Five Boro Bike Ride - NYC

stratrider wrote:
Might be riding for the first time this year... Any advice from
experienced riders? Any special issues for us bent folk?

Jim Reilly


GO FOR IT!!

You've never seen anything like it, guaranteed! ~30K cyclists of all
kinds up and down the canyons of NYC as far as you can see...and more
bananas and power-bars than anyone needs! Just pray you won't need to
use the No. 2....

FREE FRONT-LINE PASSES for 'benters!!! Details at
http://www.recumbents.com/mars/pages/ride/routes/BikeNY/bikeny.html.

"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

stratrider wrote:
Might be riding for the first time this year... Any advice from
experienced riders? Any special issues for us bent folk?

Jim Reilly


GO FOR IT!!

You've never seen anything like it, guaranteed! ~30K cyclists of all
kinds up and down the canyons of NYC as far as you can see...and more
bananas and power-bars than anyone needs! Just pray you won't need to
use the No. 2....

FREE FRONT-LINE PASSES for 'benters!!! Details at
http://www.recumbents.com/mars/pages/ride/routes/BikeNY/bikeny.html.

New York has always been tough on the bathroom scene, but your comment is a
really funny reminder...

done this several times. If you want a lot of info contact me at

When I did it the bathrooms were lacking and there was a great deal of
walking due to congestion- this was 1999 so maybe things are better.
Definitely worth doing just to see NYC without being run over

wrote:
When I did it the bathrooms were lacking and there was a great deal of
walking due to congestion- this was 1999 so maybe things are better.
Definitely worth doing just to see NYC without being run over


Ah, great point! Thanks for the reminder!

Yes, the number one complaint almost everybody has is how crowded it
is. Unless you're up at the front -- which you should be, due to the
aforementioned free front-line passes for 'benters -- you can expect
your first 60-90 minutes (yes, literally) to consist mostly of
stop-and-go, stop-and-go, stop-and-go-and-stop-and-go.

I remember doing that ride the year after 9/11...and, let me be honest:
9/11 just didn't touch me, except insofar as I'm extremely ****ed off I
won't see those gorgeous views again...but the ride that year right
after passed by Ground Zero, and somehow I was finally touched...not
moved to tears or anywhere close, but it felt somehow rather more
personal than ever before...which, if I had to grope for an
explanation, I'd attribute to actually sharing that space and that
moment of silence and slowly walking our bikes past, which somehow made
it communal for me as nothing else has, certainly not from merely
seeing the billowing smoke from the distance of my rooftop....

Uh, so, what I mean to say is that it's extremely crowded and you'll
probably need at least some patience, but it's a great event and like
nothing else in the world, I truly believe, and this being your first
time...well, forget all our advice (except for obviously useful ones
like Jonathan's about the Con Ed rest area) and don't approach it with
any preconceptions...just feel the crowd of bicyclists...and feel
"normal" for a change!

Just a few comments from the organizers perspective:
2002, the ride after 9/11 was more crowded than usual due to a large jump in
the number of riders and because of a bunch of security checkpoints we had
to implement. Things have improved somewhat because the security
checkpoints operation has been fine tuned to lessen their impact and because
we have fewer non registered riders to stop at the checkpoints. Yes it
still bunches up on 6th avenue and at some bridges. We try new things every
year to improve the situation but in the end we need an additional lane in
Central Park and it would be nice if riders would pull off to the side when
stopping on uphills to allow everyone else bye.
As far as the potty situation, we have added additional units every year as
our budget allows. My hint would be to read our program carefully and see
where we have portapotties stationed along the route that aren't in rest
areas. I recall some in midtown and another bunch at 125th street. They
tend to be less noticed and have shorter lines.

Leonard Diamond wrote:
Just a few comments from the organizers perspective:
2002, the ride after 9/11 was more crowded than usual due to a large jump in
the number of riders and because of a bunch of security checkpoints we had
to implement. Things have improved somewhat because the security
checkpoints operation has been fine tuned to lessen their impact and because
we have fewer non registered riders to stop at the checkpoints. Yes it
still bunches up on 6th avenue and at some bridges. We try new things every
year to improve the situation but in the end we need an additional lane in
Central Park and it would be nice if riders would pull off to the side when
stopping on uphills to allow everyone else bye.
As far as the potty situation, we have added additional units every year as
our budget allows. My hint would be to read our program carefully and see
where we have portapotties stationed along the route that aren't in rest
areas. I recall some in midtown and another bunch at 125th street. They
tend to be less noticed and have shorter lines.



The difference in attitudes is that you come to serve and most everyone
else comes to be served. I can't imagine the complicated logistics of a
ride like this.

Leonard,

The ferry situation is abominable. I know....there were problems last year.
But still. Even in good years, its an hour wait, minimum. Way too long.

FWIW....

Rich

"Leonard Diamond" wrote in message
news:F9MQf.216$Km6.27@trnddc01...
Just a few comments from the organizers perspective:
2002, the ride after 9/11 was more crowded than usual due to a large jump
in the number of riders and because of a bunch of security checkpoints we
had to implement. Things have improved somewhat because the security
checkpoints operation has been fine tuned to lessen their impact and
because we have fewer non registered riders to stop at the checkpoints.
Yes it still bunches up on 6th avenue and at some bridges. We try new
things every year to improve the situation but in the end we need an
additional lane in Central Park and it would be nice if riders would pull
off to the side when stopping on uphills to allow everyone else bye.
As far as the potty situation, we have added additional units every year
as our budget allows. My hint would be to read our program carefully and
see where we have portapotties stationed along the route that aren't in
rest areas. I recall some in midtown and another bunch at 125th street.
They tend to be less noticed and have shorter lines.

RkFast wrote:
The ferry situation is abominable. I know....there were problems last year.
But still. Even in good years, its an hour wait, minimum. Way too long.

If you haven't had enough riding, a fun option is to skip the
ferry and ride to the Bayonne Bridge, then head to Jersey City
to catch the PATH train back to the city. (Probably doesn't
save any time, but it does save a lot of waiting around.)

(AKA the 6 boro bike tour.)

--
Steven O'Neill
Brooklyn, NY

Steven M. O'Neill wrote:
RkFast wrote:
The ferry situation is abominable. I know....there were problems last year.
But still. Even in good years, its an hour wait, minimum. Way too long.

If you haven't had enough riding, a fun option is to skip the
ferry and ride to the Bayonne Bridge, then head to Jersey City
to catch the PATH train back to the city. (Probably doesn't
save any time, but it does save a lot of waiting around.)

(AKA the 6 boro bike tour.)

--
Steven O'Neill
Brooklyn, NY


MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY! I'll be doing that this year...might even go all
the way up to the GWB and back into NYC that way!