Last Sunday it was Bike Boston's Hub on wheels. I was invited to join a group a month ago and said yes - of course ,that was a month ago when the ride was clearly far into the future - at which time I knew I would be fighting fit. Indeed for the first three days after signing up I rode everyday. Thereafter, hmmm, I did not ride at all. I am not sure why, but before I knew it the day was approaching and I was not ready to ride around the city. ....How could I get out of it though ??? I had promised my friend who was sponsoring our team that I would be there. I exercised my brain trying to think of something plausible but since that organ was as out of shape as the muscles I couldn't come up with something and so found myself getting up at the the unseemly hour of 6:30 on Sunday, bike piled into the car for driving into Boston center (no one was surely going to ride to/from their houses into the city before and after the big ride, or so I thought. Turns out that many were doing just that. Great, now I felt like a real loser. Especially when they passed me for dust while I waited in a long line behind other cars filled with bikes at the government center car park (please note that I forebear to accuse these other drivers of being losers as some of them will have travelled much further than I did in order to participate).
 |
| The world famous, and only $3, government center garage |
but let's face it, even if they are also from the city, at a $3 special for the event who would pass up the cheapest parking in Boston since the tea party (the first one that is, not last years demonstration). Anyways, I eventually got parked, set my bike up and found my group - twenty minutes after the race had started. Mind you, this was not a problem, with at least, oh about half a million riders, there was still a long queue waiting to cross the start line and ride. No matter, despite the promises of the weather men it was not raining -Woohoo!. And, another Woohoo, before we knew it we were under way, and at 3mph I was confident I could make the first 10 miles. Especially as these were on Storrow Drive, the main thoroughfare alongside the Charles river, closed to real traffic. I have to confess that this was the first time I was on the side of the event people and not in my car forced to make a detour by yet another summer charity event. How ironic - for years I have cursed city wide events that close the roads to people that pay theri various car related taxes and need them. In part this is because detours in Boston involve a sign saying "detour" with a confident arrow that shuttles the driver into a side road that is then not marked with anything guiding you back on path. Now that might be OK in modern cities, but roads twist and turn here and even having lived many years in this city I can still get lost. Why can't they put up a couple more signs to get you back on the road.
Never mind, on my bike it was easy, follow the 3 million riders in front of me. This worked out fine, and we even built up speed, rode past my house (literally) and kept going (my thought to make a quick stop and avoid the delights of portapotties was subverted by my lack of need - ce la vie).
I have to say the ride was overall well managed but I am pleased that the city of Boston had the route go through a few spots that required single lane riding. Even Disney would not try to get 12 million riders through such narrow spots and yet, it worked on the whole. The sun even came out as we reached the coastal part of the ride making for an idyllic scene out on the water -it was almost summery in look and just as good. As we passed Carson beach, as so often, i wondered at why so few people come to this very nice part of the city. Anyways, many hours after setting off, we arrived back at government center to a well planned party. I felt I could ride for the rest of the day, the next day I was mighty glad I hadn't !
So, forced exercise in the right company - how do I repeat the experience.
p.s. only one short commute ride since and my knee has been acting up big time ? linked to the ride or not, i honestly don't know.
