My Cycling Family

Let’s talk cycling.

Part of the reason for this blog is to share my passion for cycling and especially cycle travel. Whether you ride a bike or an ebike, a cycle trip is a wonderful and slow-paced way to travel and to really immerse yourself in an area. Whatever your age or fitness level, there is a tour for you and a road calling your name.

I have loved riding a bike ever since I was growing up in Flushing, Queens and cycled around the old World’s Fair grounds in Flushing Meadow Park on my Raleigh 3 speed. I also love cycling as it is my Zen. I do some of my best thinking while riding, whether about family, friends, life issues or work.

But cycling for me is not a solitary sport. What really makes cycling great is that I have ridden to so many places with so many wonderful friends. So as I start my blog, I want to introduce you to my cycling family..

Let me start with someone who was recently described in our cycling group text as “The Ultimate Badass”, coincidentally the woman I have been dating since junior year of college.

Other cycling friends describe Mary as a “Beast” (this is a cycling compliment) and I often hear comments like “Check out her watts per kilogram” (also good in cycling). It took some time for Mary to go from this on our first cycling trip:

To:

And as most of you know, there was that brain tumor thing 11 years ago that left her without one of her two balance nerves and deaf in her left ear. Wow, has she pushed through adversity! Mary is the woman I literally, as well as metaphorically, have been chasing for years.

And then there are my two oldest cycling friends, Rob and Steve:

Rob (pronounced “ROB!”as in “where the f*#k are you taking me Rob?”) and I have been cycling buddies since high school. Our original “go-to” ride was to Rockaway Beach. Rob would take the 59th Street Bridge from Manhattan and ride along Queens Blvd. I would cross Flushing Meadow Park and ride on Queens Blvd in the opposite direction until we met. We would then ride down Woodhaven Blvd, Cross Bay Blvd, across Broad Channel and over the bridge to Rockaway. These are some of the busiest streets in NYC, with a 50 mph speed limit on the narrow Rockaway bridge. Bike lanes? What? Helmets? They had those then for cycling? What were we doing and how on earth did our parents let us do that?

Rob continues to be a monster cyclist and his look is unique. He has two cycling jerseys, his throwback Schaeffer Beer jersey and one he received for volunteering at a charity ride.

In the summer, Rob rides in sandals with spd cleats. His favorite thing is to blow past kitted up riders on expensive bikes (okay, like me) in his sandals on his now ancient Lightspeed bike.

Steve has been my best friend since 7th grade. While he no longer lives in Flushing, his style remains pure Flushing. He has two less cycling jerseys than Rob. When we went on a cycling camping trip many years ago to the Canadian Rockies, Mary and I brought fancy eating kits, camping gear and rainwear. Steve had his mom, a NYC elementary school teacher, give him 10 plastic wrapped “sporks” from the cafeteria and a few $1.99 Woolworth rain ponchos. Steve’s style has not changed much since then.

Rob, Steve, Mary and I have taken many cycling trips throughout the Northeast and Quebec. Here we are at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park:

Pete is the man who helped change my riding style from Flushing to Fairfield County. He showed me many great cycling routes and techniques unknown to a boy from Queens. Drafting, for example. If you are not a cyclist, drafting is where you ride behind someone who blocks the wind for you. Riders in a “paceline” take turns in the front to block the wind. When a lead rider is blocking the wind, the riders in the back are exerting up to 30% less effort. It is sort of like cheating. Actually, it is cheating in a triathlon:

Pete and I twice rode the Pan-Mass Challenge (a two day, 200 mile ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown) with our friend Mark. The second year we were accompanied by our then 16 year old daughters Allie and Liv:

Allie and I almost did not make it since, the day before leaving for Sturbridge, Mary forgot that our bikes were on our roof rack as she drove into an underground garage. Thankfully only the car was damaged (priorities, priorities) and Allie and I had a father/daughter experience I will never forget:

And then there is our very dear Westport cycling family, mainly from the Westport Y Tri club. We love you all and here are just a few of them:

A special shout-out to Kevin

I am now required to write the following: “Wix, the host of this blog, does not condone cyclists taking selfies while going 30 mph down a mountain road”. Mary’s admonition to me was slightly different: I recall it began with “You idiot”.

Kevin, Mary and I have done many long rides. Mary calls us “The Three Stooges” since we often get lost and it my fault since I plan the routes. Who knew that the small line on Google Maps through a state park was actually a hiking trail, requiring us to portage our Tri bikes?

If you have made it this far, thank you! Our cycling trip to Death Valley will be starting soon. Here is a picture from the Town of Bedrock (really, in Colorado) from our 2022 trip (our friend Liz in the front and Mary in the background). This is why I love cycle travel.