I rode Central Park again for the second time in my life on Sunday. I was one of the few brave souls on a bike in the 19º bitter cold. Definitely the coldest day I've ever ridden on. My legs were pretty fried from my epic ride yesterday, but I wasn't about to waste away another sunny day.
What took me so long to discover one of New York's best place to ride a bike? Maybe it's all the stories I've heard of riders getting ticketed for speeding and running red lights, or maybe it's because I've been to the park on a busy Sunday afternoon. However, due to the ridiculously cold temperature I pretty much had the entire park to myself, minus all the walkers, joggers and horse carriages.
I started off riding through Williamsburg and Greenpoint, rather than riding through Manhattan. I hate the city's traffic. I'm no longer intimidated by it, but it still air on the side of caution. There's a fairly new bike path that runs up along the Brooklyn side of the East River that's been in development over the last few years, and it makes getting uptown quite easy without worrying about traffic.
Shortly after I cross into Long Island City, Queens. The bitter cold is already starting to penetrate my many layers.
Riding across the Queensboro Bridge offers a great view of the east side of Manhattan as well as a short gradual climb to keep my body temperature up.
Randall's Island is just to the left which is accessible through a cable car.
A short ride cross town, and I'm in the Central Park. Even in the dead of winter the park has a lush and lively quality about it. The roads twist and turn, go up and down, and make you forget you're in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.
Due to my heavy effort on Saturday I start to feel the cold seep into my muscles. My bottles have already frozen on my, and my Garmin is starting to act up again. Sadly, I forgot to bring any food with me and decided after two laps around the park to turn back the way I came. Even the new winter gloves I recently got were no match for the intense cold. Total distance: 30 miles. I definitely need a day to recover, or at least spin indoors till it warms up again.