FLYING AWAY

31 August 2012

Today we said goodbye to Sarah and Jorge in NYCity. It is always hard to leave and put such distance between us again, but we have had a marvelous four months here, being in the same city, seeing them frequently and casually - a real summer making memories.

But I will stick to the biking bits!!!!!.......

We arrived in New York at the beginning of May. Our plan was to buy and equip touring bikes, and then train for our big trip. We set about researching touring bikes, a task made much easier than we had thought it would be because of the huge increase in bikes and biking in NYC in the past few years. There are bike paths around the outside of the island, along (generally) superbly well kept and landscaped paths, as well as ever increasing numbers of bike lanes on the streets and avenues.

After a couple of week's research, we settled on a Trek 520 for each of us. We bought them from Metro Bicycles on 88th at Lexington. Metro has several stores in Manhattan, and this one is managed by the lovely Erik Kala, who was wonderfully helpful throughout.

 


Various modifications were made to make them more comfortable, I had clipless pedals installed, along with a narrower handlebar, inline brakes, and a Terry butterfly seat. John had his favourite Brooks classic leather saddle installed.

Over time we equipped ourselves with Ortlieb panniers, rack bags and handle bar bags.

Our apartment was on West 57th between 8th and 9th. For the first little while, whenever we took our bike out, we had to take them in the elevator to the basement, up about 25 rickety stairs and out to the street... All this because, although huge dogs, baby carriages etc could all go out though the lobby, bikes were not allowed. However, eventually I managed to get a dispensation (they could see we were serious about biking by now!!!!! ) to go out through the main lobby...

And then it was great ... out the door, around the block, across Columbus Circle and there we were in Central Park, It was terrific. We got to know the circuit really well, how to dodge the tourirista cyclists, [having fun and hopeless riders on rented and ill-fitting bikes];  the "rickshaws" - always creeping into areas that they were not supposed to...;  the horse drawn carriages;   the taxis (until 10.30am or so);  the walkers and runners, sometimes in organized races, with all their support systems;  and then the really fast bikers, who would whizz by at Tour de France speeds and scare the living daylights out of us....!!!

When we had finished our circuits we would flop down at the little coffee stand right outside the park where we would have a coffee and watch the very busy life go by.....

A few times we varied it with rides down to Battery Park, up the West Side and over the George Washington bridge to the Pallisades, around the top of the island, or over to Randall's Island...

And so we "trained".........

And now today, here we are boarding a plane for London. The cab picked us up at S and J's, took us to Metro Bicycles where Erik and the gang had boxed up the bikes and had them waiting for us....

                                                     

                

And now we are off............

JST and the luggage at JFK

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