As you can see from the pictures, it was crazy. I've never biked in such close proximity with thousand other bikers with different speeds, skills and sizes. Yes, I saw several bad accidents, mostly by racers who tried to pass on left, and an unaware cyclist who happened to block the path. People who rode in the middle and on the right were more mellower, taking into the sights.
Of course the best but hardest parts of the tour were the bridges. The long steep thigh burning sections were long forgotten when gliding down the bridge with awesome views of the East River, Manhattan Skyline, The Narrows and Upper New York Bay.
My favorite part was riding through Central Park. I've always thought Central Park, was, well, a small playground-park. Boy, was I happily mistaken! It took me approximately 5 miles to go through the entire park and with all those beautiful trees, rocks, hills, bridges, I thought to myself - I gotta thank the peeps who sectioned this large area off - because the rest of New York is what it is - a cement jungle!
All of the roads were closed off that morning. Even BRIDGES were closed for us. Yes, the Verranzano-Narrows bridge was CLOSED for US. Hoo boy! Can you imagine being a New Yorker in a car that morning? *expletives flying* It was nearly impossible to EVEN cross the street. Pedestrians would line up block after block, watching for opportunities to cross, but thwarted by the occasional racer.
The most unnerving part of the tour for me was boarding the Staten Island ferry back to Manhattan. Unbelievably, the tour didn't increase the number of ferries to account for the bikers that day. Cyclist traffic was insanely heavy, the ferry was mobbed, everyone was tired and cold and with a dangerous weapon: a bike with spiky pedals. Yes, I have some lovely pockmarks on my calves and shinbones. It took us a good 3 hours waiting to just to get on board and off on the other side. Advice: Park at Staten Island ferry at the beginning, catch the ferry across, so you can end the tour BEFORE the ferry. Just don't tell everyone or next year the ferry'll be empty and I'll temporarily convert in an angry vicious New Yorker laced with expletives trying to get out of the parking lot near the ferry!
A big thanks to Ralph Fernandez, the founder of dVelo and the heart behind this event at New York. Without him, me and my group would have not gone. This is an experience for those who want to see New York in a different way, but not for the faint of heart!
4 comments:
Nice! Maybe your group would like to consider 7-day tour across farmland with overnight stops in small and cute towns in Iowa. Route changes every year; always last full week of July. I'll participate this summer 2007, but would love to ride with a group of Deafies/Signers. Maybe in 2008 or so. For more info, www.ragbrai.com.
Ooohh I do miss cycling, I used to cycle around Chicago when I lived there. Central Park is a nice park - it's too noisy though! Looks like you had a great time :)
By the way, the message above is from Smudge's mom - not Smudge himself! :-P
Looks like you had a great time!! Maybe you can manage to bike your way over to WV for a visit?!! ((hugs))
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