| Greetings
Sorry I wasn't able to meet you Dave but if you can imagine getting
me and 5 other people out of bed EARLY on a weekend morning its
a miracle that we ever got to the ride. We got to Battery Park at
8:00 and soon learned the first of many lessons about bike riding
in the Gotham City...everyone cheats when standing in line! We had
a good time but there were some hassles including:
a. 20,000+ riders is an enormous amount of people! Whenever I've
seen pictures of Chinese people wheeling around on bikes it looks
so easy but ahhhh not so easy. Someone is ALWAYS moving around you
and we have to be on our best biking behavior to keep from banging
into someone.
b. Some riders show up at these plesant day touring, goof-off, take
your time etc. rides and have to win whatever the race that seens
to be going on in their minds. These guys (maybe gals but I've never
seen women do this) are stripped down to racing weight and fly in
and out of the crowd of us geezers who are enjoying a day on a bike.
This phenonomen isn't NYC I've seen it on every ride I've been on.
c. NYC really knows how to throw a party. The roads were blocked
off and there were cops everywhere and for a few minutes we owned
the city. It was great to hear someone gripe about not being able
to cross the street. Hummmm kindof like the 364 days and 23hours
of the year when they treat us like we have no right to the street?
d. Someone in one of the many notes on this trip mentioned that
my 11 year old will eventually catch up to me and I should be careful
about complaining tooo kmuch. Well this trip I had the 9 year old
and he was weezing along and I stayed with him. The 11 year old
started somewhat slowly but at about 18 miles he said he would go
on ahead and apparently made really good time finishing 30+ mins.
ahead of me! Later we had something of a challange to get up a hill
and I beat him just to remind him that ruthlessness and skill still
and whip youth and vigor anyday.
e. Lets see it was New York anything unusual? Well a homeless woman
was beaten to death for trying to sell a radio to the guy she stole
it from...At one of the public bathrooms some woman were using the
men's toilet...I thought the people on the Queen's side of the river
were significantly nicer than the people in Manhatten.
Fred Mudgett
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| Hello from Gotham City:
So it was quite amazing to 20,000 riders in the same place, not knowing
where the start was and not know ing where the end was. I couln't tell
if I was looking at 5,000 at a time or 20,000, all I know everywhere
you looked, front back up on the top of 59th street bridge or going
down the Verrazano bridge, people.
In the orignal note about this rally, I made mention of the people
trying to cross the street, this put new meaning to "take your best
shot". It was pretty much impossible for pedestrians to cross the
street.
Did you see the bicycle built for 9? That was pretty cool, they were
going good.
Any flats, did you walk over those bridges in the Bronx?
At the end of the ride I and two others rode out to Bellmore on Long
Island. It turned out to be a 70 mile day. I'm glad the wheather held
out. In fact like every year, it rains a little in the morning, but it
turns out to be just perfect. I missed seeing Dick, I wonder if he
made it, it was pretty crowded.
Try to make it next year
See you all, see you in the notes conference.
David
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| As it turns out I didn't make it to NYC last weekend. I had a last
minute change of plans. We're going to be there this weekend for
Mother's Day. My timing is really terrible. I missed the 5 Boro
Bike Tour in NYC last weekend and I will miss the Tour de Trump,
about 2 miles from my house, this weekend. I'm glad you had a good
day and a good ride.
Maybe next year.
Dick
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