26 miles on the fixed gear

I set off on the fixed gear this morning with the intention of popping down to MOD Squad Cycles and back. Nothing more than a 4 or 5 mile spin. I figured the fixed gear would save my stitched finger from shifting and braking. MOD Squad is a pretty cool little shop. They're located in South Harlem just north of Central Park. I got good vibes from the people working today and got a little nostalgic for the years I spent working as a mechanic in bike shops. As I was knee-deep into reminiscing about greasy days gone by there was a loud record skip... the culprit: a customer complaining about the shop not carrying a particular type of bike rack. It was then that I decided days gone by are sometimes best left ... gone by. I did pick up a snazzy new Knog cap before leaving and headed back home.

iPhone snap of the RFK Bridge from Queens.

Funny thing about headed back home: I couldn't do it. It was too nice out. Riding, after running the past few days felt so good on the legs, and so I just pointed the bike south and pedaled. I didn't really have a plan but did have an interest in checking out Randalls Island. So, off I went. I ducked into Central Park and took the bike path down to 59th street and shot across the Queensboro Bridge. Once I was in Queens I churned north up to the RFK Bridge. My ride turned out being 26 miles instead of the 4 or 5 I planned on.

iPhone snap, riding across the RFK Bridge into Randalls Island

Riding across the RFK Bridge was amazing. It's narrower than the George Washington and the view is pretty amazing. There are stairs you climb at each end of the bridge and they've built a little gutter at the side of the stairs for you to push your bike within. I planned on taking the RFK Bridge North, off of the island and into the Bronx but the walkway was closed and so I had to take the pedestrian bridge west into Manhattan. From there I pedaled west and hopped back into Central Park to complete the top loop of the bike path and exit at the same point I had entered the park an hour or so earlier. From there it was just a 70 or so block ride home.

iPhone snapshot of my Pista under the RFK Bridge in Queens.

As I sit on the couch drinking glass after glass of water I'm feeling great. I think a quick run ought to just about wipe me out for the day. Looking forward to a hearty supper!