Easy Rider
Lanesville’s “Bike Lady” Kay Ray just keeps on pedaling.
Kay Ray pauses, briefly, in Folly Cove. (Photograph by Jason Grow)
If you’ve spent any real time here, you’ve seen her.
Often referred to as the “Bike Lady,” Kay Ray is hard to miss out on the local roads. But she is always out there, steady and determined, as she wheels her way around Cape Ann.
You may have seen her pedaling on Nugent Stretch (the wooded section of Eastern Avenue that connects Gloucester and Rockport, along the MBTA line) or out on Granite Street near Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, or maybe over on Thatcher Road (Route 127A) headed to one of the beaches. When I see her, I marvel at her athletic ability and stamina and wonder: “Who is that woman?”
Ray lives on a winding, narrow dirt road in Lanesville. The house, which she shares with her husband, Martin, is a simple place, surrounded by trees and a fantastically beautiful garden adorned with whimsical sculptures, like the planted vertical granite posts with embedded stained glass that peek out from behind her flowers.
At the end of a garden path that takes me past her kitchen, Ray sits reading the paper. She is a petite woman in her late sixties with a face and smile that shines like the early morning sun. She is as magical as I had hoped she would be.
• • •
Kay, you are known around these parts as the “Bike Lady.”
(Laughter) That’s right. That’s me.
Are you okay with that?
I’m perfectly fine with that. I think it’s funny. I like it. I guess that people see me all over the place on my bike. A lot of people think they know me, but I have no idea who they are! They see me on the bike so much that they think they know who I am.
How did you get started?
I rode a lot as a kid. I grew up in New York, on Long Island. I would go on long bike rides when I was in high school. I have always loved it. I feel very connected to the bike. And I prefer it for transportation in nice weather. The bike allows me to see all around. When I’m in a car, I’m closed in. Sure, I can see out the windows, but it is not the same thing. On the bike, I have scenery all around me. I go up and down hills and I can feel the wind and experience the beauty of this place. I love it.
Poetry in motion: Ray completes another loop of Cape Ann near her Lanesville home. (Photograph by Jason Grow)
When you get on your bike, do you have a plan for where you’ll go that day?
I usually have an idea of where I want to go. When I leave, I’ll call out to my husband, “I’m leaving now ... see you later!”
When I did my gardening work (Ray was a landscaper for years), I had more of a pattern. Once the plants were in, I would ride my bike to the jobs in different places on different days — usually Rockport, East Gloucester, or West Gloucester. Now that I’ve retired — this is my first year in retirement — I ride my bike whenever and wherever I want. At least a couple times a week, I ride around the whole Cape. I like Annisquam. I love Rockport. I ride in Rockport a lot.
Yes, and that is why I see you on Nugent Stretch so much. When I see you I say, “There she goes again — and this time she’s wearing flip flops!”
(Laughter) Yes, I do occasionally wear flip flops.
And you don’t wear a helmet.
I’ve never worn a helmet. I don’t have great vision, so it’s hard to see all the way around. I find it easier to ride without it. A helmet just does not work for me.
Were there any moments where you thought maybe you should wear one?
I don’t think so. People have been telling me this for years. And I do think about it.
Well, at least you’re not going very fast when you’re on the bike.
I like to go slow. Part of the thrill of biking for me is that I like to look around, to take it all in. Everything is so beautiful.
When you are biking, what do you think about?
I sing. I have a repertoire of songs that I go through, one of them is “Summertime” [from the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess]. I sing out loud — but I do not have a good voice!
There is a book called A Course in Miracles [written by Dr. Helen Schucman]. Several years ago, a group of my friends and I went through the course, which has 365 lessons, one for every day. At this point in my life, I have 12 lessons that I like. I rotate them. When I am on my bike I will repeat one lesson to myself for the entire bike ride.
Is this part of your spiritual practice? Like a meditation?
It’s part of it. For instance, Love is the way and I walk in gratitude is one. Fear is not justified in any form is another. When I am singing or practicing my meditation, I’m not worried about how I’m going to get up a hill. I am just moving along to my own rhythm and it works very well.
You know that you are an inspiration to people.
Yes. I hear that all the time. People will say to me, “You are so amazing to be doing this,” but I love doing it. It’s not like I am pushing myself, saying “You have to get out and ride that bike today! Oh God, that again!” No, I love it. I love it. It is not a chore. It is not something that I have to make myself do. I am free on the bike. I feel so lucky that I have this opportunity.
Got any advice for people you’ve inspired who may want to get out there and ride?
Start off with short distances. If you like it, keep adding to it. Go places that you really love. Bike to a place where you can have lunch or go to the beach. I have a milk crate on the back of the bike. It holds more than most baskets do, and it doesn’t get in the way. I take my backpack, which always has rain gear, a bathing suit and towel, my wallet so I have money, or an extra jacket. But ride because it makes you feel good.
Can you tell me about any secret spots that you like to visit? I know you spend time on the main roads, but what about side roads?
One of my favorite routes is heading up South Street in Rockport to Cape Hedge beach. I ride down all the side roads, like Eden Road. Then I head back towards town and ride down Marmion Way and end up at Front Beach or Back Beach. As I work my way back home to Lanesville, I’ll go down Phillips Avenue off of Granite Street. It is so pretty there.
How long have you had your current bike? Do you have any favorites?
Yes, I do have favorites. I have two bikes right now that I like, one is a Schwinn and the other is a Ross (both hybrids). I do not like heavy bikes because they weigh too much for me to lift onto the car rack.
I had a pink bike that I loved, and had it for years, but I wore it out and had to give it up. I had to let it go.
