2010 NYC Century Bike Tour Registration Now Open!
09-10-10, 05:22 PM
#76
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I'm still going back and forth over this. Perhaps some of you can help me with my decision. I'd like to do the 75miler. I've got people coming to my apt to watch football at 1pm. That gives me 6 hours. I can do 4 laps in the park in an hour and 24 mins. I expect this ride will be much flatter and easier than park laps. This will be my longest ride to date, I did 50 miles that were pretty flat on weds (my apt on ues up to van courtland to south county rail trail all the way to elmsford and back) you guys think I can ride this pretty aggressively and knock it out with time to spare?
I feel like I can but I'm also worried that this may be a casual ride a la 5 borough bike tour where its so crowded you can't really go fast. Any advice you have is appreciated.
I feel like I can but I'm also worried that this may be a casual ride a la 5 borough bike tour where its so crowded you can't really go fast. Any advice you have is appreciated.
09-11-10, 05:52 AM
#78
Senior Member
you should do it cuz its once a year. you got football season coming up and thats not just one day unless its your team playing! i think you could make it though, just bike safely so i dont get hurt!
09-11-10, 09:04 AM
#79
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You should definitely do it. At the Marine Park rest stop you can check your pace. If it's not happening for you that day, you can bug out on the 75-miler and switch to the 55. Well worth it.
09-11-10, 11:09 AM
#81
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Doh!!!! I broke a spoke yesterday so I may NOT be on my road bike. There's a chance I'll be on my mango-colored Dahon SpeedPro. Still likely in my BF jersey. 
09-11-10, 08:06 PM
#84
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I'm a little underpowered having a cold so who knows what I will bring to the table tomorrow.As for meeting, I'm going to do my best to be at the start line to leave with the first group so I can give myself the best opportunity to finish early (and maybe beat some rain). I'd mostly like to say "hi" to anyone there and how well we're matched speed-wise will shake itself out pretty quickly.
09-12-10, 04:14 AM
#85
Senior Member
I checked the radar and decided it wasn't worth it, whether it actually gets here or not. There were some heavy rains heading straight towards NYC. I had enough of riding in the rain in Seattle back in May. Maybe next year.
09-12-10, 06:06 PM
#86
Senior Member
i was there 10 mins before 6. at the front but in the grass area, too many people. weather was nice til the afternoon when it started drizzling. it got a little worst at the finish and when i was going home... around 2.30 pm.
overall lots of cool people, fun ride, met up randomly with some people who joined me. the roads suck in nyc, my whole body's aching from all the bumps... man, got work tomorrow ...
overall lots of cool people, fun ride, met up randomly with some people who joined me. the roads suck in nyc, my whole body's aching from all the bumps... man, got work tomorrow ...
09-13-10, 06:06 AM
#87
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Thanks for convincing me to do this. I had friggin blast!! It was my first ever ride in a group and my longest ride to date. I'm definitely pumped to do escape new York in a couple of weeks!
The weather held off til about mile 55 or so, fortunately it never came down really hard but at one point it was decently ref and slick. I saw a couple of low speed wipe outs. I just slowed down my pace and after 40 minutes it was done and by the end of the ride it was pretty much dry.
The weather held off til about mile 55 or so, fortunately it never came down really hard but at one point it was decently ref and slick. I saw a couple of low speed wipe outs. I just slowed down my pace and after 40 minutes it was done and by the end of the ride it was pretty much dry.
09-13-10, 10:55 AM
#88
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Ride Report
On my way down from the The Heights to the start line (a leisurely 15 minute ride) I met a gal from the NYU cycling team. We agreed it would be nice to ride together. Unfortunately she had to pick-up her ride packet so we had to split up and never saw each other again.
I went straight for the cue sheets and meandered my way to the start. I was surprised by the number of people at the start. It seemed like a bigger crowd than usual. I was expecting see NYU gal ride up to the front too but <gasp/> the ride started on time! Off I went on my own hoping to find others to ride with me.
I didn't have anyone to ride with me for a long time. I was out of the gate with the first group and apparently ahead of everyone until around Bleecker St when I was caught by a fast group elements of which stayed, for the most part, together through the Astoria rest stop. That group was fast, staying between 20-25mph on the road and accelerating out of most every corner. I did a few short pulls and filled-in gaps when they appeared but knew I was toast if I worked too hard. At Prospect Park we were joined by a gal who started there. At some point after the 2nd rest stop at Marine Park, IIRC, a guy who had being doing rather well keeping up on a Brompton disappeared. We had another BF member (Inertianinja) in our group too who I'll let tell his story when he gets a chance. I'd missed him at the Northfork Century but recognized him in Brooklyn by his jersey. All were pretty cool people and knew how to ride fast and safely. Refreshing!
Along the way one of the guys pulling a lot got flat when he was at the back. Most of us went back to wait. Dude was not doing so well fixing the flat and was expecting to fill the tube with a little pea-shooter pump. I took over and had us on the road pretty quickly, hooray for CO2! (yes I am patting my own back). Strangely, he ditched us at the Astoria rest stop after we waited for him. Bah.
There was a little rain at some point I think in Queens before Astoria, but otherwise the conditions were reasonable. Flat tire guy's sneaky exit spelled the beginning of the end for the little group, the Triboro Bridge insanity laying the final blow. At various points along the rest of the route I came across pieces of the group but the oomph had gone out of the ride. The Bronx and the remaining bit in Manhattan were relatively relaxed.
Brooklyn gal and I hooked-up with a couple of other guys through Riverdale where I let them all go so I could hang at that rest stop with my wife and son who were volunteering there (as much as a two year old can help hehe). In the Bronx we had Inertianinja and a friend he'd made in our first group with us for a while too. At Riverdale one of the really strong guys in our group, an ex-MTBer and part-time cat 3 racer, who I thought had decided not to do the full hundred showed up. We rode together to the line, though he pretty easily dropped me before the end as I no longer had the legs to keep up. Dude was fun to ride with and always seemed ready to go all out.
I hung around the finish for a while saying goodbyes to a number of the group members before heading home for some pizza and a return to the Riverdale rest stop to pick-up the fam. The stop had been so under-staffed that my wife worked there a while longer while the little guy and I fed the ducks in the pond. All in all, a very satisfying day. I clocked something like 112 miles for the day.
However... I have to say, it was the most poorly organized of the eight NYC Centuries I've ridden. No Krispy Kremes at the first rest stop, a disappointment, but if KK is no longer a sponsor, what can you do? The problems began with the second rest stop where there was *no water*. Yikes. There were a number of very poorly marked areas too including one spot where there appeared to be no turn marker for no reason, a section where the road had been torn-up and no markers were present, and confusingly yellow markers on the Soundview Greenway in the Bronx (the rest were a dark pink or red). I heard that a number of rest-stops ran out of peanut butter and that the hummus shipment didn't arrive (I didn't see any anywhere). Small complaints but usually the organization of the ride is pretty tight.
On my way down from the The Heights to the start line (a leisurely 15 minute ride) I met a gal from the NYU cycling team. We agreed it would be nice to ride together. Unfortunately she had to pick-up her ride packet so we had to split up and never saw each other again.
I went straight for the cue sheets and meandered my way to the start. I was surprised by the number of people at the start. It seemed like a bigger crowd than usual. I was expecting see NYU gal ride up to the front too but <gasp/> the ride started on time! Off I went on my own hoping to find others to ride with me.
I didn't have anyone to ride with me for a long time. I was out of the gate with the first group and apparently ahead of everyone until around Bleecker St when I was caught by a fast group elements of which stayed, for the most part, together through the Astoria rest stop. That group was fast, staying between 20-25mph on the road and accelerating out of most every corner. I did a few short pulls and filled-in gaps when they appeared but knew I was toast if I worked too hard. At Prospect Park we were joined by a gal who started there. At some point after the 2nd rest stop at Marine Park, IIRC, a guy who had being doing rather well keeping up on a Brompton disappeared. We had another BF member (Inertianinja) in our group too who I'll let tell his story when he gets a chance. I'd missed him at the Northfork Century but recognized him in Brooklyn by his jersey. All were pretty cool people and knew how to ride fast and safely. Refreshing!
Along the way one of the guys pulling a lot got flat when he was at the back. Most of us went back to wait. Dude was not doing so well fixing the flat and was expecting to fill the tube with a little pea-shooter pump. I took over and had us on the road pretty quickly, hooray for CO2! (yes I am patting my own back). Strangely, he ditched us at the Astoria rest stop after we waited for him. Bah.
There was a little rain at some point I think in Queens before Astoria, but otherwise the conditions were reasonable. Flat tire guy's sneaky exit spelled the beginning of the end for the little group, the Triboro Bridge insanity laying the final blow. At various points along the rest of the route I came across pieces of the group but the oomph had gone out of the ride. The Bronx and the remaining bit in Manhattan were relatively relaxed.
Brooklyn gal and I hooked-up with a couple of other guys through Riverdale where I let them all go so I could hang at that rest stop with my wife and son who were volunteering there (as much as a two year old can help hehe). In the Bronx we had Inertianinja and a friend he'd made in our first group with us for a while too. At Riverdale one of the really strong guys in our group, an ex-MTBer and part-time cat 3 racer, who I thought had decided not to do the full hundred showed up. We rode together to the line, though he pretty easily dropped me before the end as I no longer had the legs to keep up. Dude was fun to ride with and always seemed ready to go all out.
I hung around the finish for a while saying goodbyes to a number of the group members before heading home for some pizza and a return to the Riverdale rest stop to pick-up the fam. The stop had been so under-staffed that my wife worked there a while longer while the little guy and I fed the ducks in the pond. All in all, a very satisfying day. I clocked something like 112 miles for the day.
However... I have to say, it was the most poorly organized of the eight NYC Centuries I've ridden. No Krispy Kremes at the first rest stop, a disappointment, but if KK is no longer a sponsor, what can you do? The problems began with the second rest stop where there was *no water*. Yikes. There were a number of very poorly marked areas too including one spot where there appeared to be no turn marker for no reason, a section where the road had been torn-up and no markers were present, and confusingly yellow markers on the Soundview Greenway in the Bronx (the rest were a dark pink or red). I heard that a number of rest-stops ran out of peanut butter and that the hummus shipment didn't arrive (I didn't see any anywhere). Small complaints but usually the organization of the ride is pretty tight.
Last edited by oboeguy; 09-13-10 at 10:59 AM.
09-13-10, 11:12 AM
#89
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Ride Report
On my way down from the The Heights to the start line (a leisurely 15 minute ride) I met a gal from the NYU cycling team. We agreed it would be nice to ride together. Unfortunately she had to pick-up her ride packet so we had to split up and never saw each other again.
I went straight for the cue sheets and meandered my way to the start. I was surprised by the number of people at the start. It seemed like a bigger crowd than usual. I was expecting see NYU gal ride up to the front too but <gasp/> the ride started on time! Off I went on my own hoping to find others to ride with me.
I didn't have anyone to ride with me for a long time. I was out of the gate with the first group and apparently ahead of everyone until around Bleecker St when I was caught by a fast group elements of which stayed, for the most part, together through the Astoria rest stop. That group was fast, staying between 20-25mph on the road and accelerating out of most every corner. I did a few short pulls and filled-in gaps when they appeared but knew I was toast if I worked too hard. At Prospect Park we were joined by a gal who started there. At some point after the 2nd rest stop at Marine Park, IIRC, a guy who had being doing rather well keeping up on a Brompton disappeared. We had another BF member (Inertianinja) in our group too who I'll let tell his story when he gets a chance. I'd missed him at the Northfork Century but recognized him in Brooklyn by his jersey. All were pretty cool people and knew how to ride fast and safely. Refreshing!
Along the way one of the guys pulling a lot got flat when he was at the back. Most of us went back to wait. Dude was not doing so well fixing the flat and was expecting to fill the tube with a little pea-shooter pump. I took over and had us on the road pretty quickly, hooray for CO2! (yes I am patting my own back). Strangely, he ditched us at the Astoria rest stop after we waited for him. Bah.
There was a little rain at some point I think in Queens before Astoria, but otherwise the conditions were reasonable. Flat tire guy's sneaky exit spelled the beginning of the end for the little group, the Triboro Bridge insanity laying the final blow. At various points along the rest of the route I came across pieces of the group but the oomph had gone out of the ride. The Bronx and the remaining bit in Manhattan were relatively relaxed.
Brooklyn gal and I hooked-up with a couple of other guys through Riverdale where I let them all go so I could hang at that rest stop with my wife and son who were volunteering there (as much as a two year old can help hehe). In the Bronx we had Inertianinja and a friend he'd made in our first group with us for a while too. At Riverdale one of the really strong guys in our group, an ex-MTBer and part-time cat 3 racer, who I thought had decided not to do the full hundred showed up. We rode together to the line, though he pretty easily dropped me before the end as I no longer had the legs to keep up. Dude was fun to ride with and always seemed ready to go all out.
I hung around the finish for a while saying goodbyes to a number of the group members before heading home for some pizza and a return to the Riverdale rest stop to pick-up the fam. The stop had been so under-staffed that my wife worked there a while longer while the little guy and I fed the ducks in the pond. All in all, a very satisfying day. I clocked something like 112 miles for the day.
However... I have to say, it was the most poorly organized of the eight NYC Centuries I've ridden. No Krispy Kremes at the first rest stop, a disappointment, but if KK is no longer a sponsor, what can you do? The problems began with the second rest stop where there was *no water*. Yikes. There were a number of very poorly marked areas too including one spot where there appeared to be no turn marker for no reason, a section where the road had been torn-up and no markers were present, and confusingly yellow markers on the Soundview Greenway in the Bronx (the rest were a dark pink or red). I heard that a number of rest-stops ran out of peanut butter and that the hummus shipment didn't arrive (I didn't see any anywhere). Small complaints but usually the organization of the ride is pretty tight.
On my way down from the The Heights to the start line (a leisurely 15 minute ride) I met a gal from the NYU cycling team. We agreed it would be nice to ride together. Unfortunately she had to pick-up her ride packet so we had to split up and never saw each other again.
I went straight for the cue sheets and meandered my way to the start. I was surprised by the number of people at the start. It seemed like a bigger crowd than usual. I was expecting see NYU gal ride up to the front too but <gasp/> the ride started on time! Off I went on my own hoping to find others to ride with me.
I didn't have anyone to ride with me for a long time. I was out of the gate with the first group and apparently ahead of everyone until around Bleecker St when I was caught by a fast group elements of which stayed, for the most part, together through the Astoria rest stop. That group was fast, staying between 20-25mph on the road and accelerating out of most every corner. I did a few short pulls and filled-in gaps when they appeared but knew I was toast if I worked too hard. At Prospect Park we were joined by a gal who started there. At some point after the 2nd rest stop at Marine Park, IIRC, a guy who had being doing rather well keeping up on a Brompton disappeared. We had another BF member (Inertianinja) in our group too who I'll let tell his story when he gets a chance. I'd missed him at the Northfork Century but recognized him in Brooklyn by his jersey. All were pretty cool people and knew how to ride fast and safely. Refreshing!
Along the way one of the guys pulling a lot got flat when he was at the back. Most of us went back to wait. Dude was not doing so well fixing the flat and was expecting to fill the tube with a little pea-shooter pump. I took over and had us on the road pretty quickly, hooray for CO2! (yes I am patting my own back). Strangely, he ditched us at the Astoria rest stop after we waited for him. Bah.
There was a little rain at some point I think in Queens before Astoria, but otherwise the conditions were reasonable. Flat tire guy's sneaky exit spelled the beginning of the end for the little group, the Triboro Bridge insanity laying the final blow. At various points along the rest of the route I came across pieces of the group but the oomph had gone out of the ride. The Bronx and the remaining bit in Manhattan were relatively relaxed.
Brooklyn gal and I hooked-up with a couple of other guys through Riverdale where I let them all go so I could hang at that rest stop with my wife and son who were volunteering there (as much as a two year old can help hehe). In the Bronx we had Inertianinja and a friend he'd made in our first group with us for a while too. At Riverdale one of the really strong guys in our group, an ex-MTBer and part-time cat 3 racer, who I thought had decided not to do the full hundred showed up. We rode together to the line, though he pretty easily dropped me before the end as I no longer had the legs to keep up. Dude was fun to ride with and always seemed ready to go all out.
I hung around the finish for a while saying goodbyes to a number of the group members before heading home for some pizza and a return to the Riverdale rest stop to pick-up the fam. The stop had been so under-staffed that my wife worked there a while longer while the little guy and I fed the ducks in the pond. All in all, a very satisfying day. I clocked something like 112 miles for the day.
However... I have to say, it was the most poorly organized of the eight NYC Centuries I've ridden. No Krispy Kremes at the first rest stop, a disappointment, but if KK is no longer a sponsor, what can you do? The problems began with the second rest stop where there was *no water*. Yikes. There were a number of very poorly marked areas too including one spot where there appeared to be no turn marker for no reason, a section where the road had been torn-up and no markers were present, and confusingly yellow markers on the Soundview Greenway in the Bronx (the rest were a dark pink or red). I heard that a number of rest-stops ran out of peanut butter and that the hummus shipment didn't arrive (I didn't see any anywhere). Small complaints but usually the organization of the ride is pretty tight.
To add my part of the story: we were part of the first group out of the Central Park start, moving very fast (for me) through the century -- seemed like we'd be done before noon.
for some reason, my left knee started to hurt, but i thought it'd settle in eventually. then i had a chain problem and lost sight of the fast group.
well, despite the knee pain, i worked like crazy to catch the group. this was a long, hard time trial for me. along the way, i guess my knee pain stayed, and i compensated by working the right leg harder.
POOR CHOICE.
by the time i caught up, i was having pain in both knees. this got worse as the day went on, to the point where i was in sheer agony and unable to go over 10mph.
i kept going, though, because i do these rides with an eye towards donating to charities, and kept thinking that my knees would heal, which is a luxury that some people don't have.
i did finish, and ended up riding the rest of the way with a guy that was willing to go slow just so i'd have someone to ride with. i greatly appreciated this.
the knee pain thing was a surprise to me. thousands of miles on that bike, never had a problem. very frustrating.
in any event, it was a good experience to do a century on my "home turf" as opposed to the ones i've done way out east.
09-14-10, 03:46 PM
#90
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09-15-10, 06:23 AM
#91
Destroyer of Wheels
Next time you ride have someone watch you - you might be doing something on your strokes that is causing the pain. I was bowing my knees out and had no idea. Also if you put on a different pair of shorts that have a little or less padding than you're used to that could throw it off too by shortening or lengthening the distance to the pedal. All it takes is a few mm (speaking from personal experience, lessons learned on the Montauk Century!)
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09-15-10, 01:43 PM
#92
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Absolutely! I find this too, and also with shoes, if you go from thicker to thinner soles (or vice-versa). All of this stuff gets even more important over longer rides & more hours in the saddle.
09-16-10, 03:44 PM
#93
Bronx <-> Midtown Commute
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I have never had this soreness like this, but for some reason both of my achillies heel areas were super sore the next morning. Made going down stairs very difficult, but was gone by Tuesday. Nothing else was sore.
Only difference was a new pair of socks, which were a tad thicker in the soles then my usual socks. weird.
Only difference was a new pair of socks, which were a tad thicker in the soles then my usual socks. weird.
09-16-10, 07:39 PM
#94
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I have never had this soreness like this, but for some reason both of my achillies heel areas were super sore the next morning. Made going down stairs very difficult, but was gone by Tuesday. Nothing else was sore.
Only difference was a new pair of socks, which were a tad thicker in the soles then my usual socks. weird.
Only difference was a new pair of socks, which were a tad thicker in the soles then my usual socks. weird.
