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So I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday for having completely wussed out on the NYC 5 Boro ride. Friends bailed on me, it was raining, I had every reason on the planet to try and not do this. But when the weather broke around noon, I was feeling like a total tool when wifey suggested we go on a bike ride (topic covered in another thread). After that brief ride with wifey and the kid, I dropped them off at home and proceeded to go on a road ride on my own. A proper one, one that I can take at speed, one without anyone else in tow, one that'll allow me to help make up for the horrible feeling I had for pussing out on the NYC 5 Boro ride.
So I grabbed my print out of the NYC bike route map and rode out towards the Long Island Sound. Along the water, I followed the bike path southward into the Bronx. I quickly left my suburban surroundings and was quickly swallowed up by the hustle-bustle of the highway cutting right through the Bronx, east to west. I rode on the designated bike path right along the Pelham Parkway.
Hey, that's the hospital where my son was born last June! I rode by it, and the thought of the kid let me ride the next four or so blocks with a smile on my face. The bike and pedestrian path was pretty empty on this gorgeous afternoon so I friggin' hauled it in. Out of the saddle, my legs really go to work, bike sways left and right and left and right. Hey, these moustache bars feel pretty good!
I arrive at some crossroads and I opt to ride northward, along the Bronx River Parkway until I run out of bike path and am forced to rejoin traffic at large. The only thing is traffic decided to stay home that afternoon, so I got to explore the Bronx at ease. I consulted my map and conjured up a route that would loop me back to the neighboring town and let me get home without retracing my path. Sure I got lost a few times and took a few unplanned detours, but I rode through neighborhoods I never even knew existed. Dominican communities, Jamaican communities, kids were out playing while their parents enjoyed reggae blasting out their car stereos.
Oddly enough, I was the only one on two wheels for most of the distance. No recreational riders, not even roadies. A complete lack of lycra on these streets.
70 minutes later, I look down at my computer and it reads almost 20 miles. My thighs had a nice buzz going, but my arms and shoulders were jelly-like from all the potholes in the last 5 mile stretch. I wasn't heaving with breath, but I simply got a nice ride out of it. Got some sun, some some wind in my face, and I rode through interesting new neighborhoods that I'll be sure to revisit soon enough. Most of all, I didn't feel as bad about missing that 42-mile 5 Boro ride.
Mission accomplished.
I learned that while dirt trails are where the fun is, riding the roads around can be quite exhilarating when I'm feeling explorer-like. God, I hope this doesn't make me into a roadie.
I'm sorry I can't offer any pics like most people do since I don't typically carry my camera with me, so all I can manage is some silly map of the route I took (which I can't believe would be of interest to anybody)
So I grabbed my print out of the NYC bike route map and rode out towards the Long Island Sound. Along the water, I followed the bike path southward into the Bronx. I quickly left my suburban surroundings and was quickly swallowed up by the hustle-bustle of the highway cutting right through the Bronx, east to west. I rode on the designated bike path right along the Pelham Parkway.
Hey, that's the hospital where my son was born last June! I rode by it, and the thought of the kid let me ride the next four or so blocks with a smile on my face. The bike and pedestrian path was pretty empty on this gorgeous afternoon so I friggin' hauled it in. Out of the saddle, my legs really go to work, bike sways left and right and left and right. Hey, these moustache bars feel pretty good!
I arrive at some crossroads and I opt to ride northward, along the Bronx River Parkway until I run out of bike path and am forced to rejoin traffic at large. The only thing is traffic decided to stay home that afternoon, so I got to explore the Bronx at ease. I consulted my map and conjured up a route that would loop me back to the neighboring town and let me get home without retracing my path. Sure I got lost a few times and took a few unplanned detours, but I rode through neighborhoods I never even knew existed. Dominican communities, Jamaican communities, kids were out playing while their parents enjoyed reggae blasting out their car stereos.
Oddly enough, I was the only one on two wheels for most of the distance. No recreational riders, not even roadies. A complete lack of lycra on these streets.
70 minutes later, I look down at my computer and it reads almost 20 miles. My thighs had a nice buzz going, but my arms and shoulders were jelly-like from all the potholes in the last 5 mile stretch. I wasn't heaving with breath, but I simply got a nice ride out of it. Got some sun, some some wind in my face, and I rode through interesting new neighborhoods that I'll be sure to revisit soon enough. Most of all, I didn't feel as bad about missing that 42-mile 5 Boro ride.
Mission accomplished.
I learned that while dirt trails are where the fun is, riding the roads around can be quite exhilarating when I'm feeling explorer-like. God, I hope this doesn't make me into a roadie.
I'm sorry I can't offer any pics like most people do since I don't typically carry my camera with me, so all I can manage is some silly map of the route I took (which I can't believe would be of interest to anybody)
