I was a bit nervous about this one because I didn't know much of the route. So there was much dependency on the GPS. I mapped it out on Garmin's site a while back so I just sat and tried to study it and I figured I'd keep the watch on the map screen. It does an ok job in drawing a line for me that I can follow, but no verbal directions like "left turn here".
I took off at 9am on an absolutely beautiful day. My ride took me through some pretty safe streets for a bike into Queens and eventually I got to Union Turnpike. Ahead of me - Alley Pond Park. My nemesis. Cloverleaf turns, GPS ruining trees, a sure way to get lost. Knowing this ahead of time, my GPS took me on Union for a bit and then I ducked into the park to hit the Greenway. Problem was my GPS didn't know that I had to carry my bike up a hill to get to the path. That's ok, I figured it out immediately. From there it was clear sailing until I got to Flushing Meadows Park.
Picture from Wikipedia.org
I love going through the Worlds Fair grounds. It's open, it's beautiful, it's got history, it's got people playing soccer and volleyball and throwing frisbees, it's got everything. The Unisphere is something to behold and it's just plain cool to ride through. Problem is there's a mess of highways that go through the park and it's easy to get lost trying to get out of there. Eventually I made my way to 34th Ave after having to abandon the park and just head north on a street that looked like it would go all the way through. I made it and then headed west towards Astoria.
I have never been on the RFK bridge (formerly known as the Triboro) on a bike before. Last year, when I did the NYC Century, I broke a spoke before I got to the bridge so I didn't get to do it. This time I was really looking forward to it. Unlike other bridges like the Queensboro and Brooklyn, the RFK wasn't really made for bikes, so you approach a stairway on Hoyt Ave and carry the bike up. Then you ride for a bit and get to another stairway. Once you navigate that one, it's clear riding until you get to your exit onto Randalls Island. That was very cool. Wide open area, fields and parks everywhere. The soccer fields were absolutely enormous. Yes, a few industrial plants too, but I didn't care. This was a new experience. I headed north and eventually hooked up with the bridge again to get to the Bronx.
I'd never ridden in the Bronx before either. I got a little intimidated by Bruckner Blvd, and got a little lost from my route on the GPS so I just headed generally northeast and eventually found my way to the Bronx Zoo and picked up Pelham Parkway. And now I was back on the Greenway. A fabulous (although overgrown) path through Pelham Bay and Orchard Beach.
The ride on the protected path ends in a neighborhood and there I did my mitzvah (good deed) for the day. A teenager and his father passed me in the other direction heading to the protected Greenway. I heard the teen wipeout before he got to the path and when I turned, the father obviously didn't realize it. So I turned around and asked if he needed help. He was just a little bruised and scraped up and old enough not to care so much, but he was a little jittery. I used my first aid kit (insistence from my wife) and patched him up in a couple of cases and he finally got a hold of his father on the phone. The father didn't seem to want to come back, so the son said he'd just ride up to catch him. He seemed ok and thanked me for the band aids. Feeling good about my "pay it forward" moment, I pressed on.
The ride continued on and of course the rolling hills of Westchester were not something I was used to on Long Island, but I welcomed them eagerly. I passed through Mamaroneck, Larchmont and Portchester on the East Coast Greenway (needs better signage!). Just the thought of riding up and down the east coast gave me goosebumps. Maybe in a few years :). It was on this segment, now that I felt a little more comfortable with the route, that I realized I didn't have any songs in my head. Yeah, that's all it took. I guess I had been concentrating so much on my route, that I didn't have the mental energy free to start perusing my mental playlist. I stopped to top off my drinks in Portchester and along with some peanuts, I walked out of a Valero station with Roxette.
Wow, that was really 80s of me. The song isn't really tailor made for any kind of exercise, more for holding a candle in a concert arena and swaying back and forth. What was funny about it was my wife knew I was over my 50m barrier for my older son getting more annoying ones into my head so on the ride home from a friend's house the night before and my son started singing a Rhianna song (I think), she shushed him and we all had a laugh. That morning I was thinking of a song I heard earlier in the week (Duel with the Devil by Transatlantic) but I can never predict what will pop in when I'm on the road.
Listen to Your Heart has always struck me as kind of a forlorn song. The singer is telling a woman who is about to call it quits to a relationship to pause and realize that the guy isn't so bad. At least that's my interpretation. Frankly, I'm all in favor of "listen to your gut". Your heart can get you in trouble.
Musically it has all the elements of 80s ballads - ethereal electronic keyboards, question and answer chorus that coalesces to a high pitched whiny plea. I actually liked the song when it came out in the 80s, but it does little to differentiate itself from the rest of the music of the era. I will say that Roxette's Marie Fredriksson had a nice almost Annie Lennox-like voice that carried the song well.
I made my way into Connecticut and travelled through Bruce Park (wow!) until I got to River Road. There I hit my 60 mile mark. And my GPS did something really weird. It played a song, similar but different to when I reach a destination, and then powered down. With my map. In the middle of an area I don't know. I went into a mild panic and tried to turn it back on. It did and seemed to pick up where it was but the map wasn't visible anymore as there was a big splash screen in front that blocked the viewer asking if I wanted to save my route. With frustration from technology, fatigue began to set in and my legs were struggling to get up the hills. I began to ignore my GPS at this point and just trusted in my (reputably) good sense of direction. I wound my way under and over I95 a few times and then got to US1. Then I knew I could get to my destination, assuming I could survive the busy street. There were no fears there though as I got to Binney Park in Old Greenwich and ended up at my in-laws house in one piece. Unfortunately I missed my father-in-law and wife and two kids who left 15 minutes earlier to go to my F-I-L's boat for a ride on the Long Island Sound. Oh well, I did get a nice shower in and spent quality time with my mother-in-law (who I actually enjoy talking to believe it or not).
All in all, it was a good ride. I'd definitely do it again. I need to get more comfortable with my GPS. It's great for recording stats and trending and showing where I've been. It's not so good for navigation though.
Vitals:
| Distance: | 63.03 mi |
| Time: | 4:20:45 |
| Avg Speed: | 14.5 mph |
| Elevation Gain: | 2,084 ft |
| Calories: | 3,797 C |
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