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The Five Boro Bike Tour


smudge

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First I want to say to all the Negative Nellies about this ride, STUFF It! This is a nice EVENT. The volunteers are nice, the people riding are there to enjoy the day, and it's a good time. If you want to kill it and pound out some miles, the Gran Fondo is next weekend!  Ya, it was a nice event. Don't let any Negative Nellies dissuade you from doing this ride if you'd like to do it. It's nice.  Now, .....

I got to the subway stop early and another guy with a cycle showed up. The train came, and it was packed! The other cyclist started running to find a spot. I followed like a lost puppy dog! He got on. I had to wait for the next train. Great, more stress! Ended up just fine. I got to the staging area good and early. I was smart; I got there early to be at the start of my wave. It was chilly that morning. The poor young man in black on the bottom left was visibly shaking he was so chilly. If I were a little taller, this pic would be much more impressive; you'd actually be able to see the thousands of cyclists behind us! 

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Not too far down the road was Radio City Music Hall. I have seen many ride videos, and for some reason I always thought it was super cool that they were riding past this spot. I had to stop for a selfie. And I saw a welcome to the tour riders on the marquee! Nice!

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The riding was actually pretty smooth! Even with that many people and a Yooper, it really was good riding. I could easily pass people when I wanted, but I could also easily cruise along if I wanted. Of course with that many people, there were going to be some bottlenecks. Like at the Queensboro Bridge.

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Getting out of Astoria Park was a little time consuming too. Meh, it was a gorgeous day. It was fine.

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Then I bit it somewhere in Queens. Smooth... I was approaching a group that had stopped. I knew I was in a little tougher gear, so I wanted to sneak in a quick shift before I actually stopped. I heard the shift complete a millisecond before I stopped. Oh good. Oh wait... I'm toppling over. Clip out, clip out! I can't! Pull your hand back in! Don't break a clavicle trying to catch yourself!!! oof! Smooth. I heard a guy behind me, "You ok? Darned clipless pedals." heh, heh.. ah ya. Poor bike. Another hit on this trip! I quickly pounded the seat back to forward, and all was well. I had scuffs on my left knee, wrist, elbow, and pinky. A day later I discovered a tender bruise on my right upper arm. I think it smacked my right handlebar end when I fell. Good news: no broken bones. Bad news: not even any blood! 

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All the talk about the Verrazano Bridge had me worried about the gradual climb. Psht! It wasn't bad at all! A couple miles prior to it was a rather steep climb that got my attention, but the bridge itself was simply a scenic spin. Thank goodness!

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The finish party had a park full of people. Of course exiting the park was a walk-your-bike event again. But that was to be expected.

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We rode to the Staten Island Ferry area for a ride back to Manhattan. While we waited, TD Bank (the primary sponsor) tossed popsicles into the crowd. Ha! I wanted one just to say I got one; but it was green with other colors inside and just smelled too sweet. I passed. 

I almost bit it again entering the ferry. I thought for sure I'd end up getting super close to getting on only to be told it was full. I was determined to get on THIS ferry! (I didn't know they can hold 4-6000 people depending on the class of ferry) I saw most people going to the sides of the ferry with their bikes. I also saw a few guys tossing their bike onto their shoulders and going up the stairs in front of us. I figured there were fewer people going up, so I'd have a better chance of getting on. I thought, "I can carry my bike upstairs!" so I went for it! Tossed my bike onto my shoulder, took a step, and almost landed on my face; I hadn't seen the 8" long x 2" high ramp going into the ferry. I saved it, and ran up the steps. whew! As I sat there, the ferry meandered toward The City. I saw this container ship pass by. I bitterly thought, "Hmm, I wonder how many fat bikes are on THAT ship?!" Ha! Ya, just being sassy.

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I made it back to the apartment. A couple doors down before I got here, a lady in and SUV rolled down her window and gave me a thumb's up as I walked the last few steps to the brownstone. Thanks!

I didn't know my way around real well yet, but I was starving. I settled and ordered dinner from Applebees, walked to pick it up, and walked back. I dove into that steak! Not that the 40+ miles were at all grueling; I just hadn't had much hearty food that day! I gobbled that steak right down!

The Five Boro Tour is a nice event. Yes, there are 32,000 people, so there will be times of standing around waiting. But you are there for the event. Get in that mindset, and it really is a great, unique event.

 

 

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Yay you are still alive.  Great report and pictures too.  I have been waiting to hear how it went.  The logistics of getting in and out of the city with all those people are what have kept me from doing the event.

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Glad you had a good time.  (I do remember the Queensboro Bridge being one of the worst bottlenecks.)  Thanks for the narrative and the photos, and glad your injury wasn't worse.

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