Last night I went to bed entirely too late because I stayed up watching a good movie; Eastern Promises. So, I was pretty tired when I woke this morning. Tired and cold. I like to let the air conditioning crank all night and when I awoke, I was spooning Doris for all she was worth (She's a veritable hot water bottle). Nevertheless, I rose, showered, stuffed my clothes in my old messenger bag and walked my bike out the door at 6:00am. I threw a leg over my road bike and headed north towards Fort Tryon Park.Being sneaky I poached the paths through the woods in Fort Tryon Park. I felt a bit guilty rolling over the stenciled "No bikes on pathway" warnings, but those feelings left once I had switched into cyclocross mode and was blasting through the woods. Too bad the paths are so short; I could have used more than the 30 second stoke I got out of that frowned-upon maneuver.
Popping out onto Broadway, I turned north and churned the cranks up through Inwood, across the Broadway Bridge, and into the Bronx. I really love riding under the 1 Train as it rumbles so loudly on the elevated tracks overhead. I rode under the train until it reached the end of its line at 242nd street where I shot out from under it and kept spinning up past Van Courtlandt Park.
The only real hill in my 7.5 mile commute greeted me just out side of Yonkers. I got out of the saddle and rocked the bars side to side to help reel in the climb. After a few minutes I plateaued in lovely (not really) Yonkers. Passing a White Castle, numerous bodegas, gas stations, auto shops and Latin restaurants, I coasted down to the Hudson River and stopped. Looking north and south through the morning fog, I could barely make out the Tapanzee and George Washington Bridges. It was 6:35am. I was early and had plenty of time to change into work clothes and grab some java.
I have to say, I'm glad it didn't rain on me. Although its really coming down right now. I forgot to bring my fender, so It looks like I may be getting the dreaded "wet ass" on the way home tonight...
6 comments:
Glad you found the motivation despite a late night to commute! Sounds like you have a pretty scenic route to work, what type of bike did you ride?
Thanks, me too! I was pretty stoked from the ride in for most of the day. I'm just about done here too, which means I get to head home now. Probably do some exploring on the way.
I rode my old K2 Mod 4 road bike. She's an oldie but goody. Pretty light, pretty fast, pretty in general.
Mike
Lots of cycling blogs in NYC. Yours stands out in the crowd. Nice stories and cool photography. I like the route maps. Good work!
Ride safe
rct
RCT:
Thanks for the kind words. I checked out your blog. I see you're into HAM radio. As a kid, my friends and I were really into CB's. We all had either handhelds or base units and would chatter in the evenings from our houses. Those were some good times. I remember that my handle was "rigor mortis" lol One of my friends actually got a HAM radio and I can remember talking to someone in Kansas when we were in upstate NY via some sort of "skipping"? (I forget the term)
Mike
Yep CB is how I got started in radio too. Ham radio is a blast. A good winter time activity for those of us up north but I love it and am on the air all time. I have made contact with numerous ops that live in NYC. They drop antenna wires out their windows or have access to building roofs.
My daughter took me on a bike ride recently. I had forgotten how much fun it was. Thanks for your blog.
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