Bicycling
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In the past, I have had a few mishaps bicycling from work, and yesterday, as I was about to leave for home, I noticed that I had a flat tire. A small piece of glass had punctured through my expensive yet supposedly impenetrable Gatorskin tire and created a slow leak. As I do most days, I left my bike parked in the NYU bike lot behind the Stern School of Business. The lot has been there for as long as I’ve been here, and it’s been a great benefit since I moved to Queens and commute to Bobst every weekday.
In the past year, the NYU Bike program has installed a bike repair station at our bike lot. The repair station has a pump and tethered set of tools, including a 15mm track wheel wrench, bike levers, and common allen wrenches. At the station, I managed fill up my flat tire to about 80 PSI and ride to the nearest bike shop to get a new tube. I rode back to the bike lot, with only about 20 PSI left in the tube, and proceeded to replace the slowly leaking tube. After filling it to 110 PSI, I pedaled home.
In all fairness, I usually bring one of those tool bags that fits under my seat, but I hadn’t been bringing it because I was overly optimistic about the Gatorskin’s ability to resist punctures in New York City. When it comes to New York’s road conditions, which border on third-world in terms of quality, there is no such thing as true puncture resistance.
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Needing a bike ride and groceries, I rode from Long Island City to the Trader Joe’s in Rego Park. This is not a new ride for me, but my previous trips have been mostly via Metropolitan Avenue. Taking Metropolitan is no less than a nerve-wracking experience: cars zoom past you at 40 mph (less than a foot away from you), people opening their car doors without looking, and double-parked cars to circumnavigate. And there’s potholes!
Today, I took a route traveling on streets less busy than Metropolitan, such as Eliot Avenue and Juniper Valley Road. The route was a little less than seven miles, and it took me about 35 minutes at a pretty easy pace on my track bike.
Here’s the route:
| Direction |
Location |
Distance |
| South |
Vernon Blvd toward Borden Ave |
|
| Left |
Borden Ave |
0.9 mi |
| Right |
Starr Ave |
0.2 mi |
| Right |
Van Dam St |
174 ft |
| Right |
35th St |
433 ft |
| Left |
Review Ave |
0.7 mi |
| Right |
56th Rd |
0.8 mi |
| Continue on |
Rust St |
0.5 mi |
| Continue on |
59th Dr |
0.2 mi |
| Right |
60th St |
348 ft |
| Left |
60th Ave |
0.2 mi |
| Right |
Fresh Pond Rd |
0.2 mi |
| Left |
Eliot Ave |
0.6 mi |
| Right |
69th St |
0.4 mi |
| Left |
Juniper Valley Rd |
0.8 mi |
| Right |
80th St |
0.2 mi |
| Left |
Metropolitan Ave |
0.7 mi |
| Arrive |
90-30 Metropolitan Ave, Rego Park |
If you do this ride, you’ll find that it’s not very picturesque. Most of it follows the industrial district that hugs the Newtown Creek. Once you’re past Grand Ave, you go through the neighborhoods and cemeteries of Middle Village. There are a lot of trees providing a nice shade.
The only part of the ride that is a little tough is the short stretch on Eliot Avenue that crosses through the Lutheran Cemetery, where the road is very narrow. Beyond that, the streets are wide enough to allow cars to speed past you without coming too close. The final stretch is on Metropolitan Avenue though St. John’s Cemetery. Unlike most of Metropolitan Avenue, the street here is pretty wide allowing some room for cars to pass you.
Once you arrive, there is a bike rack outside on the store along Trotting Course Lane. Lock up, and shop away!
A week after marking the 40-mile stretch of Glen’s Ride to Montauk from Brooklyn to Babylon, I rode the remaining 108 miles (or was it 110 miles) from Babylon to Montauk. Yesterday’s ride was not my first century nor was it my first Montauk ride. I won’t wax rhapsodic over the magic of riding on two wheels or the spectacular scenery of Long Island’s southern shore. I also won’t comment on some of the most novel street names you’ll find when you’re used to uninspired street names such as “5th Ave”, “Vernon Blvd”, and “47th Rd.” Once you pedal on a century ride to Montauk, the major parts of each experience become pretty standard. However, there are some minor differences that I absolutely appreciated having done Glen’s ride for the first time.1
Early Drop Off and Late Pick Up
Glen wisely offers early drop off for your bike on Friday and pick up on Sunday. It took me about 45 minutes to drop off my bike on Friday because I, like everyone else, did so after work. However, early bike drop off allows a Queens dweller to board the train at Woodside instead of Penn Station. I didn’t do that, but I know at least one person who did. That move can net you about thirty extra minutes of sleep.
Picking up on Sunday was especially convenient for me. I was able to run an errand at B&H and then pick up my bike on 10th Avenue and 31st St. There was no wait to enter the bike area, and it took me only a few minutes to find my bike.
Beer in the Morning and in the Evening
Having one of the rest stops at Blue Point Brewery was absolutely genius. It might seem ill-advised to drink a beer when you still have about 80+ miles of cycling ahead of you, but it’s fine if manage your intake and eat a big almond-butter-and-jelly sandwich. I ordered a half of an actual pint of the Rastafa Rye and could barely finish it. I just wanted a taste of something else other than Gatorade and energy bars.
I also appreciated that there was free beer at the finish line in Montauk, and that it was from a local Long Island brewery.
Food
Having done a few other centuries, I’ve come to expect the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pita and hummus, and apples and bananas as standard cycling food. I appreciated getting tabouleh salad with my hummus and those Larabar energy bars are pretty tasty. But it was the blueberry pie that brought a smile to my face and for a brief moment made me forget about my aching knee and cramped calf. My only regret is that I didn’t get any cheese cake, which I was eagerly anticipating to savoring during the ride. Does anyone know which rest stop had it?
Buses to Montauk Station
As I was riding towards the end of the ride (and of Long Island) it occurred to me that we were still a ways from the Montauk LIRR Station. In the past, we’ve held the finish line party at a restaurant near the train station. Prior to 2008, we would just bike from the restaurant where we had our to the train station.2 After riding 108 miles, I didn’t want to ride another eight to the train station with my bag in tow. Thankfully, there were buses that took us to the train station, and we managed to board the final train of the night. Sweet!
Right now. I’m in pain. This was the longest it took me to ride a century (at over ten hours). My right calf cramped around mile 30, my left knee became very sore, and I just never could get a good strong pace going for long. I also got a bad mild sunburn because I didn’t apply any sunscreen. However, I had a great time, and I can’t wait to ride another hundred again.
Apparently, Apple’s forthcoming iOS 6 Maps app lacks public transit directions. The folks behind Walk Score have started a petition to get them back.
At the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, Apple announced that iOS 6 (the new iPhone and iPad operating system) will require customers to install 3rd party applications for public transit directions.
In all fairness, iOS 6 is still in beta so thing might change. Apple could implement the directions later, or they can open up some API to integrate local public transit schedules and routes with the Maps app. In either case, I hope independent developers take advantage of opening and produce some great transit apps that will outclass navigational aids designed for driving a car.
(Via StreetsBlog New York City)
If you’re traveling along the southern shore of Long Island and see on the asphalt a pink circle with a line, don’t worry: it is not a sign of danger or doom. Those pink circles are mark the route for cyclists riding the annual Ride to Montauk. It is simply a cue for those on two wheels to make a turn.
In addition to riding in several bike tours around the New York area, I have volunteered to mark the routes for the New York Cycle Club’s Escape New York Century, the Transportation Alternatives’s New York City Century and Tour de Brooklyn rides, the Five Borough Bike Club’s Montauk Century, and the ride known as Glen’s Ride to Montauk. Route marking is my favorite volunteer job because you ride the course before the actual event. (This not the case with Escape New York because we mark the route by car, not bike, because of the long distances.) Also, because I volunteered, I usually get to ride the entire course, as if I paid for the ride, but I get to do it for free.
This year, I helped mark the course from Brooklyn to Babylon. If you’re riding the full 150-mile course, you’ll see our work. For those pedaling the Ride to Montauk on Saturday, June 16, you’ll also see other marks, such as the “Mn” or the “B2B”. Those marks are for the 5BBC Montauk Century and the Bike to Beach charity ride, respectively. Please don’t follow those!
I’m looking forward to riding this particular version of the Montauk ride. I’ve done the 5BBC’s ride a few times, but I’ve never been able to do Glen’s ride.
After foolishly riding through Central Park yesterday, to go from the east side to West 72nd St., and encountering a bunch of inexperienced cyclists and park dwellers, these ten essential cycling tips for experienced cyclists could prove useful as the warming weather brings more people into the park.
(Via New York Cycle Club.)
When I was younger, I wasn’t crazy about Bastille Day being in the summer mostly because we never got to celebrate it at school. Instead, on our last day of school, Bastille Day was grouped together with all of the kids born in the summer gathered at the front of the classroom, and we toasted a batch of juice and cupcakes.
But over the years, I’ve enjoyed Bastille Day in July. For one thing, having lived a decade in a place with seasons, it’s much less depressing to have celebrate this day in the summer than, say, in the middle of winter. For one thing, we get to be outside, and over the years, I’ve taken advantage of the warmer climate.
This past weekend, Sarah took me on a weekend trip to Cold Spring. I had been through here twice on bike rides, but I never got to stay there. Sarah reserved us a room at the celebrated Pig Hill Inn, we brought our bikes on the Metro North, and we headed up for a weekend.
On our first day, we biked to Hyde Park, following Route 9D and Route 9, and two paved rail trails, and then for a visit to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. The trip to the Presidential Library was a personal mission of mine to visit as many as I can. So far, I’ve covered the Nixon, Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt, so I have a lot of ground to cover still. We got lost a lot so the bike ride took a long time, but I’m anxious to try it again.
The second day was an amazing kayak trip to Bannerman Island to tour the ruins of Bannerman Castle. Having never really kayaked before, it was really amazing to be able to paddle nearly 3.5 miles each way to an abandoned castle on an island in the middle of Hudson River. While the tour was ho-hum, and we didn’t get to see as much as I had hoped, getting there by kayak on a 90 degree day was really invigorating.
For anyone who has ever been in Central Park knows, the drives in the park are almost always overly congested in the warm months. There are walkers, runners, cyclists, and during rush hour, there is the added danger presence of automobiles, and each is competing for precious space in which to move. Moreover, the NYPD had been ticketing cyclists who ran red lights while riding on the park drives. As someone who used to ride a lot there, I can tell you that stopping at each light is not only impractical but a little dangerous as there will inevitably be either another cyclist or car zooming past you while you’re stopped at the light. The cycling community has come to an agreement with the Department of Transportation and the NYPD to not ticket those who go through a red light. But, of course, there are a few who could ruin it for everyone.
Earlier today, the New York Cycle Club emailed its membership asking everyone to abide by six guidelines to ensure that cyclists don’t lose the privilege of rolling through red lights in Central Park. If you please, allow me to reproduce those guidelines.
- When approaching a crosswalk, particularly if there is a red light, slow to a speed that will permit you to maneuver; look both ways for pedestrians; always yield to pedestrians who are in or about to enter the crosswalk. Park use is extremely heavy now, even in the very early morning hours. Be alert; be conscientious. Your actions will determine our future use of this precious resource.
- Although you may be comfortable passing within six inches of a runner or walker, they will not be comfortable with that clearance. Give them at least 3 or 4 feet. Whenever possible and practical, cross behind the pedestrian. “Yielding” does not mean racing through because you’re confident you won’t actually hit the pedestrian.
- When passing a slower cyclist, give sufficient clearance.
- Don’t ride in packs. Keep the groups small and ride in a single paceline.
- Get a bell. It is the law and is a useful tool in a densely packed park if used judiciously.
- Above all be courteous. Creating goodwill here will go a long way towards helping our cause.
Having been in a number of collisions, though none in Central Park or anywhere with a decent bike lane, I think I already follow most of these rules, and I agree that these are prudent measures to take ensure safety in a congested shared space, such as Central Park. These guidelines provide pedestrians a measure of security when cyclists are riding in the park, and they also protect other cyclists, particularly the inexperienced ones who are out in the summer.
However, it seems like I have to buy a bell now.
Today I travelled a lot more than I usually do and it basically involved taking the subway to Forest Hills and riding my bike the rest of the way to Queens College. Yes, it was a multimodal commute.
On my way back home, I rode my bike through a pretty dark and high speed section of Jewel Ave. I got through it okay but once I emerged in a more residential stretch, my rear tire hit a pretty big pothole on 108th St. And then I heard a loud pop, and my bike was basically riding on the bare wheel. When I stopped I found my inner tube wrapped around the rear cog and all over the brakes, too. There’s a photo below.
I’m still trying to figure out how this happened. I did notice a big gash in my tire’s sidewall, which explains how the tube got out, but I’m still not sure how the tube wraps around in at least three different directions. And now I need a new tire.
