Biking: The NYC Century Tour Wrap Up

I can hardly can believe it's over...

I left the apartment at 6:30am. This is how I looked before leaving -

The weather was beautiful, perfect even, and the sun had just come up. I rode over the Pulaski Bridge -

to the 59th Street Bridge-

and then had to ride north all the way up to the 110th Street entrance of Central Park. By the time I got there, I had already clocked 7 miles. Shortly after arriving, my friends spotted me - Joe Katz, Erin, and JJ -

Joe Katz took an artsy-angled photo of me -

We rode through Manhattan - pretty much everywhere I had been last weekend! Riverside Drive, 11th Ave, Broadway, Bleecker St. I couldn't believe it was almost the exact path I had mapped out for myself. I can't tell you how many comments I got about my shoes, outfit and bike. And as usual, people were taking pictures of me (though most of them asked first, which was a nice change from the usual sneaky photographs).

We made our way to the southern tip of Manhattan, taking the Brooklyn Bridge over to Brooklyn

We rode through a beautiful section of Brooklyn -

and into Prospect Park (another place I was last weekend!).

We rode along the water for a while. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole day (not sure what section of Brooklyn this is) -

That bike path/greenway had a stunning view of the Verrazano Bridge -

Riding along that path, there was the sound of seagulls and the familiar smell of salt water, which I really enjoyed. And once I noticed this handsome bird, I couldn't resist stopping to photograph him -

We stayed on Surf Ave, past Coney Island (again, where I was just two weeks ago). I only stopped for a minute to eat a vegan sandwich I had packed. But many cyclists lined up for some Nathan's -

Riding past a bunch of docked boats, I thought "I should photograph a boat" and just as I looked up, I saw one that was named after me! (sort of) What a coincidence!

I love this sign so much!

Around 11am, I stopped for the first time all day - the first time - since 7am! I had to use the bathroom, so I had no choice. Fortunately, I also got some free and healthy snacks at that rest stop. I also asked the mechanic to look at my bike because it was stopping really abruptly all day and just felt very tight - hard to pedal and even harder to stop. They couldn't find a problem and told me to carry on...

From there I rode through some very desolate, remote and unattractive sections of Brooklyn - places I had never been and will likely never be again. Places, dare I say, that were not worth photographing.

It was certainly a diverse ride through the Borough of Kings. But I swear, whomever mapped out this route made sure to find EVERY possible hill in Brooklyn. I couldn't even believe some of the steep hills we had to climb! But I climbed every last one of them.

Then we rode on Eastern Parkway (I know I sound like a broken record, but I rode there last weekend too!) which is a beautiful, tree lined bike/pedestrian path -

From there, we headed through Williamsburg and Greenpoint - a route I am *very* familiar with, literally passing the block I live on. I could have left the tour at that moment, but I did not.

I crossed the Pulaski Bridge again -

and headed back to Queens, to the 59th St Bridge (does this sound familiar? It should, it's the same way I started the tour this morning!)

and made my way back to the 110th St entrance of Central Park, shortly before 2pm, where they had a great cheering team of young ladies! Thank you, gals! You also did a great job!

I was told by many people throughout the day that I win the award for "most stylish", but they all admitted there was no actual award. That's ok, the verbal award was enough for me. And I heard from the marshals that they had *never* seen anyone do this tour in heels. I was proud to be the first!

I collected my goody bag, with t-shirt -

I met a nice young woman from Transportation Alternatives, who thanked me for promoting the tour (she saw me on Brokelyn) -

And like that, it was over. I had done it. But I still had to bike home.

I headed south on 5th Ave and over the Queensboro Bridge (yes, this IS the third time I crossed this bridge today) -

and over the Pulaski Bridge for the 3rd time too (but I was too exhausted to pull over and take a photo). I continued into Greenpoint, along Manhattan Ave, and decided to give into my insatiable desire for beer. A celebratory beer. Where else but at Habitat - because I love their waffle fries!

I think that might have been the BEST beer I ever had in my life.

Unfortunately, after leaving there, I took my bike straight to B's Bikes because it had been acting weird. They were kind enough to congratulate me on today's ride (and I initiated high fives to many of the staff). I explained the situation to Andre, who I adore, and left her there for the night in their very capable hands.

I removed my odometer before dropping her off and the final reading for the day was 70.7 miles!

Exhausted, I walked back home, where I took an 'after' picture. Look at how frizzy my pigtails are -

and modeled my new t-shirt!

I almost can't believe it's over, and that I did it as fast as I did. Of course it helped that the weather cooperated and there were a lot less people than the 5 Boro. It was a great ride and great day. Maybe I'll attempt the 75 mile next year. But I should probably get a 'real' bike. I am thinking this might be my dream bike.



Heck, if I saved for an iPod, I can save for this, right?


(Note: All of today's photos can be see here)