strongly doubt anyone other than possibly dave (maybe ron) would, but if anyone likes bike riding this is a great ride, not a race but a tour (go at your own pace) and a beautiful way to see the city. Me and Dave did it a few years ago and I\'ve wanted to again ever since. It\'s 42 miles, and takes you through the five boros:
Riders enter the start lineup from Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan. We travel up Church Street and the Avenue of the Americas through the skyscraper canyons of Midtown Manhattan, and then it\'s on into Central Park, which is in full bloom this time of year. Continuing north out of the park, the Tour travels through Harlem and then over to the Bronx and back on bridges spanning the Harlem River.
Back in Manhattan, you\'ll ride down the FDR Drive, a highway where bicycles aren\'t usually allowed. The first rest area is about half a mile down FDR Drive, at 116th Street.
After continuing on FDR Drive a couple more miles, you\'ll cross the Queensboro Bridge (aka the "59th Street Bridge") to borough #3, Queens. The next rest area is in Astoria Park, along the East River with beautiful views of Wards and Randall\'s Island and the Manhattan skyline. The route hugs the river and travels through industrial neighborhoods, passing Roosevelt Island. A third rest area is in Queens at the Con Edison Learning Center.
Before you know it, you\'ll be crossing the Pulaski Bridge into the venerable neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Soon you\'ll reach the fourth rest area at Commodore John Barry Park, adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Your ride continues to downtown Brooklyn, near the Brooklyn Bridge, where you\'ll enter the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, miraculously clear of its usual traffic crush on Tour Day. Now you can fly over the Gowanus Canal and along the South Brooklyn waterfront, reaching the shoreline park in Bay Ridge. One more rest area at John Paul Jones/Cannonball Park awaits you.
Leaving the final rest area, you\'ll circle round the ramp leading up and over the iconic Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. A final long climb up and long downhill brings you to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Treat yourself to a relaxing break at the Festival--buy lunch, have a massage, check out the vendors and exhibitors, and rest for a while on the grass while you enjoy the live music.
It\'s a really fun easy paced ride. $45 entry fee a portion of which goes to improving the streets in new york for cyclist (wider better paved and more bike lanes usually).
the route:
so, any takers? (not holding my breath)
LINK
I might try it out! I don\'t know if I\'ll make all 42 miles, but it\'s a great excuse to get some exercise & see the city! :shrug:
btw, when will this take place? :hscratch:
:thumbsup: sunday morning 5/6/07. I\'m taking the first train of the day out of new haven, get into the city like 6:30/7 and take a easy ride through times square to the hudson river side and then down to battery along the coastline bike path. you have to get your packet stuff and get in line, race starts a little after 8am.
I\'m bringing a camera this time. One of my favorite images was walking through grand central and seeing EVERY person in there with a bike in hand. Others include turning around and seeing I had just ridden over the 59th st. bridge, and riding on the southbound side of the FDR seeing nothing but bikes as far as you could see and nothing but a traffic jam with people either flipping you off or cheering you on as they sat stuck in their cars on the northbound lanes, and riding through times square at a time of day when it is so empty you can hear the signs buzzing and it looks like that scene in vanilla sky.
You get all ages and types of riders to - bicycles built for 2, those trike sit down bikes, handicap arm push bikes, kids on bmxs, pros on really expensive bikes, guys on mountain bikes, etc, etc. Plus there are rest stops all along the way so if you need to you can pull off, get some food and water, and hop back on when your ready. It\'s really a great way to see the city. you should do it!
:banana:
here\'s the site with regestration and more info.
I wish I could join you on it. Come visit me out here with your bike sometime, we\'ll do a 40-mile ride that climbs 10,000 vertical feet throughout.
Thanks for posting this! I think I\'m up for it.
*hey that\'s my 500th post!
team buquebus? :chin: :hehehe:
I wish I could join you on it. Come visit me out here with your bike sometime, we\'ll do a 40-mile ride that climbs 10,000 vertical feet throughout.
Al -
IF I ever make it out west, I will definetly take you up on this. I would have to rent or borrow a bike though.
i wanna do this like today.
can u smoke joints at the rest stops?
um, sure, why not? They are usually in parks, so go find yourself a nice quiet area away from everyone and go nuts for all I care.
I would think smoking would imare your lungs a little though, which you would be using quite a bit... of course, i don\'t smoke, so what do I know.
ok, i\'m out. i realized there\'s no way i\'m going 42 miles & paying for it in the ghetto of NY. Instead, the day y\'all are riding through the city, i\'ll be on my bike riding around the nice, scenic roads of North Branford! :sadban:
Maybe next year, after some practice, i\'ll be there. :strong::shrug:
i really really wanted to go for a ride today, but thought of it a little too late, and had a little too much to do..
heh, I thought that yesterday also. I like it to be at least 60F out though before riding a lot.
just made it official - i\'m in!
Have fun with that! If I want to sweat, I\'d rather :bandoggy:
just made it official - i\'m in!
anice!I did the brians beach side boogie race sunday at hamonasset. 2 mile run/10 mile bike/2 mile run. 1:19 or so but I have not seen official times yet. I did like 19/38/22minutes throughout. I really suck at running. :shrug:
I can\'t wait for this one either. Glad you\'re going dave! :thumbsup: