Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Craigslist and the 5 boro bike tour

The tulips are out which means biking season has started again. I sadly missed the sign up for my usual first ride, the 5 boro Bike tour. This ride is 42 miles on car free roads in the 5 Boroughs of NYC. I realized that the ride is the Sunday and I had no plans so I went to craigslist to assess the selling of the bibs situation.

Since the ride is 32,000 people, there are tons of people who can’t make it last minute and want to sell their bibs to get back the cost of the ride. Some people suck and were selling their ride packets for well over the $80 it originally cost. I emailed a few of the more reasonably priced offers. I noticed there was one by where I live and he was selling it for $65!

I emailed back and forth with the guy and told him I would meet him at 7:30 on a street corner. Of course President Obama decided that he would like to visit NYC at that exact hour so I had a bit of a difficult trip driving home. I parked the car and decided that the subway would be a fast way of getting to the meeting spot. I was right but as soon as I got out of the subway I realized that the street he had picked was the street Obama’s motorcade was driving down. There were barriers up on both sides of the road and tons and tons of cops milling about. Then about 7 cops cars, sirens blasting, screamed down the street. Pretty intense.

I texted the guy and we met on the corner and did the exchange in front of a group of about 20 cops. That was the safest craigslist exchange ever!

Wish me luck on my ride on Sunday!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Adventures in Biking

This past Saturday I decided to take a trip out of the city. I decided to leave the car at home and bike to a small town in Rockland County about 22 miles outside of Manhattan.

My friend planned out the route and starting at 9:30 am on Saturday we were off on a biking adventure. The weather was perfect as we conquered the streets of Manhattan all the way up to the George Washington Bridge. The bridge was gleaming in the sun under the clear blue sky. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. As we pedaled across the bridge, I thought about how lucky I was to be able to use the power of my body to propel myself on my little red bike. Here is the view from the bike lane on the GW bridge.





We got to New Jersey and biked past my office building then down a crazy hill! I was flying so fast at almost 25 miles an hour, smiling while the wind hit against my cheeks. I wish I could bike downhill forever. It feels so freeing.

After riding a few more miles, the landscape changed and there were farms and a horse backing riding school with horses right by the side of the road. What a huge change from the bustling city. I wanted to stop at a farm stand but didn’t have any place to put the goodies.

We arrived at in Piermont and immediately saw why cyclists chose to ride to this town. There are bike racks outside each store and no one locks them up! I’m such a jaded New Yorker and was nervous to leave my bike even though it was next to bikes worth thousands!

After a quick lunch and bathroom break at a store Lance Armstrong ate at, we went back to cycling. Everything was going great until I got a leg cramp, in both legs. I popped some Advil and begrudgingly got back on the bike.

Remember that beautiful downhill I spoke of so lovingly earlier? Well what goes down...must come back up. This monster of a hill was stuck in my mind and I started to worry. What would happen if I could not make it up? This was not a bike tour with support just a phone call away.

My buddy thought he found a route that would be less of a hill for us to climb. But he was very very wrong. I had to put my bike in the complete lowest gear and push so hard on the pedals for fear that I would roll back down the incline. It really tired me out but I finally got to the top. Of the first hill. There was another one hiding behind a tiny little downhill. Damn! At this point I had run out of water and Gatorade and was near tears. I had no choice but to get to the top and I did it but not without cursing out every sliver of asphalt under my tires.

Once back on flat road I was incredibly tired but still had over 10 miles until I would arrive back at home where a hot shower was waiting. I sucked up the exhaustion and pain and pedaled back over the bridge and through Manhattan stopping once at an ice cream truck to get some water.

This ride was an exciting adventure and great training for the NYC Century, which I will be riding in only a few weeks.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

I am in medical bill insurance HELL!

Whatever you do, don’t get into an accident on your bicycle with a NYC taxicab. You will lose hours and hours of your life trying to get the medical bills paid. Here is the breakdown so far of my struggle. The bill is still unpaid and just days away from going into collections.

• Get into an accident while bike riding with a taxicab. Get taken the hospital in an ambulance and turns out I am fine just a bit beat up.

• Attempt to get police report two days after the accident. They only accept money orders or checks, which of course I don’t have with me so I don’t get it.

• Get letter in the mail from health insurance that the hospital bills will be covered but the ambulance bill will not be. The bill is $522.

• Call the FDNY ambulance and ask why they wont take my insurance, they said they would put it through again.

• My dad gets a call from them because they mixed up my number and my emergency contact number (IDIOTS) asking him to pay my bill. He tells them to call me.

• I talk to them and they tell me that my medical insurance won’t cover it so I have to use my car insurance. I yell at them I WAS NOT IN A CAR I WAS ON A BIKE! They say sorry, and that the cab should pay the bill.

• I call my insurance and ask what they need from me to get this bill paid. They said I need the insurance info from the cab and my car. Once again, I scream at them I WAS ON A BIKE! You are not using my car insurance info and since I was in the ambulance I don’t have the guy’s insurance info.

• I figure out that I need to get the police report so I walk 30 blocks to the station to get it only to learn that it is thirty days after the accident and the report has “gone to Albany”. I have to fill out a form to mail with a $10 check to get it in the mail. So I mail it out.

• Two weeks later, I get a letter from Albany returning my check saying that they wont give me the report and that I have to get it from the DMV because it was a car accident and it will now cost me $25!

• At this point, I start to freak out and scream that this system is beyond stupid and my very good friend suggests that I contact my elected officials and have them help. Since I know two of them, I call both offices and get two different people to attempt to get the report for me. A week goes by and I get a call back from both offices asking for more details. After a few days, they both tell me that an officer from some bureau will give me the report at the station if I bring my trusty $10 check (that is now dated two months ago).

• So I call the police station and they say that officer is only in the office from 7am -3pm. I had to beg my friend to help me to get the report by coming with me before work to sit in the car so that I could run in and get the report without double parking.

• I walk into the station with my forms and check and tell them what I need. Of course the person I need to talk to isn’t there so I have to explain everything to another officer and he says he will see what he can do. He disappears for 10 minutes and comes back with the piece of paper, hands it to me, winks and tells me that I don’t have to give him the check. Thanks officer for thinking I was cute and saving me the $10.

• With the accident report in my hand, I am hoping that the guy’s info is there so I can call his insurance. But of course the box for insurance information is blank. Thanks Mr. Bah.


• I get to work and call my insurance and they tell me that I have to get his information and that the police report is not enough. I can’t just mail it to them. Nope, I have to do the work.

• So a week goes by and I try my insurance again to tell them that I cannot find the guy’s insurance and can’t they just handle this for me. The representative says she will transfer me to another person who can escalate the process. I stay on hold for 10 minutes and the phone disconnects. I scream and pull out a few hairs.

• I call the insurance back and have to input my customer number and my accident claim number and birthday for the second time. The person who picks up asks for the information to confirm it. So I give them my life story again and they tell me that they have to transfer me AGAIN.

• Ten more minutes on hold and the person tells me that she will help me. Great! I tell her all the information and she asks me how I even got the police report and that she was in an accident with a taxi and it was so hard to get the report and why was my car insurance not involved! I WAS ON A BIKE! She was very unhelpful and told me to get the taxi driver’s insurance info.

• I turned to Google and after inputting an address, got a phone number and called the taxi company. I told them that I needed this taxi’s car insurance information. The woman put it into the system and told me that the taxi was self-insured and that there is no record of an accident. She gave me a number of a law firm to call because they handle the insurance for the taxis.

• I call the number and it’s a main office of the law firm so they give me another number to call. I speak to this lady who asks for my claim number and I tell her I don’t have one and that I just need the taxis insurance information to pay a bill. She tells me that there is no record of this and I need to fax her the police report. Then she asks me if I am from the ambulance company. Ughhhh, after I explain to her I am the bicyclist who was in the accident with a taxi she tells me to fax her the report and if I don’t hear from them in a week to call back.

That’s the long story for now. I have an unpaid bill and still no insurance information from Mr. Bah (the taxi man who is going to want to kick my ass for raising his insurance rates).

Stay tuned to find out what happens next because I am 100% sure that there will be more phone hours logged, more hairs ripped out and a bit more yelling at insurance representatives.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Forwarding smiles

I found out today just how much my friends and coworkers love me and know me. There was a DailyCandy email sent out today with 5 fun biking accessories that are basically aimed at women cyclists. When I opened my email this morning I saw the title, clicked open the email and read about the products. There were some fun items featured but nothing that I would really use.

Forgetting about it, I went through the rest of my emails and went to work. I opened my work email and saw that my boss and my best friend had both forwarded me the email! There were a pair of biking heels featured and my best friend wrote, “you totally have to get these!” I opened my personal email and there was another email from a college friend who also wrote “You should totally get the pumps!”

I smiled and laughed. I must talk about my biking all the time for everyone to have forwarded me the same email. Those shoes will totally go with my biking skirt. Gosh, I am such a girl!

So anyone have an extra $127 they want to give me for these shoes that I just must get?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A rant about interests vs. other people's lives

I will be doing a 100 mile bike tour this coming Saturday and an argument I had with someone started me thinking… How should your interests affect others and how much support should you expect in life?

I am aware that cycling is more or less a solo activity (unless you are on a bike built for two). Does that mean that you shouldn’t talk about it in detail to others? Isn’t running a solo sport too? Then why do so many people come out to support the runners during a marathon?

I was told that my bike riding has a negative effect on other people and that in return I am being selfish. It just so happens that the ride is the day before Father’s Day. I was told that my exhaustion and soreness, that I am sure will be present the next day, is going to ruin Father’s Day. This thought had not really crossed my mind. Would the correct thing be to not do my tour when I figured out that I would be ruining someone elses happiness? Not doing the tour would make me upset but how much does that matter? This is my interest not my dad's but he is still supporting me and is very interested in the activity that makes me happy.

I am proud of myself for signing up for this activity. I have been training and hope that the ride is perfect. On the other hand, I’m sure some people are sick and tired of hearing about my interest and the miles I have been riding. When I tell people about this tour I usually get positive remarks and support in terms of the ride. Should I expect support or just stop talking about my interests? Could talking about my interests make people feel uncomfortable? I need to really think about this...

Support comes in a bunch of ways. Buying things or donating to a cause is a popular way to support people and events but is it really support? Anyone can plunk down some money. But being there at the finish line or helping to train or just offering words of encouragement… that’s support. That’s what I look for and what keeps me going.

I was accused of biking for attention. First of all, I was appalled. Could doing a physical activity when most of the time I am riding alone be a quest for attention? But then after some thought maybe that’s what I am doing. I like to brag about how far I bike and talk about the new gear I buy. Is talking about a hobby looking for attention?

Maybe I am selfish but this is my life. I want to ride and that’s what I am doing. I guess if I was married and had to share my time with someone then I would think differently. I am planning to ride my 100 miles and everyone will just have to deal. I guess I will just be the selfish and attention seeking bean on a bike.

My head is exploding from this.. Who would have thought that doing something as innocent as riding a bike would open up a can of worms?

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Biking to nowhere (right now)

There are numerous reason why I refuse to join a gym. #1 is that I get bored easily and with no one there to tell me to keep my ass moving, I will fake some workout and then leave without even have broken a sweat. I hate being in a smelly room with other smelly people jumping up and down trying to remove my belly pouch. Yeah I’m a lazy bean, I know. But if you put me on my bike and tell me to ride to a destination then I will. Happily.

I have done a few bike tours but never a full century and that is my goal for this summer. I just signed up for the Ride To Montauk, a full 100 miles! I have a week to get in shape to do it. Solo! I can do it!

Last night, I decided I was going to ride the park but the raining dripping out my window at work took that idea away fast. I cringed... that meant I was going to have to ride in my apartment on my bike trainer. This is torture for me because it’s like I turned my living room in a gym. I decided I would do it so I went through with it. I put my bike on my trainer and turned on the TV. Maybe that would help me focus (or not focus) on actually working out. I pedaled straight for a half hour and got nowhere. Except through my DVR’ed TV show. Not the best ride but enough to make me hot and sweaty. I just couldn’t do it much longer plus I was hungry.

I hope the rains stays in the clouds tonight so I can ride in the park when I get home!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

It's been a long time

The bean in the city is back!

A slight recap on things I haven't blogged about since April…

The bean in the city took a trip to another city and visited San Francisco. I had a great time camping, meeting new friends, visiting with my cousin and exploring their city and vineyards. But don’t fret NYC; I have no plans to leave you for SF. Here’s a shot from Big Sur.

I started biking all over the place and in September I biked in the NYC Century bike tour and completed 90 miles in about 11 hours! It was exhilarating and a beautiful way to see all of Brooklyn and Queens. Here is a picture of my bike and me in Queens by the Throgs Neck Bridge.


I don’t know if I have shared my love with eating and taking photos of food I eat with my blog readers but as I attempt to keep writing regularly I think I will include details about meals I have enjoyed. These will include homemade creations and also restaurant delights. These are a few shots from my visit to Citi Field to see the Mets over the summer. We got a feast of food to celebrate my dad's birthday.

Lobster rolls YUM!

The first bite is the best!

Looking forward to getting back into blogging!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The missing gloves...

I am not only navigating the street of NYC by car but also by bike! That’s right I am braving the crazy NYC drivers while gliding around on a light blue bike with my purple helmet securely fastened on my head. If you thought my driving adventures were fun... you are sure to enjoy the tales of my two spinning wheels!

A few weeks ago it was getting warmer but it was still a bit chilly to be outside. I really wanted to ride my bike so I bundled up in three layers and put on gloves. I lent my riding buddy a pair of gloves too and off we went to navigate the streets and the park. We rode for a while and as it got warmer we removed layers. After riding in the park, we visited the bike store to try to find out why my bike was not working well. We refilled the tires with air and off we went! At that point, my riding buddy realized that he had lost both of the gloves I had lent him. We tried to retrace our route but then just ended up back in the park. I figured I would never see those gloves again and they were old so I wouldn’t miss them too much.

As I rode down the east side river park, with the traffic from the FDR whizzing by on my left and the river splashing against the city on my right, I was actually really happy and forgot about the missing gloves. I looked down and there was one of the gloves lying in the pathway! I excitedly picked it up and thought that if one had just been lying there the other could have fallen out a few steps away. So we continued the ride and a few spins of my tires later, I noticed a green object on a park bench! It was the other glove. What are the chances that an hour later in NYC I could find two lost gloves? Just another NYC story to smile (and blog) about!