Six Pillars Century Ride 2025

GPS Track of Six Pillars Century Ride

It was windy!

Totals: 102 miles, 780 feet of elevation gained.

I’ve wanted to do this ride for several years in a row as an early season organized event, but had to cancel, either because of bad weather or, one year, I had just had major surgery. This year the weather was cool and clear, but very windy.

I drove to Cambridge early in the morning, claimed my rider packet, and started riding around 7AM. This was not a closed course, but traffic was very light. I and about 100 riders did the 100-mile course. The rest stops had limited selections of snacks, but plenty of water and Gatorade.

I spent the whole ride in brutal headwinds and gusting side winds and merciful tailwinds. The scenery varied among typical Delmarva pine forests, wetlands, and brief coastal views. I had never seen this part of the Maryland Eastern Shore; it was a nice exploration. There was very little shade. I was glad I was mostly covered. I ended up nearly sunburned on my wrists where my sun sleeves left a gap with my gloves: now I have weird dark stripes on my wrists.

It was a long slog and I finally got back to Cambridge. I missed the turn before the airport near mile 90 and, by the time I figured that out, I just looked at my phone to figure out the best route back to the course. It added maybe a mile to the ride.

Instrument error was obvious through the entire ride: my Garmin 530 bike computer regularly showed my elevation was below zero.

This was my third century ride, but the slowest. I’m glad I finally got to do it. I doubt I’ll volunteer for this windfest again.

Five Boro Bike Tour

Standing on Church Street while Waiting to Start

On May 4, I rode the Five Boro Bike Tour. This is an annual bike ride that visits all five boroughs of New York City on streets that are closed to automobile traffic. I’ve wanted to do this ride for a while, but hesitated because of its reputation for crowds and erratic riders. I knew I would regret it if I never tried it, so I signed up.

My wife and I drove up from Virginia on Friday and stayed for two nights in Newark. I took public transportation into Manhattan on Saturday to pick my rider’s packet up. My brief walk through the city reminded me why I can take big cities in small doses only. After picking the material up I had to exit the building through the gift shop, meaning, there were loads of vendors selling cycling gear. I think they don't offer to mail packets to riders because that forces riders to come on site and walk past the vendors.

On Sunday morning, my wife and I drove to the ferry dock on Staten Island and parked at the outlet mall. We boarded the ferry and went to Manhattan. Her plan was, while I rode in the event, she would visit friends. There were a few hundred other cyclists on the ferry, with their bikes, and wearing spandex and jerseys. When we reached Manhattan, I rode my bike on the designated route to the starting area for Wave 2, namely, Church Street. I had to listen to way too many speakers on stage talk about how great the ride is and how wonderful the sponsor is. I wondered whether they did this routine for every wave. Then a choir sang the national anthem, and we finally got the starting horn. I was way back in the pack, and the riders ahead of me were moving slowly to the start line, so we all straddle-walked our bikes to the start, where we were finally able to start riding.

My GPS Track from Lower Manhattan to the Staten Island Ferry

The route went right up the middle of Manhattan, on 6th Avenue, past Macy’s and Radio City Music Hall, into Central Park. The crowd of riders was thick; I had to spend so much of my time avoiding collisions and road hazards (parked cars, concrete dividers, bollards, vented manhole covers) that I didn’t get to enjoy seeing the sights along the way.

Google Earth View of My GPS Track through Midtown Manhattan

When I zoom into the plot of my GPS track, it looks like I was drunk, even disappearing into buildings sometimes. I think it was a combination of weaving through traffic and GPS receiver instrument error.

In Central Park I was amused by the many joggers who just wanted a regular quiet Sunday morning jog in the park, but instead had to deal with a massive swarm of cyclists. Finally the crowd thinned out after exiting Central Park and I was able to relax a little on the way through Harlem.

I crossed the Harlem River and then very shortly afterward went right back to Manhattan. The Bronx got short shrift on this route. Back in Manhattan, the route led along the East River on FDR Drive down to the Queensboro Bridge. This was the only spot that was dangerous: the riders bunched up on the climb, with some riders walking, others riding very slowly, and no one leaving room for riders to pass on the left. This is the only place where I saw a crash; I had to swerve to miss the fallen rider.

Into Queens I went, following the winding route, first North, then South, into Brooklyn, then through Brooklyn, finally reaching the expressway that leads to the Verrazzano Bridge. The headwind on that elevated road was pretty brutal. Finally I approached the bridge and I was worried that I’d have a hard time making the climb: my shifter battery died and I was stuck in a single gear, and by this point I had 30+ miles in my legs. I worried for nothing - the climb wasn’t all that hard. I coasted down the other side into the finish line festival. After a brief rest and water break, I got back on my bike and went back to the outlet mall where I was parked.

BIG LESSON: Always bring the battery charger on cycling trips and always check the charge the night before the ride. After getting home, I discovered that the wire that powers my rear derailleur was unplugged. This must have happened when I removed/reattached my rear wheel for the car trip. After plugging it back in, my gear shifting started working again.

I was surprised at how many women were riding. At home I see maybe one woman cyclist for every ten men riding near my home. I’m glad that there were more women participating. And there were lots of black and Asian riders. I’m glad there are so many people of color participating in what in Virginia seems to be a white- male-dominated sport.

I saw one guy wearing blue jeans while riding; seems like a recipe for pain. Lots of people wore plain athletic shorts and t-shirts. But most wore typical cycling clothing: spandex and jerseys. It was cool, and started out cloudy, then cleared up to be pretty sunny, and by the time I got to the finish line it was overcast. It started raining after I got back to my car, so I managed to stay dry. When I left the car on the way to Manhattan, I decided to leave my jacket behind, which turned out to be a good move because I didn’t need it. Well, I didn’t need it on the ride. I wished I had it on the ferry because the doors were open and it was cold on the water.

I saw a few recumbent bikes, a few tandems, a few elliptical bikes, and even a few hand bikes. But the most unusual was a Penny Farthing. I saw him at the start, and again in the parking lot when I packed up; he apparently parked in the same place that I did. I would have liked to see how he did the climbs and descents.

There were several rest stops with water and toilets. I didn’t stop at any of them; I didn’t need to. So I can’t comment on the rest stops with respect to water, toilets, or food.

Overall, it was about 42 miles of riding, including the ride to the start from the Manhattan ferry terminal, and the ride from the finish festival back to the ferry terminal on Staten Island. I’m glad I did it; I had fun; I doubt I’ll do it again.

After the ride, my wife and I met at the parking garage. I changed into street clothes and we headed home. This was our first road trip in her new electric vehicle. Finding and using chargers was an adventure in itself.