One of my goals this year was to try learning a new skill. I was inspired by my friend Eugene Hsu who picked up the guitar a couple years ago and got to a pretty decent level very quickly.

At first, I was going to pick up an instrument. But then I decided to take up biking. I have only been on a bike a couple times since I entered highschool and both were pretty casual rides.

To motivate me to actually learn how to ride and do a little training, I signed up for the Pan Mass Challenge with some of my colleagues at Spark.

Should be a fun time, but I need to buy gear and start training. Does anyone have recommendations for:

1. A good bike shop where I can buy gear and get good advice?

2. A good entry-level road bike?

3. Some good routes that I can start training on? I live in Central Square in Cambridge, so something close to that would be idea, although I’d be happy to drive further out as well.

4. Any other tips on getting started?

Thanks!