5 Boro Bike Tour

The 5 Boro Bike tour was held on May 3rd of this year. It was 42 miles of New York City sights and sounds. I have done this tour before about 15 years ago so I was a little intimidated by the distance and the anticipated crowd of 30,000 New Yorkers on their home turf. Would I have to stop from exhaustion somewhere on the BQE? Would I be punted off the course somewhere in Harlem by an angry Brooklynite? Would I fall off the bike and be pushed to the curb and be run over repeatedly by callous residents of the Big Apple? It felt good to look at Jen, Gerry and Uncle Gaston for familiarity and comfort.

The day started at 5am when we woke up and dragged ourselves out of bed. The day was overcast as we headed for Staten Island where we would take the ferry to the starting line. On our way, it started to rain ever so slightly but we were not worried - we were bicycle warriors!! The tour started and wound its way through Manhattan. As we progressed, so did the rain. It fell steadily for the entirety of the tour and with every drop, it seemed like our will to live was being washed away. We stopped at the rest stops and ate bananas and crackers. For some reason, those bananas tasted so good!! By the end of the tour, we were all soaked to our socks. Our bicycle warrior status had been replaced by hunger, fatigue and misery. Disoriented, we wandered to a gas station close to where we parked. We were greeeted by a homeless man who extolled the virtues of gas station nachos. We took his advice and enjoyed processed chilli product and a reasonable cheese facsimilie that seemed to retain heat contrary to the laws of thermodynamics. They were really good!!
The bottom line? I had a great time and I am looking forward to the tour next year and every year thereafter....rain or shine!!!