Tag: Cycling

Tour de Bronx 2024

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

I think the last time we took part in this event was in 2019. Or 2018. Probably 2018, because we did the Bronx 10 Mile Run in 2019 so we probably trained for that instead. Last time, we chose the 25 mile route and wound up out by Pelham Bay Park, but we haven’t been doing as much riding so we went with the 10 mile route this time instead. We’re forever trying to find time to get back into the shape we were in before COVID lock-downs happened.

The Tour de Bronx was very good for a free event. There were a lot of conflicts between the emails they sent out and the event website, like whether people could use Citibikes, how many free event t-shirts were available, and even what time the event was starting. Start times for the three routes weren’t announced until around 2 AM the day of the event. That’s poor planning. Plus, the roads were open to vehicle traffic. Weirdest of all, the 10 mile route was only 7.5 miles.

However, there were trailing vehicles, including a pickup truck and an ambulance. There were route marshals at key junctions, the route was marked on the road with spray paint, and the route was available to follow in the Ride With GPS app. There were also free refreshments at the end of the course. Plus, the weather was perfect for riding and the other riders were friendly and helpful. We even made two new friends that we’re looking forward to seeing at next year’s Tour de Bronx.

Hopefully next year we’ll be back to doing the 25 mile route.

New York City bike lanes aren’t turn bays

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment
A line of cars using the 12th Street “protected” bike lane at 3rd Avenue in Manhattan as a left-turn bay

For some of these people, I wonder if they just didn’t know. There is an NYU dorm on this block and there was a lot of traffic being caused by people dropping off their kids who are about to start Fall Semester. I imagine a lot of them are from Upstate or Central New York and maybe don’t understand the significance of bike lanes. I get into this place sometimes, mentally, where I just assume that other people know things that I take for granted because they’re common.

Maybe they were all playing follow the leader, with the “leader” being a TLC vehicle driver who should have known better. I hope he enjoys the ticket he’s going to get from the 311 report I filed.

Also, shout out to the guy who was making a statement by sitting on his Citibike in the bike lane, blocking the cars.

Summer Streets Bronx

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

The event was kind of sad and empty. I did my Summer Streets Bronx ride on the last day of Summer Streets at almost the last hour (Sunday August 25th at 1 PM), so maybe attendance was down, but I also did my Summer Streets Manhattan ride on the last day of that event at literally the last hour and the route was jam packed with people until past the end of the event.

In comparison, Grand Concourse was pretty barren and most of the people who were there were clustered around the two southern event hubs listening to music and sitting around in camp chairs while their kids chalked the road or looked at their phones. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nothing that can’t be done in one of the nearby parks or on the corner of the block like you’d see on any regular Sunday afternoon in the Bronx.

One of the few interesting things to see along the Grand Concourse route.

It seems like people in the Bronx missed the point. Or it could just be that there was less to see along the route, which was truncated from the original planned route of of 165th Street to Mosholu Parkway to just East Tremont to Mosholu Parkway, so there was less interest. Grand Concourse just isn’t that interesting, especially compared to riding your bike down the center of Manhattan, right through the Financial District, and then onto the Brooklyn Bridge if you want. At least not to me, anyway. I wasn’t too thrilled with the Bronx 10 Mile run route, which covered a lot of the same ground back in 2019. The Tour de Bronx bike ride was really fun, though, because you got to experience more of the borough, and to me it feels like Bronx Summer Streets should have offered at least a taste of the same.

It was hard to say no to the Bronx route since we live nearby. Still, I kind of wish we’d driven down to Brooklyn and checked out the last day of Summer Streets for that borough instead, but I guess that will have to wait until next year.

In the meantime, there are plenty of bike routes in and around the city to enjoy. The old rail trail running north out of Van Cortlandt park is a good example, and I’ve still never ridden along the south Brooklyn waterfront.

Summer Streets Manhattan Ride

Bradley Farless1 Comment

Summer Streets is an event in New York City where stretches of road are closed down from 7 AM to 3 PM to regular vehicle traffic and are opened up to pedestrians and cyclists for recreational use. It started out on just a small stretch of 4th Avenue, but year after year more roads and longer stretches of road are made available for Summer Streets use.

I almost missed it this year, but my wife reminded me about it when she went out riding last weekend and accidentally rode into the Summer Streets route and wound up riding the length of Manhattan down to and over the Brooklyn Bridge. This current weekend was the last weekend for Summer Streets in Manhattan so I made sure to get out there, even if only for a little while, to enjoy having the whole road open to ride around on.

Whole road is kind of an overstatement, though. There were so many people out there on bicycles and walking and running that it was actually a bit crowded. It was still a lot of fun, though, and made me wish that Summer Streets took place every Saturday from 6 AM to 7 PM all Spring, Summer, and Fall long.

I do have one more chance for Summer Streets next weekend, but it will be here in the Bronx on Grand Concourse. I’ve done a few organized runs up and down the route that has been selected for use, so it won’t be a new area for me, but I’m going to do it anyway because it’s rare to have a long run of space to use for cycling in such a dense urban area. I’m grateful for the greenways and bike paths in parks here in the city.

That being said, it’s kind of exciting to ride up and down blocks in Lower Manhattan. There’s a lot to look at and experience when you’re out riding on your bike and it’s not as dangerous as it used to be if you stay on the side roads or in the bike lanes on major avenues.

We finished up our Manhattan Summer Streets ride with a trip to Chinatown to have a late lunch / early dinner at Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles on Doyers Street. It’s a great place and if you haven’t been, I highly recommend it.

Went out for a ride today for the first time in quite a while

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

It was nice to get out and ride around in the city a bit. I actually prefer it to the greenways sometimes because it’s more engaging and there’s more to look at. Sadly, I paused my workout while taking photos and forgot to restart it when I was down by Pier 36, but that just gives me an excuse to redo the route next weekend.

I definitely need to find more time in the week to exercise. I feel a lot better after spending the day outdoors. I’m also thinking about getting another gym membership. The issue would be finding a way to fit it into my schedule. Something like Harbor Fitness might work. There’s a location close to where I work.

Fun in the sun today, out riding

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

We parked on Riverside Drive and then rode up and down the Hudson River Greenway this afternoon. It was nice to get outside and feel the sun. The riverfront was packed with people, which was great because one of the best things about riding in New York City is people watching. It’s kind of weird when you pass someone else doing the same thing, though, because you both look at each other as you go by. It’s nice to see so many people out picnicking or just sitting in the shade and reading or talking. I wish I had more time to just sit and enjoy the day like that, so I’m glad we’re taking advantage of the time we have. Especially with this being New York City, where summers are way too short.

We saw one of the red tailed hawks sitting on a railing at Riverbank State Park. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the same ones that hatched in Washington Square Park that had that live video feed from NYU a few years ago. I’d seen one of them previously in a small park on Fort Washington Avenue called J. Hood Wright Park. It was eating a rat or a squirrel or something. Today, the hawk had a tuft of fur or cotton in its mouth when we first saw it. I moved in slowly to take a few pictures. I didn’t want to spook it, or get attacked by it. It got tired of being eyeballed, though and took off.

It was a beautiful day with beautiful weather. I’m sad the weekend is over.

Rediscovering cycling with folding bikes

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Moving to the Bronx was the right move at the time, but it came with some costs. One of those costs was the inconvenience of having to go somewhere else to do anything and everything, because let’s face it, the Bronx isn’t really that fun or friendly a place, and that’s especially true for bike riding.

That wasn’t so much of an issue when we had a car with a bike rack, but thanks to someone who slammed into it while it was parked and totaled it, we have a new car with no hitch and no rack. Between that and the pandemic, our outings to go cycling basically came to an end for quite a while.

Then we discovered folding bikes that actually ride well. We can throw them in the trunk of the car, pull them out, unfold them and be riding in less time than it used to take me to strap up our full sized bikes onto the old Allen rack we had. Granted, folding bikes have different capabilities and limitations, but it’s opened the door for us to get outside and do something we both enjoy again.

Went out riding yesterday for the first time in a long time. Felt good.

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

At Pier 64 – Hudson River Park

In 2019, I was in pretty good shape but I kind of let that all go because of the pandemic. I’d like to get back to where I was, but my issue now is time. I have a long commute, so I have to figure out where to squeeze in the workouts. I’ll find a way to make it work.

A boat called the Frying Pan docked one pier up. I have a feeling it’s a restaurant but didn’t want to investigate.

Having fun with my wife’s bike

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

My wife has a small folding bicycle with little wheels and it just seemed really fun to ride it. It felt like I was on a kid’s bicycle. It’s pretty sturdy though, and a folding bicycle is easier to get around the city, whether by train or in the back of the car.

This is my first time uploading video to WordPress. Usually, I would use YouTube for video, but it feels like the right time to start moving content back to my own site instead of posting almost everything elsewhere for some company’s profit and benefit.

Sunday Cycling

Bradley FarlessLeave a comment
People enjoying the day at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, New York City

It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone out riding on my bicycle. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we basically resolved to stay home as much as possible, like most people did, I imagine. After a few months, we managed to get an indoor stationary bicycle, but it just isn’t the same experience as going out and riding around other people.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/7kNEokWlhjb

Yesterday, I literally knocked the dust off of my bicycle, pulled the bike rack out of the trunk of our SUV, and went down to Central Park. My wife went with me, but she’s more of a jogger than a cyclist, and she wanted to go for a run. She’s got a few marathons under her belt, which is pretty cool, so she ran and I rode, and we met up later to get take out for dinner.

Riding around the park, I saw that there were people everywhere. It’s still not as crowded as it used to be, mostly I think because there aren’t as many tourists around. But, there were a lot of joggers, casual and serious cyclists, walkers, sunbathers, and sight seers.

People boating in The Central Park Lake

When I was done with my ride, I spent some time by Bethesda Fountain. There was a woman giving an opera performance in the covered area below the roadway. By the fountain there was a public dance class. There were artists painting pictures of the scenery and some painting pictures of people for money.

It was really nice to see the city coming back to life again. Central Park was really depressing during the pandemic the few times we went because it was so empty. It felt dead. I didn’t even mind the smell of the horses as I rode around the southern loop of West Dr. and Center Dr.