If I live, let’s say 5
miles from my job, how long would it take me to get there?
That depends on a few factors. I
used to live 5 miles away from my last job. The commute using public
transportation would involve either 2 buses and the train or 3 buses and it’d
take me just over an hour to get there. When I started riding my bike, it took
me roughly 30 minutes on a day when I was being mindful not to break into a
sweat. There was this one time it took me only 19 minutes, but I never did
quite repeat that great timing.
Do you remember the
first time you biked to work?
The first day I tried it out I
actually did it on my day off so that there wasn’t any pressure to get there
“on time”. I went on a Sunday morning when traffic would be presumably lightest
and I timed myself. I don’t remember what my time was, but I remember giving
myself and hour and a half and I had planned 3 rest-stops, including a coffee
shop along the way. Whenever I think back to that day, I remember how over
prepared I was, how much I had overestimated what 5 miles really felt like, and
how I had underestimated myself tremendously. In the end, I only stopped
once, and it was to pat myself on the back and tag a swig of water.
Clearly, biking is a
great workout for your legs, but does it tone the jiggle anywhere else?
Biking is a tremendous workout,
you will have buns of steel in no time and your abs/core will love you
forevermore.
Are there any other
benefits to biking besides the workout?
I will say that the money I save
on transportation I spend on food to keep me fueled. And the saying “you are
what you eat”, couldn’t be more true than when you are riding a bike. If I eat
a bacon cheddar burger with fries and a shake before a bike ride, I ride like I
just ate a bacon cheddar burger with fries and a shake. The bigger the variety
of colors on my plate (not including condiments!) and range of food groups, the
more vibrant I feel on my bike.
Ok, this may be a
little personal but what about the, well, smell? Any tips?
Hygiene in general is a really
big deal to me, whether or not I’m on my bike. With that said, I quickly
learned how to ride so that I didn’t break into a sweat, but I also learned
what was the best way to get rid of the smell of NYC streets that will latch on
to your body if you’re riding through traffic. I stocked up on sun dresses when
I started riding a bike because there is NOTHING, like riding a bike in a skirt
or a dress. The sheer ventilation that you get in all the necessary places will
have you smiling up and down the road. I am more concerned with dirt, which is
attracted to you if you are wearing lotion, sunscreen in particular. To remove
the grime, which usually only accumulates on a ride greater than 5 miles, I use
Action Wipes. Action Wipes are amazing! They remove any evidence of your having
been active in a matter of minutes, and it does so using all natural
ingredients, without drying your skin while leaving you feeling clean and
fresh. They also don’t leave any lint behind, which baby wipes often do, and
they’re the perfect texture for sloughing off the grease that will one day end
up on your leg.
What are the safest routes in the Bronx? Is there somewhere
I can find this information?
The Bronx has a great number of
greenways (paths surrounded by greenery) as a result of being
the greenest borough! Many folks feel really safe along the greenways because
the interaction with traffic is very limited. We’ve got the Bronx River
Greenway, Mosholu Parkway Greenway, the Hutchinson River Greenway, and the Pelham
Parkway Greenway. Have you checked out the 2014 NYC Bike Map?!!!
The promising green dotted lines indicate forthcoming “potential” bike lanes,
including an extension of the existing Hudson River Greenway, which currently
ends in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan, but looks to make its way up to
Riverdale. There are also lots of green dots along the Bronx Harlem River Greenway
as well! In addition to the Bike Map, ridethecity
(website and app), maps out direct, safe and safer routes, respectively. They
are still one of my most used #bikenyc resources.
Bike lanes are great, but being
safe has a lot to do with feeling safe and feeling safe often comes with
knowledge which leads to confidence. You can get this sort of knowledge, and
subsequent confidence, by attending free Bike New York Street Skills Class
and Street Skills Ride.
Honestly, it’s where I picked up most of my tips and tricks, or rather advice
and instruction. As much as I love the greenways, and hope for more bike lanes
in the Bronx, the existing ones are not currently conducive to an efficient
commute for me, so you’ll most often see me on the road, safely alongside the
cars, without a bike lane.
If I wanted to take a
class to learn more about biking in NYC or find a group to ride with, how could
I do that?
Visit www.bikenewyork.org/education to learn more about biking safely and confidently
in NYC for free. We have free classes throughout the five boroughs. Our
Community Bike Education Center in the Bronx is located in the southwest
playground of Van Cortlandt Park.
If you want to ride with a
group, I’d recommend our very own Bike
Path Cruise Rides. You can also check out the list of bike
clubs on our website. A few of my favorites
include Social
Cycling NYC, NYC Biketrain
and InTandem. They are all filled with good people who are very
welcoming to new and experienced cyclists.