Biking in NYC

I decided this year that I wanted to buy a road bike to potentially do some triathlons and to cruise around the city. So Philip found me the perfect bike on Craigslist and luckily he called right away so I was the first to see it and I bought it! It is a 2008 Specialized Dolce - Women's bike and I love it. It's white and pink and I got a matching helmet and of course, all the essential gear: padded shorts, clip shoes, gloves and butt butter :). Philip and I were pretty geared up and looked like official bikers. Check out our photos!

I am not the strongest biker, but I'm decent and have a lot of endurance and potential. My biggest problem is my fear of falling. When I first started taking some practice rides, I was learning to use my new clip pedals (which I actually like) and learning how to change gears and get a good feel for the bike. I was enjoying riding, until my second practice ride and well...that fear came over me when I decided to take a drink from my water bottle. I grabbed the bottle and was drinking when in slow motion I fell off my bike! Philip watched me fall too. I forgot to pedal while I was drinking...so of course, I fell. I had a nice bruise on my butt and on my elbow, but I was a okay - just a little sore and had an even worst fear of falling now. Check out my battle wounds on the left.

But after a fews days recovery, I decided to get back on the bike again. One Saturday Philip organized a bike crawl that started at our apartment where we had a beer at Becky's, a bar right around the corner from our apt, then we rode over the Queensboro Bridge into Queens to stop at the Bohemian Beergarden then back over the Triboro Bridge to the upper east side, where we picked up some friends and then through Central Park to the west side where we stopped at the Boat Basin for some food and drinks and then down the westside highway walk/bike path to this old dive bar called The Patriot on Chambers Street. Then we ended up in the Lower East Side at some bars and ate some Mexican food and rode home in the dark getting in around midnight! It had been quite the bike crawl! Here's some cool photos of us on the Triboro Bridge and one at Becky's Bar where we had a beer before we headed out. Pictured below is Philip, me and our friend Danny who is from Queens.