Pickle Ride.

I've come close to deleting my notes on it twice. I've also tried and failed to write about it in any straight-up, conventional way: the mileage, the sights, the location of the bike shop along the route, in case you bust a part.

Only now, eight weeks on, do I understand that the worst part of the Pickle Ride was also the most interesting part, and the part worth telling.

It began as a weekend spin on a sunny day along the Minuteman Bike Trail. It was the day before the Boston Marathon this year, a steamy one. My biking friend and I began our ride in North Cambridge, ducked under Route 2, cycled past the backyards and ballfields of East Arlington, then Spy Pond and the Great Meadow, and on into Lexington.

We were sharing the road that day with every species of rider: Intense cyclists racing expensive, lightweight bikes as if they were late to the starting line, but also tots on My Little Pony three-wheelers. The Minuteman Bike Trail is a community ride, and at its most enjoyable if you think about it that way.

What I was thinking about during much of the ride, however, was food. My stomach was growling. My biking friend and I had agreed, before we set out, that we would stop for lunch in Lexington.

But my biking buddy, he's not like me. He doesn't stop for lunch when hunger strikes, and especially not when he's on his bike. No, he makes himself earn his food.

Which is why, even though it was well after noon, that we biked right by our designated lunch spot. My friend cycles many more miles than I do, so I didn't argue. And on we spun, past beautiful stretches of greenery on the way to Route 128, then across the bridge over the highway, and into Bedford. Just beyond the Bedford depot is a lesser-known treat: a wooded trail that runs through conservation land and a wildlife preserve. We paused at the trail head.

“Let's go for it,” my friend said. “We'll grab lunch on the way back.”

Because stopping when you are hungry is for wimps.

The added miles were beautiful, no question, but by the time we doubled back to Lexington, it was 3 p.m.

“Let's split a veggie roll-up,” my vegetarian biking friend said.

“Sounds good,” I said, though I could have eaten a whole roasted cow. Hunger, it seemed, had damaged my ability to think.

Fortunately, just as he began to order, my friend had second thoughts.

“Maybe we should each get our own,” he said, and asked for two.

As I watched the deli guy assemble our roll-ups, though, I grew alarmed. Sure, there was a slice of Swiss in there, and a scoop of hummus. But most of the sandwich I carried outside to eat consisted of every pickled pepper on the planet: banana peppers, marinated red peppers, pickle chips, some sort of chopped sweet green pickle, and those were just the ones I recognized.

We sat on a bench and unwrapped our sandwiches. As I ate, a steady stream of pickle juice dribbled out the bottom of my roll-up. Napkins weren't up to the job; I had to hike forward over my spread knees to keep the spatter off my clothes and legs. Trickling madly, and three bites into my sandwich, I discovered a separate something tucked in next to my sandwich. Shocked, I extracted it: a generous wedge of new dill pickle wrapped in its own drippy square of white butcher paper.

I held it out, showed my friend.

“I think I'm hallucinating, here,” I said.

Have I mentioned that I was very hungry? My friend was having no trouble eating his roll-up. So I ate my peck of pickled peppers sandwich, or most of it. When I finished, I was brined to the eyeballs.

And we still had to ride from Lexington back to Cambridge. Not far, but not nothing.

My riding buddy popped up off the bench, refreshed, in good spirits, suffering no ill effects. He eyed me, still bent over on the bench.

“Maybe all that salt will be good for your electrolytes,” he suggested.

“I don't know,” I replied, gazing at the puddle between my feet. “I'm pretty pickled out.”

It came to me, after a moment, that I needed an antidote. Some sort of quick anti-pickle. I am not proud of what came next, but to be fair, my options were limited. I couldn't face the deli again, and nothing in a nearby bakery looked palatable.

So I bought and ate a small bag of malt balls. Just thinking about it now makes me feel ill, but in the moment, somehow, I thought they might be a counterbalance.

And they were, briefly. We got back on our bikes and rode back to North Cambridge. I have to say, I had plenty of pep.

“All that salt and sugar seems to be working for you,” my friend called to me from behind.

He couldn't see the expression on my face. He didn't know that I was riding fast to finish off those sloshy, vinegary, sugar-crusted last miles as quickly as possible.

Is there a moral here? Most definitely. When you're biking, keep it simple. Tune in fully to the world around you, but don't forget to tune in to your own body. Stop and eat when you're hungry. And don't mix pickles and malt balls.

Don't do The Pickle Ride.

Susan Meyers is a Brookline writer. Her memoir about sight, blindness, and her relationship with her brother, titled Check This Box If You Are Blind, was published last June by Climbing Ivy Press.

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

Lexington’s Farmers’ Market will open for its 8th season this afternoon with music and tap dancing.

The market will be open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Woburn Street and will be open on Tuesdays through October.

As part of the opening market today, Eric Eid-Reiner will play contra dance tunes, the Lexington Fife and Drum will perform and Valery Marcantonion and her Tap Dances will conclude the entertainment.

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

The grandson of late Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi will be speaking in Lexington next month about India and American history.

Rajmohan Gandhi, a professor at the University of Illinois, will be in Lexington’s Depot Square on June 9, at 7 p.m. for a lecture and book signing.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Indian Americans of Lexington and the Lexington Historical Society in an effort to increase understanding of the parallel histories of India and the United States.

Rajmohan Gandhi is a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Illinois and he is the author of a biography about his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, and a book entitled “A Tale of Two Revolts” that draws comparisons between the 1857 Indian Mutiny and the American Civil War.

Tickets to the lecture, book signing and a dessert are $10. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Historical Society at 781-862-1703 or by email at office@lexingtonhistory.org.

Democratic state Senate candidate Joe Kearns Goodwin has announced plans to hold
weekly meetings with members of the community at locally owned and operated coffee shops in each of the nine cities and towns in the Third Middlesex District.

The “Grab a Cup o’ Joe with Joe” events will occur every Saturday morning from 8am-10am beginning June 2nd – July 28th. Kearns Goodwin, who is 34 and lives in Concord, will canvass door-to-door in each community immediately following the morning’s open coffee event.

As the Globe reported in May, the race for the state Senate’s Third Middlesex District seat this year has drawn a crowded field.

The Democratic candidates are Mike Barrett of Lexington, Alex Buck of Chelmsford, Mara Dolan of Concord, Kearns Goodwin, and Joe Mullin of Weston. On the Republican side, Greg Howes of Concord and Sandi Martinez of Chelmsford are vying for their party’s nomination. The primaries will be held Sept. 6; the general election is Nov. 6.

Kearns Goodwin released the following schedule of “Cup o’ Joe with Joe” events in every community:

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012
LEXINGTON
Ride Studio Cafe
1720 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2012
LINCOLN
Whistle Stop Cafe
145 Lincoln Rd #C2
Lincoln, MA 01773

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2012
SUDBURY
Sudbury Coffee Works
15 Union Ave,
Sudbury, MA 01776

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012
CONCORD
Main Streets Market and Cafe
42 Main Street,
Concord, MA 01742

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012
WESTON
TBD

SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
CARLISLE
Ferns Country Store
8 Lowell Road,
Carlisle, MA 01741

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2012
WALTHAM
Café on the Common
677 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02452

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
CHELMSFORD
The Java Room 

14 Littleton Road

Chelmsford, MA 01824

SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2012
BEDFORD
Carriage House Café & Bakery
200 Great Road
Bedford, MA 01730

Democratic candidates running to replace departing state Senator Susan Fargo will participate in a forum June 16.

The forum will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Arthur J. Clark Government Center, 119 School St., Waltham. The event is free and open to the public. It is being co-sponsored by the Waltham News Tribune and the Third Middlesex Area Democrats.

Five Democrats are running for the parties nomination for the Senate seat, which represents Bedford; Carlisle; Chelmsford; Concord; Lincoln; Waltham; Weston; precincts 3, 8, and 9 in Lexington; and precincts 1 and 4 in Sudbury. The primary election will be held Thursday, Sept. 6 and the general election will be held Nov. 6.

The Democratic candidates are Mike Barrett of Lexington, Alex Buck of Chelmsford, Mara Dolan of Concord, Joe Kearns Goodwin of Concord, and Joe Mullin of Weston.

Bill Fowler, Vice-Chair of the Waltham Democratic City Committee, columnist, and political commentator will moderate the forum.

The candidates will be given equal time to introduce themselves, answer questions and offer rebuttals in a predetermined rotation. Questions will be submitted in writing by the audience.

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

More than 60 local businesses and organizations will participate in Lexington’s 33rd annual Discovery Day Saturday, May 26.

The annual festival held by the Lexington Retailers Association will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Muzzey Street/Waltham Street Municipal parking lot behind Michelson’s Shoes in Lexington Center.

In addition to a street fair and sidewalk sale, the festival will feature live music and dancing, food, balloons and clowns and exhibits by town departments. It will conclude with a concert by the “NoWheremen,” a local Beatles cover band, at 3:30 p.m. in Depot Square.

The event is intended to give residents a chance to rediscover their town, and a chance for non residents to discover Lexington. More information about the Discovery Day can be found online at www.DiscoveryDayInLexington.com.

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

Lexington is temporarily converting one parking spot on Massachusetts Avenue into a parking area for bicycles on weekends as part of a pilot program to make the town center more bicycle friendly.

The automobile parking spot at 1720 Massachusetts Ave. will be converted into a parking area for 15 to 20 bicycles on Saturdays and Sundays during pilot program, which will run from this Saturday, May 19 through Oct. 28.

“The pilot offers Lexington Center a great new public amenity which complements the Town’s well-used bike path and draws more people and economic activity into our Center,” said Melisa Tintocalis, director of economic development for the town in a press release Tuesday..

Lexington’s Board of Selectmen approved the pilot program, which was developed by the town’s economic development, planning and public works departments and the town’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.

The town is seeking to encourage business activity, the use of alternative modes of transportation as well as making Lexington Center more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

MATHCOUNTS Executive Director Lou DiGioia (left) and Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson (right). The team is comprised of (from left to right) Matt Lipman of Lexington, James Lin of Winchester, Alec Sun of Lexington, Niket Gowravaram of Acton and coach Josh Frost of Lexington. Submitted Photo.

A Massachusetts team including two Lexington kids and their coach won the National Team Champion title at the 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition last week.

The team, including Matt Lipam and Alec Sun from Lexington; Niket Gowravaram, of Acton; James Lin of Winchester and coach Josh Frost of Lexington, traveled to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. for the competition.

The won the title Friday, beating out the second place team from Illinois and the third place team from Washington.

--brock.globe@gmail.com

Globe Staff

Two charter schools, Boston Latin School, and seven suburban Boston high schools are among the top ten high schools in Massachusetts in the latest nationwide ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

The Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis was the top ranked school in the state, followed by Boston Latin, Hopkinton High, Belmont High, and Weston High.

Rounding out the top ten in Massachusetts were Dover-Sherborn, Sharon High School, Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, The Bromfield School, and Cohasset High School.

US News says it reviewed 21,776 U.S. public high schools. Of that number, it said, 87 Massachusetts schools made the publication's rankings.

One area the survey examined was the use of testing and advanced coursework.

At Sturgis Charter Public School, educators embrace an “IB for all” motto, according to the US News website. All students take International Baccalaureate courses. Sturgis ranked No. 15 nationally.

At Boston Latin, the participation rate of Advanced Placement tests is 93 percent. The school is ranked No. 1 among the city of Boston's 31 high schools.

By contrast, the participation rate for AP tests at Hopkinton High is 82 percent, 74 percent at Belmont High, and 79 percent at Weston High.

In Massachusetts, Newton South High School, Wellesley High School, Duxbury High School, Lexington High School, and Acton-Boxborough High School ranked 11 through 15 of the state's schools in the US News rankings. See the entire Massachusetts list here.

By Jonathan Simmons, Guest Columnist

Looking for a way to get your kid to enjoy broccoli? Julianne Idlet, the founder and executive director of CYCLE Kids, believes that riding a bicycle can change kids' eating habits as well as their lives. Here's her story.

Julianne was a successful marketing executive at a high tech company until 2004. She also coached cycling at Harvard, and rode over 4,000 miles a year. And then she began learning about the skyrocketing rates of Diabetes Type II, cardiovascular disease, and childhood obesity. “That's when I realized that something had to be done.”

Julianne is not the kind of person to sit on the sidelines and watch. She left her successful career and started CYCLE Kids, a Cambridge-based organization that braids her love of biking with her passion for doing good and making a difference. CYCLE Kids works on what Julianne described as “A deceptively simple premise: we use the bike as a lever to get kids happy about exercise, nutrition, and riding a bike.”

CYCLE Kids partners with schools to offer a program for 4th and 6th graders to teach them about bike skills, road safety, nutrition and literacy. Schools that work with CYCLE Kids are provided with bikes and a teaching curriculum designed to improve emotional health and physical well-being. The schools in turn provide teachers, space, the time to run the program, and kids who are eager to bike.

The curriculum for CYCLE Kids was developed in collaboration with a nutritionist from Boston University and through funding from the American Heart Association. According to Julianne, “Our program is based on solid research and we have the data to show that it’s successful. Children who've participated in CYCLE Kids have shown a 70% increase in nutritional literacy. Also, 25% of the students learn to ride for the first time, 90% report using hand signals for the first time, and there’s a significant increase in the number of kids who ride to school.”

CYCLE Kids has been so successful that, according to Julianne, one principal installed extra bike racks in front of the school because so many children were riding to class. “We found that even kids who rode before (taking CYCLE Kids) now report riding more because they have friends to ride with.”

“Now we reach about 1,000 kids a year in programs that are primarily in the Boston area.
Bikes get kids fit and can help beat childhood obesity. The kids tell us that it’s more fun to ride a bike than to play a video-game. They tell us that bikes make them happy. They say that it’s always new when you ride, but when you play a video-game it gets boring.”

All of this sounds great, but does it work? CYCLE Kids has made such a difference that Cambridge and Somerville have both made it a mandatory part of their student curriculum. According to Julianne, “Teachers tell us that kids are more ready to learn after they come back to the classroom from our program.”

So why haven't more schools signed up to work with CYCLE Kids? According to Julianne, “The big obstacle to expanding the program is money. It costs $10,000 to start a program which pays for the bikes, the helmets, the training and the support materials.”

In the long run, that sounds like money well spent. In the short run, that's money that's not so easy to come by these days.

This is why CYCLE Kids is hosting the Breakaway Ride, the group's 2nd annual fundraiser at the DeCordova Museum on Sunday, May 20th. There will be three different rides, from a metric century (62 miles), to a 36-miler and a 5-mile kid ride.

The good news is that it's not too late to sign up and join the fun. Afterward there will be a celebration with music, massages, and food. And if you're lucky, perhaps some broccoli on the side.

Jonathan Simmons is a psychologist and an avid cyclist. His book “Here For The Ride” will be published later this year.