NYC Alley Cat Race. Fixed gear, no brakes, no holds barred. The photographer riding with these guys is phenomenal
Month: May 2016
Riding All Day
I left the house at 8 AM in order to try Subway’s May special. Buy any 6″ sub and get a breakfast sandwich free. The one word that comes to mind is “Don’t”. When the young girl put the egg part of the sandwich on the counter it look like the fake vomit we used to see as a kid. The bacon didn’t look any better. The bread was good though. One more thought about Subway. I keep track of my food on myfitnesspal. Occasionally my daily salt consumption would be off the charts. When I looked at my subway entries and found that was the cause, I decided that I will not eat there very often any more. I have some money left on my app to use up, and that will be it. Too bad because I kind of like the place.
Besides 25 miles of riding today I got to cut the lawn that, with all the rain lately, was turning into frog grass. (Kneedeep). Tried in vain to get my Honda power washer started. It’s less than a year old and I think it’s dead. 
A buddy came over to help me move a 300+ lb mahogany entertainment center into my garage. I think he is dead also. It’s on Craigslist and is offered for free, but there are no takers. It will go out for the trash pickup on Wednesday. (If I can get a hand moving it).
I ended the day getting the road bike ready for some serious riding. Cleaned, lubed and summer tires installed. All I need is a few hours of sunshine which has not happened in the month of May yet. Maybe Monday. Maybe not.
Early Morning Is The Best Time To Ride
Early morning ride to get my hair done. I left the shop at 8;30 and it was just too nice not to ride. 45 and cloudy. It is the first day without rain this month. Met with a couple of bike friends and fellow photographers, Peter Perreira and Josh Sousa at Tia Maria’s European Cafe in New Bedford. Naturally we talked bikes. A ride around the peninsula in the city before returning home to power wash the decks and clean two bikes of all the crap they collect from riding in the rain. Probably do a second ride tonight
So Close
I have signed up for the National Bike Challenge, (in partnership with Cottonelle). When I pledged to do 30 days of biking, it rained, snowed, was cold, windy and raw for the first week. It hasn’t snowed during the first week of this challenge, but it has rained every day. Being part of a challenge does get me out to ride when normally, days like today, would be go to a movie or watch TV. Smart phones make it possible to keep and eye on the approaching rains in real time so I can either take shelter for a while, or beat feet it home. That system works pretty pretty good, but there are times when things don’t. For instance…
NYC Five Boroughs Ride.
Our team of 10 riders traveled to NYC to do the Five Boroughs Tour. I have to confess that I don’t know some of the team members, nor have I met them. I only saw one of the nine others over the weekend and things did not work out that well for him. Did you ever stop your bike not unclip and fall over. Yea, me too. It happened to Paul at around the 25 mile mark in Queens. He is going into surgery today to have his broken hip repaired.
Things were a bit worse on at the Red Hook Crit on Saturday night 10 seconds into the race when the pace motorcycle stalled.
Our ride started in a light rain and all the comments were how not so bad it was riding. By 10 AM the F bombs started as the intensity of the rain increased. The last 10 miles on the Bronx/Queens expressway sucked. Heavy rain, wind and almost all up hill. Everyone who finished was glad they did. A lot never got that far. I’m guessing the subways got crowded as people bailed. I can’t wait for next years tour.
Did I make a movie. Of course.
2016 NYC FIVE BOROUGHS from John Sullivan on Vimeo.
A Midnight Rider 