dmanthree

I did the Five Boro ride last Sunday, and even though the weather was nasty, it was just a great ride. We all knew the weather going in, so I dressed for it and wore some warm clothing under my rain gear. Only my hands and feet got wet, and I was never really cold. The supplied helmet covers really helped, as well. Who knew? BTW, it was about 46F and raining. Not optimal, but no big deal when you're prepared.

I left the Madone at home, and rode a Trek 950 MTB fitted with "street" tires, Ergon grips, etc. It's the right choice for that ride since some of the roads aren't perfect. There were lots of road bikes flatted out. It's not that long a ride, so the old Trek was a great ride for this event.

Anyway, all the reports I read of maddeningly slow starts were somewhat exaggerated. Yes, it's slow for the first mile. but it stretched out pretty quickly, and most of the ride you can cruise along nicely. The ride marshals were helpful, the rest stops well stocked, and there was entertainment along the way. But the real highlight is riding on those roads car-free. You can ride places and see parts of the city you may never get to under normal circumstances. And yes, there are many novice bikers with lower than average bike handling skills, so you need to watch for them, as well. My favorite parts were the bridges. I'm a bridge guy, I guess.

When I first signed up, I thought this was a "one and done" deal. I'm rethinking that right now. I think I need to try again next year when the weather is better. :-)

zacster

It can be a fun ride, and the whole thing about the walking is grossly overstated. Yes there are a few bottlenecks, but it isn't nearly as bad as they make it sound.

I skipped it this year but I've done it in the rain before. It really wasn't a lot of fun. Since I had my daughter with me we bailed in Brooklyn, and hopped on the subway home. I may have finished it if I were by myself (with 32000 of my closest friends of course).

Jerrys88

Agree with everything you said. Wonderful to have the run of streets and highways, and how cool to ride the Verrazano Bridge?

dmanthree

Most cool! It is a long climb, about a mile, but not steep at all. And the downhill on the flip side was fun, but a little scary due to the wet road. When I signed up my intent was a "one and done," but now I'm thinking of doing it again next year. I want to try for better weather. Hard to imagine it could get worse!

BTW, while the Verazanno Narrows bridge was awesome, my favorite bridge was the Queensboro. Really cool steel and a nice tan color. I like tan. :-)

Jerrys88

The ride down the Verrazano was a highlight for me (also loved the downhill section of Central Park). I was pleasantly surprised by how well my slick Kojak tires behaved in the rain, and particularly happy to have disc brakes for this ride - they always give me extra confidence. Listening to the symphony of brake squeals on the few occasions I got stopped at a light or by crossing guards made me chuckle.

Same here, although making it through the rain made it special in a funny kind of way. Like you, I did come prepared - two layers of shirts under a rain jacket with hood that I wore under my helmet, rain pants (chaps) kept my thighs dry, a pair of winter gloves (that did get soaked, but still kept my hands warm), and rubber overshoes over my sneakers (my sneakers did wind up wet from sweat, but they were protected from getting really soaked, and from the wind). Glad I opted to have fenders installed on my bike as well. If I had a chance to do it again under the same conditions, I might have gotten myself a cycling rain cape (water did eventually soak through the arms of my rain jacket a little) and gloves that are more waterproof.

dmanthree

I was one of those with the screechy brakes. While the brakes were very effective, they did make some noise. And yes, the downhill in Central Park was fun, but a bit crowded. I had to watch for the less experienced riders since a few seemed pretty nervous. I was glad to be on a sturdy ride with fenders, fat tires, and good brakes. If I do this again next year I'll take the same bike, the old Trek 950.

Funny, the most memorable rides I've done have been in adverse conditions. Most memorable was the first day of the PMC in 2014. Cold and wet, of course, and it was the coldest and wettest PMC ever. It started raining the minute we took off, and goe heavier as we approached the finish for the first day, Bourne. Conditions were horrible. In more than one puddle my feed submerged on the downstroke. I hate that. And I wasn't dressed well enough, either, which didn't help. It was in August, and over 90 people were treated for hypothermia, with a few requiring hospitalization. But the hot showers felt better, and the cold beer tasted better than ever!

acnyc

The TD tour this year was wet and cold, without the proper attire it was downright miserable. My friend who volunteered at the expo said a significant number of riders didnt bother to show up because of the weather, and during the day lots more bailed when the weather turned worse. Compare to a regular TD tour the amount of people at the finishing festival were abysmal and the ferry line was only 20 mins. The most popular booth at the festival was the first aid station giving out emergency thermal blanket. Lots of flats along the road, lots of accidents, there is a video floating around a guy almost fell off the Queensboro bridge (he was hanging on the side of the barriers and fellow bikers had to pull him back up) and I caught a guy wiping out riding through an invisible pot hole under the puddle on cam. Overall the cheers and smiles were low and few but was a memorable ride.

dmanthree

Damn, I missed all that drama! I had no issues whatsoever since I actually paid attention to the weather forecasts and dressed appropriately. Yes, it would have been better if the weather was warm and dry, but it wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and it was far from the nastiest weather I've biked in. And all that "gear drama" is why I brought the MTB, and not the road bike. Choose the right tool for the job.

As far as the ferry goes, there was no wait when I got there. I rode up, walked in, and got right on. Very likely due to the reduction in people at the finish line, for sure. Anyway, it was a very memorable ride.

Hokiedad4

I've never seen so many wet, cold, happy people. It was a unique experience, all right!