I’ve been doing some laps at Central Park in recent weeks. Lots of aero bars and tourists on rented bikes.
My 40-60 mile jaunts between towns and cities are within my abilities so riding around the park is for the saddle time. I’m not trying to break any speed records, I just want to build up to 4-5 hours of time on a bike seat.
Books about bikes bore me. Magazines, too. They remind me of the saying, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” I don’t want to write about bike riding, I just want to ride.
This video, ‘The 1910 Challenge,’ is a masterpiece and makes me want to do one thing; ride my bike.
Sometimes biking to work can be just as stressful as taking the subway. Aside from just staying alive on the streets you also have to remember a hundred different things. Forgetting deodorant ruins your whole day (and the day of those around you). Forgetting your headphones is even worse.
This is a street in Brooklyn that I ride on my way to Queens. It’s quiet. It’s lonely. It’s still.
Ahead lie miles of quiet, lonely and still roads. I’m stoked.
In case you’re wondering what sort of bike I will be riding during my adventures, it is a NYCBikes single speed with flat bars. Right now I’m not planning on adding any extra bags or a seat-post rack. This is mostly because I don’t have a lot of stuff, but once I start hauling my laptop and the rest of my possessions (which isn’t a lot) that could change.
I wonder if doing this adventure on a single speed is a mistake, then I remember I’ve done some serious rides on this bike already. I’ve done 75 miles a few times, and a handful of 50 milers. Even the ride to Nyack, NY and back. I realize I won’t be doing these rides in record setting time, but I’ll get there.
This is the view from the West Side of Manhattan, looking over to New Jersey. In just a week or so I will be biking there, via the George Washingston Bridge (I’m not going to cheat by taking the PATH train). After a month with a friend I will be riding the width of NJ into Pennsylvania. I’m giving myself two days to do this. I really want to give myself time to take photos and actually take in the scenery as I travel.
On August 1, 2010 I will be leaving NYC. I moved here in October of 2004 from Stroudsburg, PA because my (now) ex-wife got accepted to Grad school. I had no grand hopes of ever moving to the “big city” but here we are. Almost six years later a lot has happened. I’m no longer married, I’m a few pounds lighter, I’ve worked a number of cool jobs and had some amazing NYC moments. I’m pretty sure the coming months will be just as amazing.
I’ve been reading a lot about this “minimalist thing” on the interwebs. Everett Bogue, who writes Far Beyond the Stars, has been a big inspiration. Whereas my reading habits in the past may have steered me towards Apple gossip, music news and productivity tips, I’m now deep into a world of “less is more.” I own clothes, a tooth brush, this laptop, an iPhone, a bike and a nice messenger bag. I’m not going to count everything I own, but it’s not much. I love it. Years ago I craved gadgets. I owned several pairs of shoes to cover several different activities. I had clothes I never worn but couldn’t bring myself to throw out. I owned musical instruments that I hadn’t touched in years. No more.
August inches closer and I’ll be preparing to ride to NJ on my bike to stay with my friend Amy. From there I will work as editor of a metal blog for AOL Music for eight hours a day, then with the remainder hours of daylight I shall explore, eat, laugh and explore some more. One month later, I will head west.