"Starts: 09:30 AM from 23rd Street & First Avenue
Ends: 4:00 PM in lower Manhattan (or sooner via subway/LIRR if you need to bail)
All new route out to Long Beach. A brief stop for pizza and then home again. Mostly flat, but winds off the ocean could add texture.
The ride's ""structured improv"" format dictates we maintain a cohesive group at a steady pace. Bring $$ plus a LIRR/Metro-North Bike pass in case you need to bail.
RSVP: Neile Weissman, soupstone-at-mindspring-dot-com
Serious precipitation, or the failure of at least three people to RSVP by Saturday night, cancels. Check the message board on Sunday morning for ride status.
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NWS forecast: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 20s. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill values as low as 2 below early in the morning.
Notes: We'll want to start moving promptly at 9:30 to stay warm. WNW winds should make for an easy ride out, and a nice challenge back."
Sunday, 2/19 - B17/70 "Beaches of Nassau 3.1"
man, 28° I'm staying in bed.
I don't have neile's heated shorts.
If it stays sunny and there's no great wind chill, it should be OK -- even enjoyable -- if you remember head cover, gloves and chemical toe warmers for the extremities. The motor will warm the rest.
Also, as the route is relatively flat, so we can keep an even pace vs. a hilly terrain where you heat up and chill down.
ok, I'm desperate enough to need a ride.
if I'm back in the city I'll probably do it.
You really know how to make a girl feel wanted ...
Consider this E-mail my RSVP for Sunday's ride. I will see you guys at 9:00 AM on Sunday at 23rd & 1st ave.
Neile,if there is any change or cancellation please contact me at 718-641-0143.
Thanks,
Joe
I meant 9:30 AM.
What ... ?
With real-feel temps below zero, five cyclists showed up, ready to ride (cue theme from The Magnificent Seven):
Joe Aguiar
Shari Alexander
Matt Frank
Rob Marcus
Ron Thomson
They shall heretofore be regarded as the UN-Wuss Five.
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The cold really wasn't that bad. So long as the head, hands and feet are protected, the motor should handle the rest. The challenge is to get the coverage right. Somewhat gear-challenged, I stripped off a shirt, rolled up my pants legs and doubled up on head gear. Took half the ride to get it right. (Shari took the hint, and just emailed me a comprehensive write-up on what the RIGHT gear should be.)
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The ride itself went surprisingly as planned. Over the Queensborough Bridge to LIRR service road; worked north/south of Metropolitan/Jamaica Avenues until the Nassau border. Side streets tracking Cross Island Parkway; Francis Lewis Boulevard into Hewlett; then threaded through a luxury development off the Bay before taking the main drags into Long Beach and a much welcome pizza lunch.
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While the 20+ mph northwest wind facilitated passage out, it promised a considerable trudge back. So we stayed away from the ocean and off wide avenues into the Rockaways and then due north up Cross Bay. (Thanks to Joe Aguiar for an impromptu lead on this section when I needed a break.)
Finally, a creditable UAR through New Lots, East New York, Broadway Junction, Ocean Hill, Bedford Stuyvesant, Fort Greene and Williamsburg before ending at the Manhattan Bridge.
64 miles. 13.4 Average.
Good riding with Niele as always. Fun group.
