5 Boros Ride

Sunday, May 4th 2008 was the 35th annual 5 boros bicycle tour through New York City, and I survived the ride. My husband and I left our home at 3:45am Sunday morning. We lined up about 4-5 block from the starting line, shortly after 7:00am. The opening ceremony began at 7:45am, and the ride commenced at 8:00am. We rode straight for Central Park. There was a bit of a bottle neck entering Central Park, but once inside the park the traffic flowed easily. We made our way through Manhattan into the Bronx, and then quickly out to Queens. We spent quite a while bicycling through Queens. We were held up by a medical emergency on the Queensboro Bridge. Just as we were cresting the entrance ramp to the bridge the bicycle traffic came to a stand still. An older man ended up being taken away on a stretcher. It seemed as though he may have had a heart attack, but he was conscious when the medics put him in the ambulance. Hopefully all is well with him. After we crossed the bridge it was off to Brooklyn, and then on to the long stretch to Staten Island. The big boy ,The Verrazano Bridge, looked like it would be my nemesis. Just looking up at the bridge was scary. However, I made it to the bridge and across it without incident. That was the most amazing part of the tour. Once across the bridge we entered Staten Island, and the finish line where we were able to enjoy some of the festival before hopping the ferry back to Manhattan. It was an amazing adventure, and we can't wait to participate again next year. After arriving home yesterday we decided to purchase me my first road bike. I will be picking it up later this week, and I am very excited.