Finally convinced one of my clients to purchase a road bike after pleading with her all summer. Amazingly, she lives right across the street from Central Park but never goes in. Told her it would be a great way to take advantage of the neighborhood and get some weekend exercise.
To my suprise she asked if I wanted to ride with her in place of her gym sessions. I thought, "Why not?". I ride on the weekends anyways plus it's a great way to break from the old jump squat-pull up-crunch routine. First couple rides we stayed on the West Side bike path. Nothing too crazy- just cruising with her while she's learning how to ride her kit: how to find the proper gear, how to get out of toe straps without falling etc etc.
One trip we rode up and over the George Washington Bridge. Not too bad. Totally flat but you have to dodge all the Lance Armstrong wanna-bees who vibe you cuz you're not riding an 09 Cervelo.Whatevs. It was fun though. Nice to finally take a decent look. Normally I'm racing over it just trying to get home as it's only one of the two bridges I have to deal with to get to my neighborhood.
After finally getting used to her bike, she asked if we could try riding over the Brooklyn Bridge. I was hyped as it would finally be a challenging ride. I usually ride from my house over the 59th Street Bridge through the Park to her crib then to whatever then back over. only about 15-20miles. To ride over two bridges would be a hustle. It would be dope to go see what's up in the old neighborhood too.
The ride wasn't too bad. It was one of the last weekends with nice weather so we were happy to be taking advantage of it. Halfway through, she mentioned she was getting hungry and asked if there was a place in Brooklyn where we could get something to eat. I told her I knew just the place.
The Brooklyn Bridge was a decent climb and I just charged it just to get it over with. She apparently had a tough time trying to find the right gear, having her blood sugar drop, and crashing into a lady jumping into the bike lane wanting to have her picture taken, My client (half Italian half Puerto Rican) chewed her out with every curse she knew. Don't mess with a hungry lady trying to get her workout on.
Of course, I took her to one of my favorite eateries in all of the city, Grimaldi's. Peaced the line and ordered a pie to go. We ate right on the Pier overlooking the Manhattan Skyline. The pizza was amazing as was the view. Not a bad way to spend a day at work. She was hyped to taste a little history, but only had two slices leaving me to kill the pie, Tony Manero style.
