your streets belong to us...

The day started off with a scary (our 15 minute service) called in at 8:34 am….We don’t open until 9. We had had a big snowstorm the day before, or two days before, who can remember at this point, and the streets were still really slushy and icy.

Then one of our ‘favorite’ runs, down to 58th St. in Brooklyn came in.  This run is tough because it takes almost an hour each way and you’re practically guaranteed to have no other work to go with it.  Plus, your coworker is left in the city trying to manage all the incoming runs.

I made it back into the city in the early afternoon and a run came in to be picked up at the NYTimes.  This was the description : ‘Please go pick up a poster that is in a poster tube (it is 3 1/2 feet by 3 feet).’ 

And this is what I got:

It was so large it was almost comical.  I thought of just carrying it at my side but the roads were still pretty bad and I didn’t want to slip with only one hand on the bars or damage the package. 

Luckily I had my rope and was able to attach the package to my bag:

I ripped apart a garbage bag and put it under so it didn’t get splashed from the road grime. 

I had to make one stop on Madison Ave. to drop off and then finally made it to the east 70’s to drop this off.  It felt really good to get rid of!

It was 2:50 pm at this point and I had only done 4 runs. 

My last run took me up to Dyckman St.  I remembered from Tone’s Above 110th St. race how painful those hills uptown are, but, I had no choice and pedaled on. 

The drop was right next to a bike shop so I asked the guys in there how to get to the bike path, figuring that would be a nicer ride without traffic and less hills. 

Once I got a little ways in, I saw that the path was not plowed at all. 

This was impossible to ride in with my skinny 23 inch tires.  I tried to ride in the tracks, but it wasn’t packed enough and I couldn’t get any traction.  I hate turning around so I kept going, half laughing and half cursing my situation. 

Maybe it’s only funny now, that I’m writing this from my warm apartment.  I look pretty pissed to be out there.

It was a really beautiful view though and I only saw about five other people on my entire ride/walk down. 

Then the path cleared and I was so happy to be able to ride again.

It was short-lived though, and there were snowy and icy sections most of the way down.  When I got to the GW Bridge, it was unplowed again and I had a fun time going down the hill.  At least I didn’t have to walk it again.

I was reminded of my bike tour in Europe.  Being by myself, being by the water, seeing beautiful views, not really knowing what I was doing, but ultimately being so happy to have the freedom to be seeing the world on my bike, under my own power and at my own speed.

I finished the day at 62.38 miles and 5 runs.