As I mentioned the other day, I had signed up for a class sponsored by Bike New York, called Savvy Cyclist. These are the same people that bring you the Five Boro Bike Tour. The class was great, and definitely lived up to expectations. When the class is free, it is really hard to complain too much, so I’ll only mention that the facilities could use some work! The class is run out of the Recycle-A-Bicycle workshop facility in Long Island City. The building is very old school – NO HEAT! I’m sure during most of the cycling season, heat is not required, but man, we needed it on Sunday morning. Temps were 35 degrees at the start of the day, with a breeze off the East River. It was very cold in the building. The morning was hard, very hard. Thankfully, we spent most of the afternoon in the sun and by the end of the day was quite comfortable.
Our intrepid, and very experienced leaders, Kevin and Roger, really knew their stuff and made the day fun. There were 10 of us and experience really ranged from beginners to seasoned cyclists looking to take the certification exam so that they too could spread the good word about bike maintenance and safety. There was also a wide age range young to not-so-young. I learned that it is very, very bad to bike against traffic, and that in a battle between a bike and car, car always wins. But seriously, I learned a lot about how to ride in traffic with confidence. I learned how to properly wear and adjust my helmet, and learned how to change a flat tire – amazing! The drills we did were great, and then we had fun during our group ride around Long Island City.
The other great advantage was the approximate 15 miles I biked that day, including the 2 trips over the 59th St bridge. Anyway, I’ll try to get on the bike again this week and ride in Central Park, as I prepare for the March Madness Biathlon, which is next Sunday.
Once I get through this race on Sunday, I’ll focus more on my running again, as I get ready for the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which is the first Saturday in May.
Happy running (and biking)!
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