Bike NY May 1 . . . Anybody going?

[BumbleBeeDave]

I did this in '07 and '08 and had a hell of a good time. Any other forum members considering doing it this spring? My buddy Evan and I got a hotel room in Central Park west in '08, went down Saturday, then got up Sunday AM and jumped on the course in Central Park to avoid the thundering horde of Phreds. It worked out great and by 2:30 pm we were back across to Manhattan and sipping beer at this great restaurant on the bike trail on the Lower West Side.

Pics attached . . . as you can see, it's a great time and attracts some, ah, interesting participants! :D ;)

BBD

PS . . . Those are NOT our girlfriends in the photo. :p

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . ride is Sunday, May 1 and here's the web site:

http://www.bikenewyork.org/

BBD

[DRietz]

I'm not attending, obviously, but I have heard about a crackdown on cyclists in New York? Possible licensing to come soon too? Is it just rumor or are things actually going south?

Sorry for the thread jack. Just curious as I plan to visit my brother during spring break this year (he goes to RIT).

[peanutgallery]

I went last year ands had a blast. Stayed in jersey city (next to the path train) and the guy next to us on the subway at 5am had a flash outfit on (he called it his fancy dress) with a scottish brogue

definitely again again this year

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . an official Forum contingent?

I'd even be willing to make a "No Zebra Stripes" pledge if it would boost prospective attendance! :beer: :D

BBD

[drewski]

It would be neat to have a Serotta forum contingent. However
having done the ride 3x's now I have to recommend starting at
Central Park. Starting at Battery Park is fraught with fits and starts
as the NYPD and the logistic crew line everything up.

This can be a bit of tricky ride depending on how traffic is funneling.
Coming off the FDR drive where you have 3 lanes of cyclists
and then getting off in midtown to 1 lane makes it a little challenging.
The first year I did the ride back in 1994 I saw about 50 people
go down in massive crash on the FDR. They were mostly very
gung ho cyclists who threw caution to the wind and thought they
were doing the _______(pick favorite pro cycling stage race).

[peanutgallery]

I am in, but I am not getting up early, leisurely breakfast a mile or 2 from the start and jump in. learned my lesson last year. the star is almost worth the wait as you view the sight as you roll uptown. Isn't Feb 1 the registration date?

[Not the Slowest]

I am in, but I am not getting up early, leisurely breakfast a mile or 2 from the start and jump in. learned my lesson last year. the star is almost worth the wait as you view the sight as you roll uptown. Isn't Feb 1 the registration date?
As a Marshall I frown on this but.....the man is right.
It's a mad house at the start and sadly people get nuts about it.
2 miles up works and keep going through Central Park or...
Skip Central Park and Take Madison until 110 and regroup.
CP had mad bottle necks last year and people just stood still.

That said.... I would suggest The Transportation Alternatives Century in September as a better way to see the city and shorter options plus bail out options.
the best part is it's less expensive.

[csm]

I'm planning on riding it again; I think for the 5th time? we stay on Staten Island.
I WON'T be on my Serotta tho; thinking the 5 boros has Fargo written all over it.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I am in, but I am not getting up early, leisurely breakfast a mile or 2 from the start and jump in. learned my lesson last year. the star is almost worth the wait as you view the sight as you roll uptown. Isn't Feb 1 the registration date?

. . . but like you, I learned my lesson in '07. My friend Evan and I went down with a group from the local cycling club and we stayed in a hotel on the SW side of Staten Island. Got up at 4am to get the hotel shuttle bus over to the Staten Island Ferry terminal to get over to Manhattan, where our group was supposed to gather on a corner a block off of the start street.

It WAS cool riding the ferry and coming toward Manhattan at dawn, but of course some of our people were late and we waited for them, so we ended up 2/3 back in the whole pack and waited an hour to start moving. Then we waited another 45 minutes at 50th street, inching past Radio City Music Hall as police metered us across the route of a parade apparently celebrating Israeli independence day. Then in Harlem our very own Ahneida Ride left in an ambulance after t-boning some $#%&$ who decided .0001 second before passing the first rest stop that he would turn right--right in front of Ray.

Every time the road tilted upward even a half degree grade we all came to a stop and advanced on tiptoe because so many of the Phreds were back with us. North end of Central Park--stop. East River Drive--stop. Queensboro Bridge--stop. Brooklyn--stop. Exiting the VN bridge into the finish expo--stop. Then we were trapped in the expo for over an hour as riders were metered out through several single file cattle chutes. We missed our shuttle bus pickup at 3pm and ended up riding across Staten Island in rush hour to get back to our hotel. I still had a great time, but couldn't get over the frustration of knowing there must be a better way.

So the next year Evan and I got a hotel room in Central Park West with a parking garage about four blocks away. Went down on Saturday and went to R&A cycles to ogle bike porn, then hit Manhattan Saturday night. Great time!

Got up at 6am instead of 4, had breakfast at the hotel, walked to the garage, got our bikes out of the car, and jumped on the route in Central Park. Totally smooth sailing all the way around and we were back in the Battery by 2pm.

We took the west side bike trail northward and by 2:30 were guzzling Tecate beer and eating enchiladas at a place in the World Trade Center complex that overlooked hot babes jogging by on the bike trail. Then we took the trail northward, stopped by Cadence Cycles to ogle MORE bike porn, then went north some more to the garage, got the car, and were out of there on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

That's exactly what I will do this time around, too, if possible. Rules be damned! The hotel room was mad expensive, but breakfast was included and all the time we saved was worth the expense.

BBD

[rice rocket]

Yeah, the average speed is ~8 to 10 mph. I did it last year, enjoyed maybe 1/2 of it. Stopping in Central Park was the worst; we didn't even get to tiptoe, it was clearly dismount and walk. Good thing I wasn't in my road shoes; it was a good 30 minutes of walking. When things did get going, traffic was so dense, that you'd have to weave like a madman to hold a 12+ mph. Only enjoyable parts were really after leaving Queens when things thinned out.

We were also "too late" to do the loop to Astoria Park even though we arrived to the city at ~6:30 am, which was pretty lame.


I'd do it again in 15 years or something when I have kids maybe, or maybe a friend who wants to see the city, but most of it was entirely too frustrating.

[Blue Jays]

Wear very comfortable walking shoes to Bike NY.

[54ny77]

was a hoot, did it once several years ago.

ain't nothing like riding along those roads and bridges sans traffic.

was going to do it last year with a buddy, and i sprained my knee literally the night before, swelled up like a grapefruit, couldn't even walk. man did that suck. :crap:

[Beeb]

Yup. Five Boro Bike Walk.

Seriously, the Transportation Alternatives NY Century in Sept. is a much better ride, and takes you to every corner of the city (except Staten Island). You can average a decent pace and it's very well-supported.

Wear very comfortable walking shoes to Bike NY.

[veloduffer]

When I lived in Forest Hills, I did this ride (15 yrs ago). It was neat to ride over roads & bridges that I have traveled by car for years. But the number of phreds and idiots to trying to weave through makes it dangerous atmo. The TA Century is much, much better.

[peanutgallery]

I especially liked the runners in Central Park that ran against the grain.

Me and the Scottish guy dressed as Flash are jumping in sometime after the start, rules be damned. No way I am ever going to stand thru the "start" ever again. It was a forever wait

[csm]

I have an extra packet possibly if anyone wants to go and didn't get registered. also, I might part with both if someone has someone they'd like to take.
pm me.

thanks

[aarondgirard]

I'm headed down Friday afternoon. Anyone down near prospect park interested in a ride Saturday mid-morning?

Aaron