A few years ago I was fortunate enough to get a spot for New York City's Five Borough Bike Tour. It was a great experience. Although, it was not without it's ups and downs. Literally and figuratively. It was the first time I rode the race, but hopefully not the last. That year it was the first of six bike tours that I completed in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
In order to participate, tickets became available online for one day, but since there was only a limited number of tickets it sold out quickly. Subsequently, they have switched over to a lottery system similar to the New York City Marathon. Actually, in a lot of ways the event is very similar the marathon because thousands of riders from all over the world participate, many fans line the streets to cheer you on, and you get the opportunity to ride on several bridges and roads that you wouldn't usually have the chance to ride on because they are limited to cars.
I did the tour with my co-worker and friend Yael and her husband Sam, a former NYPD police officer. I still believe that if hadn't torn the meniscus in my knee from playing in a tennis league, I probably would have done it again the next year as well because I was able to get a voucher.
What I like most about the Five Borough Bike Tour is that while it isn't the longest tour in New York State (There are century rides) or even the most scenic (although it does go through Central Park), but it is one of the most famous. Imagine being able to ride your bike across the Veranazano, the longest suspension bridge in the world, or down the FDR drive alongside thousands of riders. Quite a thrill.
The tour is forty-two miles, and you definitely feel it during and after. I know I did at times. My butt hurt a lot, despite my purchase of "butt butter" and I can remember my hands and feet and other parts going numb several times while riding across the Veranzano bridge at the end.
Some people like to try to finish the ride it as quickly as possible, like my friend Yael, but then there are others who take their time, stopping at bars and restaurants along the way. Rather than waiting to the end to celebrate, they make the whole trip a party. I think I like that approach better, but I really didn't have that option.
Before the race, I spent several weeks training. I got a great bike a trek 7.3 hybrid while my friend Yael got a lighter more up-to-date version. Also, we went to Williamsburgh, Brooklyn to carbo load the night before. After we fueled up on whole wheat pasta, we parked one of our two cars in Staten Island to allow us to get home after the race. Which sounds good in theory, but sometimes things don't go the way the way you want them to.
On the day of the race the three of us took trains into Manhattan from our respective homes on Long Island. Normally you can't take your bike on a LIRR train, but on the day of the race they make an exception. I will say that the trains were packed with cyclists so I almost wasn't able to get on the train in Bayside. Fortunately I did. I met Yael by Penn Station, but from the very beginning, things didn't to so well. She and her husband wanted to do the ride as quickly as possible, rather than pacing themselves and riding with me and enjoying the moment together.
I saw them from time to time and Yael called me frequently to tell me where she was. I don't regret doing the ride, I just wish I could have done it with a friend, because I think that would have the experience more enjoyable.
On or around mile 37 I was getting close to the Veranzano bridge when I decided to take a drink from my camelback hydration pack. It didn't occur to me that maybe I should stop riding before I drank, and suddenly the mouthpiece came off and started leaking, and I tried to grasp the end in my mouth, and that's when I realized I was riding a bike and found myself falling like a boxer after a big hit.
I landed hard on the pavement. Fortunately for me, a different NYPD officer saw me fall and went to my assistance. God bless the police for their vigilance. He helped me up and directed me to the rest stop which I was luckily adjacent to. In short order they bandaged my knee, and after a banana and water break I got back on the bike and started to ride. No sooner did I start riding that I received a call from Yael.
"My husband is an idiot." She yelled.
"What happened?" I said with confusion. I was only 5 miles from the end and wanted to understand what was wrong.
"He forgot the keys to the car." She stated angrily.
"Well," I said. "Hang in there. Maybe there is a place where you can get a drink while I catch up."
And that's what they did. She had a drink with her husband while I pedaled my way to the end. The Veranzano was truly a challenge. It's incredibly steep if you ever get the chance to ride on it. We were on the lower level and I put the bike in the lowest gear in order to get up to the top. I never stopped pedaling although I could barely feel my feet, and plenty of people were pushing their bikes up the slope. I was careful to ride in the middle of the bridge because I didn't want to fall over the edge on the right.
The ride down was swift and exciting, but fortunately without any other incident and within a half an hour I got to my friend's car. She was still fuming.
"What are we going to do?" I asked them.
"I called my son." Sam replied sheepishly. "He's coming here now."
Here now is a relative term, because ultimately it took close to two hours for him to get to Staten Island, because all the approaches were closed to car traffic. I belt bad for their son who was crying on the phone because every usual route to Staten Island was blocked off. Fortunately for us he made it, and after a few drinks at the bar and a filling meal, we all headed back to Long Island plenty sore, plenty full, and also some of us with a few regrets.
Life Lesson 81: The road to our goals is not always straight. There are often speed bumps along the way, but a speed bump doesn't mean stop it simply means slow down and then keep going. And as Vince Lombardi and Rocky have espoused that "It's not how often we get knocked down (or in my case fall down) but whether you get back up and continue." that makes the difference. And having friends to support us in our trip definitely makes it a lot easier, and remember wherever your journey leads you take the time to enjoy the ride, and most importantly if you drove somewhere never forget an extra pair of keys.
