I did the NYC Five Boro Bike Tour on May 4th, 2025! 36.7 miles through all five boroughs. This was a big deal for me. A year ago I couldn't ride a bike at all.
I trained for it properly, which for me meant doing a 25.6 mile training ride on April 28th where I accidentally PR'd a bunch of segments because I forgot to pace myself. No food, only one water break. I did that training ride AFTER one of Coach Isaiah's weightlifting classes, which in hindsight was stupid but also gave me a ton of confidence for the actual tour.
NYC Five Boro Bike Tour, May 4th 2025.
The tour itself was incredible. Thousands of cyclists taking over the streets of New York City! They close the highways for you. You ride over the Verrazzano Bridge, which is normally cars-only, and the views from up there are ridiculous.
I only crashed once. Small crash, barely counts. I wrote "Only crashed once, let's go!" on Strava which is either optimistic or concerning depending on how you look at it.
Finished at an average of 13.4 mph, way up from the 4 mph I was averaging on my first ride in June 2024. A year of riding and I more than tripled my speed!
Some quick stats on the full cycling journey so far:
- First ride ever: June 3rd, 2024. 0.7 miles.
- Total rides since then: 341
- Total miles: 2,314
- Total elevation: 75,290 feet (that's like climbing Mount Everest eight and a half times!)
- Total time on the bike: 278 hours
- Bikes: Trek Domane AL5 ("Dommy Rocket") for road, Brompton C Line ("Brompty Dumpty") for commuting, and occasionally borrowing Holly's Electra Townie Go when I want to feel like I'm cheating
- Longest ride: 67.7 miles (October 12, 2024)
- Best months: September and October 2024 with 37 rides and ~360 miles each
I've slowed down a lot since moving to Massachusetts in December 2024. The winters up here are no joke for cycling. But spring is coming back and Dommy Rocket is ready.
The whole cycling thing started because Fred said "bro, just come ride with me." Sometimes your friend being annoying enough to convince you to try something turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.