New York 5 Boro Ride

I rode the New York Five Boro Bike ride on Saturday May 7.  It's the single largest bike ride in the world (or so they say) with around 33,000 riders.  Riders come in all shapes and sizes, some on rent-a-bikes and others on Cervello's.  It's quite a mix and a little scary in tight places.

I saw six crashes, one of them fairly serious.  It sounded like a car wreck with metal crunching and I looked back to see at least one guy and girl both flying through the air and crunching the pavement.  Similar to this crash from yesterday.  Well, enough with the roadkill.

The ride is around 42 miles of almost all flat roads.  The only inclines are the bridges, the last one being the Verrazono bridge.  It's quick to see the riders and the wanna-riders when the road starts to tilt.  Lots of people huffing and puffing, with a plenty walking.

Some of the most prominent takeaways from this ride are:

1. There are a lot of cops in New York.
2. I'll never get bored of the New York skyline.
3. Central Park is an incredible place to visit.
4. Don't go to New York if you enjoy elbow room.

Our Host Nicholas

Accommodations in New York can be hard to found if you're on a budget.  Thanks to www.AirBNB.com for helping me find a room on Staten Island.  Nicholas (on the left) rents a fine room for a "Few Dollars More" (love Clint) than 42 miles on this ride.  He's an exceptional host who enjoys the company.

Make sure to ask him for breakfast as his omelette special with ham, tomato's, apple juice, coffee and toast was fantastic.

It's about a 3 minute bike ride to the Staten Island ferry from his flat.  A 25 minute quick trip and we were among the most riders I have ever seen.

The ferry ride was not as packed as it has been in the past.  This was the first year for staggered starts.  Although, even with the staggers there were a ton of riders everywhere you looked.  The car bay was jammed with bikes from front to back.

There was tremendous excitement in the air as we were herded to the starting line.  I think "Herded" is appropriate as how else could you describe thousands of people funneling to a common location?  Moooooooooooo!

Right off the Ferry	Getting to the Start
Still Getting to the Start	Aerosmith, Live!

Eventually we got moving as we sailed down 12th avenue to start (I think) and on to Central Park.  The road started out pretty wide as there were no cars allowed, but got narrow at points and that's where the fun begins for those who don't know rider etiquette.  So if anyone is wondering, here's a few rider etiquette tips:

1. Hold your line. Not sure what that means, then go straight.
2. Don't look behind you when in congestion. Same rules when in a car dummy!
3. Swerving and weaving is not acceptable at any time.
4. Slow riders to the right, faster riders to the left.  Again, dummy!
5. Farting when riders are close behind is encouraged.

	By now you must be thinking "What is Kenny doing up there all alone in such a dangerous, smelly and hostile place?!?!?!"   Have no worries.  My buddy Michael was the only one to take me up on my offer (and I'm sure you were included) to attend the event.
	This is Charles's Bench

He's another avid rider who rides his bike to work every single day, rain or shine.

6th Street	Harlem Hospital
Bronx	East River Tunnel

One thing about this ride is there were riders everywhere.  33,000 riders over 42 miles is very congested.  The Seagull Century has 8k-10k riders over 100 miles and you constantly are among other cyclists.  I wonder if they all knew where they were?  I, for one, had absolutely no bearing on NSEW or any of the buildings around me.  Never had I seen any of these roads, nor will I ever remember them.

Astoria Park	21st Street

Staten Island Ferry Ride to Start

Overall this ride was a whole lotta fun.  It's 42 miles of almost all flat car-less roads. Only a few people had to walk on the bridges, especially when the headwind got to you.  Logistics worked great, weather was great, all was a good time.  I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to pedal around New York.  Don't let the distance intimidate you, it's easy.

Posted in: bike