This is a very slow/leisurely ride. The last time I did it we were back in the city around 3 a.m.! There is a lot of waiting around for the group and a long rest stop at a grocery store in New Jersey. Don't expect to go through the tunnel till way after midnight!

"Hi,

For those who expect to be back early or ride Sunday morning, this ride isn't for you. Otherwise, you are welcome for some delightful night cycling at ""C"" Pace.

The ride should be over by about 3am. WHAT?

To maximize enjoyment:

* Meet 10 min. before start time of 9pm, at the Columbus Circle fountain and monument. Sign in, get rest stop at Time Warner building, Whole Foods, if needed.


* I usually get attractive women & handsome guys on this ride. They are single, maybe available, maybe pushing their luck. Why I don't know....


* No cuesheet will be given out. I am the cuesheet and I will ""pull"" & ""point"" most of the ride. Just follow me.


* Make sure bike (esp. tire pressure) is in good order.


* No panniers or backpacks please.


* Helmets required.


* Bring front and rear NON BLINKING steady lights.


* Be prepared to ride against blinding headlights.


* Stay alert and awake. It's about you being alive.


* We start riding, along Times Square by 9:23pm, ready or not. This is something new I'll introduce. Be prepared for bright lights, awestruck bystanders, busy traffic and follow my direction.


* We'll make a stop to place flowers at a ""ghost"" bike for a cyclist who was killed in an accident recently. It's about you being retrospective and riding carefully.


* We'll take the 179th St. North End bike/ped path of the George Washington Bridge. Instead of looking south of Manhattan, you see dark passages of the Hudson Valley. Carry your bike on the series of stairs. Ugh. It's about you getting a workout.


* Careful rollercoaster down hill stretch in Jersey then to a road in a quiet neighborhood. Two years ago, I saw a bike in the middle of the road there. And some residents, usually young people and elders, cheered us as if we're riding the Tour de France. It's about you knowing that you meet good people in this world.


* We will stop at a 24 hour supermarket. Eat up on ice cream, drink coffee, maybe free pastry, meet Dr. Z, etc. Of course, there's restrooms available. It's about you having a pause for a good time off the bike.


* We'll get a looksee at portions of the Hudson River. Walkway, viewing the Manhattan shoreline in the moonlight.
It's about you having a moment to remember.


* If you're taking pictures, you may want to have a steady hand or a tripod for good shots.


* We'll be near the Tunnel entrance while I go to Tunnel Headquarters to get clearance. My presence is picked up by surveilance camaras. ""So you're Alfredo Garcia...""


* Expect taking the Tunnel by 2am (this is a condition set by the authorities). We will pay no tolls. We will have a Port Authority patrol car riding sweep, maybe an officer will sing a capella ""We are the Champions"" on the PA.


* Yelling and screaming in the Tunnel encouraged. It's about you not going quietly into the night.


* You can go home after we get back or join us for post ride breakfast at Moonstruck Diner (I wish we could feast at Chez Josephine). Or I can show you a 24 hour shop that sells 99 cent pizza.

Finish about 3am-WHY?

Since leading this ride for nearly 8 years, I usually start at 11:23pm. But the Port Authority has a 12 midnight closure of GWB. Thus the early time. And the Tunnel people usually get me in an empty tube by 2am. It's a bind for me as a bike ride leader. But I make the best of the crazy situation, into a pleasant one.

I'm also the lead for Saturday's 10am C12 Sandy Hook ride ((if you're going, get to Pier 11 around 9am for a ticket-it sells out) as well as the Lincoln Tunnel ride. As a ride leader since 1994, it's about me having fun with others.

Alfredo

"