Join Our TD 5 Boro Bike Tour Team!

Todd and I signed up again this year for the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour, which takes you on a 40-mile ride through each of New York City’s five boroughs. Our experience last year had its ups and down, but it left us feeling accomplished. So we decided to give it another shot.

We’ve titled our team #BronxLatteLovers, and I’ll be using that hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to keep tabs on our progress leading up to the big day, the first Sunday in May. And if you or anyone you know is going to participate in this year’s bike tour, feel free to join our team as well! You don’t have to be from the Bronx, but you do have to love coffee! (Then again, who doesn’t?)

Here’s to a successful training season to everyone who signed up, and an early prayer that the day will be rain-free!

The Ups and Downs of the 5 Boro Bike Tour

I’d been really looking forward to the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour after the pleasant 25-mile training ride I did with my dad, brother, and Todd about a month ago. But as May 1 loomed closer and the forecast predicted rain, I started to feel less confident. I’d never cycled in the rain before. Especially not surrounded by literally thousands of people who might skid and crash into me. But I didn’t want to quit before I even tried (nor did I want to lose the $99 I paid for the event), so Dad went out and bought us all ponchos. On the morning of the bike tour, we tied plastic bags around our socks to try to keep the rain out. Then, in just the barest drizzle, we biked to the subway that would take us downtown.

Todd, Dad, Brother, and me outside of our house before heading to the subway.

A Bike Ride and a Lofty Goal

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour is a cycling race with a course that passes through each of New York City’s boroughs: Staten Island to Brooklyn to Queens to the Bronx to Manhattan. On May 1, 2016, the streets will be free of cars, volunteers will man four rest areas and three water stations, and musical performances will take place along the 40-mile route. Approximately 32,000 cyclists participate in the bike tour annually—and this year, Todd and I will be two of them.

Biking 17 Miles along Shore Parkway

Now that I’ve overcome my fear of biking, I really wanted to get in a good bike ride this past weekend, before an autumn chill settles in. So, Todd and I decided to take a ride along the Shore Parkway bike path. The bikeway follows the Belt Parkway, which travels east from Brooklyn into Queens. We found a parking spot only one block away from the trail’s start (west of Plumb Beach, near Emmons Avenue). Then, we donned our helmets, took a preparatory gulp from our water bottles, and embarked on our nearly 17-mile roundtrip.

Overcoming My Fear of Biking

I enjoy running in 5k races around the city, such as the NYPD Memorial Run or the Roosevelt Island Ice Cream Social. I also love jogging on my own or with a running buddy around the neighborhood, exploring little-known trails or picking a destination like the miniature golf course. It’s especially rewarding to reach new milestones: this past weekend, I managed to jog five miles! But running is easy: one foot in front of the other, slowly at first and then building up to a faster pace once you’ve trained enough to handle it, the comforting feel of the asphalt always beneath your feet. Running feels safe. Biking, on the other hand, is a whole different story.