2018 was a rough year for me, so I didn't get out to do much biking, and no multi-day trips. I did a short charity ride in June and a just few local trail rides in the summer. So in the fall I signed up for 2019's Five Boro Bike Tour in New York City. I had done the ride a few times before and had to pull out of being a volunteer in 2018 because of my health.
By the end of the year I was sick again and ended up having multiple leg surgeries to resolve complications from my chemo treatment. I was in the hospital for nearly a month right before Christmas and had to take time off of work to rehabilitate. Since the 5 Boro was non-refundable I was determined to do it, even if it meant I only rode for ten miles and then had to SAG all the way to the end. This would be my first significant bike ride in 9 months.
Because of my health issues I decided to join a charity team this year. I chose Gilda's Club New York City because of the work they do helping cancer patients, and because my local club (Cancer Support Community of the Lehigh Valley) has been very helpful to me and my family during my treatment. I quickly exceeded my fund raising goals, and was set to ride.
The weather for the ride day was looking grim, lots of rain and colder temperatures. I arrived in New York City the day before and, as is my habit, met up with my host for the weekend, Susan. I went to to the Bike NY Expo to pick up my rider packet and spent the rest of the day hanging out and doing touristy things in New York City.
I awoke at 5:00am for the ride and after taking a breakfast to go I headed down to meet the rest of my charity team. The rain was pretty heavy and I ended up missing the group photo. I was already soaked and it wasn't't even yet 7AM. I guess the good news is once you get so wet you can't really get more wet. I joined my start wave, ate my now cooled (but tasty) breakfast, and waited for our turn to go.
The rain would ebb and flow all day long hanging around just enough to be a pain on the roads, but not enough to make the ride unenjoyable. Because of the weather there were a lot of no-shows which meant for the most part the roads were not packed and the flow was pretty good, with only a few notable exceptions There is something exciting to ride down the middle of 6th Avenue without having to worry about traffic.
After the first few miles we hit Central Park. This would be the first real test of my legs on this ride, there are a couple of hills and lots of opportunities to crash. Fortunately I made it through Central Park without a hiccup. The rain kept many riders away and the ones who did show up seems prepared to ride in the wet conditions. I've been a volunteer in the past and have seen first hand wet road related wipeouts and crashes.
The first real trying part of the ride was the bridge going over the Queensboro bridge. Despite the incline I was able to make it over without getting off my bike and walking. It was at this point I started to think that I could actually do this thing.
I stopped at each rest station, to refuel and rehydrate and to thank the volunteers. they were often packed and hectic, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. Somewhere at one of the rest areas I lost a GoPro battery, but wouldn't notice until a few days later. The rain made most of my Go Pro footage useless as the camera was mostly rain spots.
The last section leading up to and including the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is always the hardest part of the ride for me. It is a long incline followed by another long incline before you finally get to the bridge itself. The rest areas are usually depleted of supplies and people are starting to get cranky. But I felt good, exhausted, but good. By now I was determined to make it to the end without walking or without taking the SAG bus.
I managed to get to the top the bridge in a little over 11 minutes, the last time I did the ride I did it in 8 minutes. I was slower this year and it felt like it. But I did it without stopping and without walking. The ride down the bridge was fun as always even if I did have to ride the brakes a bit more than normal because of the wet road conditions. I arrived to the finish point, collected my medal, and decided to keep on going to the ferry back to manhattan. Normally I stay a little while at the finish festival, but the rain had turned the field into a huge mud pit, and my charity team had long since headed for home. This is the only place where I did any walking the mud was so thick and sticky that my tires got stuck twice and I nearly lost a shoe. Once I was back on the road I would drive through every puddle I could find to try to wash a little more of the mud off my feet and bike. The wait for the ferry wasn't too bad, but the offered ice pops were not as appealing in the 50 degree weather.
Once back in Manhattan, I rode to my friends place in Chelsea and loaded up my bike, after a quick shower and a change into dry clothes, we had a early supper said our goodbyes and I was heading home.
I was a good ride, and despite the rain I enjoyed myself. I think this might be my last time doing the Five Boro Bike Tour. I want to spend my money and time on trails I haven't yet ridden and places I haven't yet seen.
Total mileage: 47.7 Total riding time: 5 hours 46 minutes
