what a ride, Coast the Coast… Bike MS 2010

Yesterday I finished the 2 days ride of 170 miles on my bicycle, in behalf of the National Society for Multiple Sclerosis. 

The journey started about a year and a half ago, when my nephew Yoni gave me his old race bike… what a great nephew.  He moved to a newer model after wining the second place in the Israeli championship for seniors (over 30… or something like that).

Then I started looking for a worthy cause for a worthy ride… MS was an easy choice… The longest ride, very organized and a great cause. I knew of people with the disease and learned that practically anyone can get it… enough reasons to get on the bike and start pedaling and fundraising.

I recruited my friend and grad-school classmate, Steve Rigo, I even bought him a cool Bianchi bike on the street, for $85 (he probably doubled that in tuneups, tires and etc.)

Steve and his bike, before last year's ride

and trained a little… and we rode. It was tough. The bikes was not fitted well to my size…  the back hurt and I was out of shape. It was raining, it was cold, I had a flat tire about one mile from the end point… pretty bad… but we finished it.  I raised $950 or so. Steve raised a lot more - around $1,300.

So we decided to take another shot at it.

This year I took it seriously. I trained for about two months, I did my own tune ups, bought great new tires (Continental Gatorskin), new break pads, new cables, new handlebar ribbon… the good stuff. I even started using a road computer- Sigma My Sigma road computer(which were kind enough to ship me overnight a replacement unit after my original one broke during the last week of my training). 

I raised $1,700, Steve did a little less, and we rode. The ride was great this time. Very nice weather on the first day, some rain on the second day, but all good…

The best part of this entire event, other than the mediative quality of road biking, is the people. Great people, some of them doing it for years, I’d guess that the average age is 40, men and women doing something to support a loved one, as a social event or just for the sport. Great volunteers and the people who live with MS and take the time and effort to welcome the riders and thank them at every rest stop.

See you next year. 

2 years ago  View comments

My new favorite route for riding my bike with Boaz behind me stretches from Hoboken’s Lackawanna train station south towards Jersey City. The newly (at least by looks) constructed boardwalk has one of the most stunning views of Tribeca and the FInancial District. The glass and metal buildings form a shiny wall which reflects the river, the bay and the colorful sky. The few sunsets that I’ve experienced there are ranked among the best I’ve seen. The ride is not fast, there’s always traffic of people rushing from or to the train, families strolling slowly with the unexpected shifts in directions of their kids and of course, lovers hiding in the few not so private benches that are scattered around. To me, the water front is the most amazing part. Not so long ago, New Port was different, industrial and rough. The marks are shown clearly and add a mystical feeling to the shiny view of the city and the golden reflections of the twilight sky. As always, nothing is perfect. The Gate between Hoboken and New Port closes at 9PM (and earlier after October. Not sure why… And more important the railing that supposed to prevent people from falling to the river, besides of being dead ugly, is built more like a ladder. Kids can easily climb it or go through the bars and disappear in the river…

My new favorite route for riding my bike with Boaz behind me stretches from Hoboken’s Lackawanna train station south towards Jersey City. The newly (at least by looks) constructed boardwalk has one of the most stunning views of Tribeca and the FInancial District. The glass and metal buildings form a shiny wall which reflects the river, the bay and the colorful sky.

The few sunsets that I’ve experienced there are ranked among the best I’ve seen.

The ride is not fast, there’s always traffic of people rushing from or to the train, families strolling slowly with the unexpected shifts in directions of their kids and of course, lovers hiding in the few not so private benches that are scattered around.

To me, the water front is the most amazing part. Not so long ago, New Port was different, industrial and rough. The marks are shown clearly and add a mystical feeling to the shiny view of the city and the golden reflections of the twilight sky.

As always, nothing is perfect. The Gate between Hoboken and New Port closes at 9PM (and earlier after October. Not sure why… And more important the railing that supposed to prevent people from falling to the river, besides of being dead ugly, is built more like a ladder. Kids can easily climb it or go through the bars and disappear in the river…

2 years ago  View high resolution View comments

WoW!

2 years ago  View comments

what a ride, Coast the Coast… Bike MS 2010

Yesterday I finished the 2 days ride of 170 miles on my bicycle, in behalf of the National Society for Multiple Sclerosis. 

The journey started about a year and a half ago, when my nephew Yoni gave me his old race bike… what a great nephew.  He moved to a newer model after wining the second place in the Israeli championship for seniors (over 30… or something like that).

Then I started looking for a worthy cause for a worthy ride… MS was an easy choice… The longest ride, very organized and a great cause. I knew of people with the disease and learned that practically anyone can get it… enough reasons to get on the bike and start pedaling and fundraising.

I recruited my friend and grad-school classmate, Steve Rigo, I even bought him a cool Bianchi bike on the street, for $85 (he probably doubled that in tuneups, tires and etc.)

Steve and his bike, before last year's ride

and trained a little… and we rode. It was tough. The bikes was not fitted well to my size…  the back hurt and I was out of shape. It was raining, it was cold, I had a flat tire about one mile from the end point… pretty bad… but we finished it.  I raised $950 or so. Steve raised a lot more - around $1,300.

So we decided to take another shot at it.

This year I took it seriously. I trained for about two months, I did my own tune ups, bought great new tires (Continental Gatorskin), new break pads, new cables, new handlebar ribbon… the good stuff. I even started using a road computer- Sigma My Sigma road computer(which were kind enough to ship me overnight a replacement unit after my original one broke during the last week of my training). 

I raised $1,700, Steve did a little less, and we rode. The ride was great this time. Very nice weather on the first day, some rain on the second day, but all good…

The best part of this entire event, other than the mediative quality of road biking, is the people. Great people, some of them doing it for years, I’d guess that the average age is 40, men and women doing something to support a loved one, as a social event or just for the sport. Great volunteers and the people who live with MS and take the time and effort to welcome the riders and thank them at every rest stop.

See you next year. 

My new favorite route for riding my bike with Boaz behind me stretches from Hoboken’s Lackawanna train station south towards Jersey City. The newly (at least by looks) constructed boardwalk has one of the most stunning views of Tribeca and the FInancial District. The glass and metal buildings form a shiny wall which reflects the river, the bay and the colorful sky. The few sunsets that I’ve experienced there are ranked among the best I’ve seen. The ride is not fast, there’s always traffic of people rushing from or to the train, families strolling slowly with the unexpected shifts in directions of their kids and of course, lovers hiding in the few not so private benches that are scattered around. To me, the water front is the most amazing part. Not so long ago, New Port was different, industrial and rough. The marks are shown clearly and add a mystical feeling to the shiny view of the city and the golden reflections of the twilight sky. As always, nothing is perfect. The Gate between Hoboken and New Port closes at 9PM (and earlier after October. Not sure why… And more important the railing that supposed to prevent people from falling to the river, besides of being dead ugly, is built more like a ladder. Kids can easily climb it or go through the bars and disappear in the river…

My new favorite route for riding my bike with Boaz behind me stretches from Hoboken’s Lackawanna train station south towards Jersey City. The newly (at least by looks) constructed boardwalk has one of the most stunning views of Tribeca and the FInancial District. The glass and metal buildings form a shiny wall which reflects the river, the bay and the colorful sky.

The few sunsets that I’ve experienced there are ranked among the best I’ve seen.

The ride is not fast, there’s always traffic of people rushing from or to the train, families strolling slowly with the unexpected shifts in directions of their kids and of course, lovers hiding in the few not so private benches that are scattered around.

To me, the water front is the most amazing part. Not so long ago, New Port was different, industrial and rough. The marks are shown clearly and add a mystical feeling to the shiny view of the city and the golden reflections of the twilight sky.

As always, nothing is perfect. The Gate between Hoboken and New Port closes at 9PM (and earlier after October. Not sure why… And more important the railing that supposed to prevent people from falling to the river, besides of being dead ugly, is built more like a ladder. Kids can easily climb it or go through the bars and disappear in the river…

WoW!

what a ride, Coast the Coast… Bike MS 2010

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