Healthy Hoboken: I Want to Ride my Bicycle, I want to Ride my Bike...

This week I caught up with Hobokenite Ken Leeder, a longtime high school coach (and friend of mine) who is obsessed with working out, to hear about one of his favorite free workouts. 

Ken Leeder loves to brag. Lately, it's been all about riding his bike to the city. We basically can't get him to shut up about it. He rides more than 20 miles each way, starting at his 7th Street apartment in Hoboken and ending at a soccer complex on East 90th Street in Manhattan.

"My favorite part is crossing over the [George Washington] bridge," he says. "I feel alive. I feel strong. I feel sexy."

On a more serious note, he adds, "I look around and see people my age that are fat and out of shape. I don't want to be that person. This cuts up my abs and my butt. It makes me sexy."

Alright, maybe he doesn't know how to be serious about anything, except working out.

At 34, he still hits the gym more than guys 10 years his junior. He runs once or twice a day and plays on countless soccer teams. For him to say he feels the workout when riding his bike convinces me that it is a worthy activity.

Leeder is a high school coach whose resume includes soccer, softball, baseball, swimming, lacrosse and basketball. He trains several athletes in the off-season, and is currently the head trainer at a summer camp in Massachusetts. He says he would absolutely recommend cycling as a cross-training activity.

"It gets me fit. It's not as good as running, but since I go for two hours, it works" he says. "It's great for recovery, strength, and stamina."

As he said, you won't burn as many calories in a short time period or see the same results as compared to running (low intensity cycling burns about 380 calories per hour for a 150-pound female, less than half of the burn from running) but by extending the workout, you will see your endurance and over all fitness improve.

The trail Leeder takes to reach Manhattan is along River Road. He warns that there is a "big ass hill" right before the GWB, and anyone with a serious fear of heights should pick another route. Once across, he rides down the Henry Hudson Parkway.

I've never taken the ride, so I cannot personally vouch for the safety, but he says experienced riders will be fine. Definitely don't bring the kids along.

For the trip home, there are several options. The Hudson River Park along the Manhattan waterfront is beautiful. I've ridden a bike from about 42nd Street all the way down to the World Trade Center ferry stop, then hopped the ferry back to Jersey City and continued along the J.C. waterfront. Leeder doesn't always ride home, sometimes opting to take the PATH from 33rd Street.

For the less adventurous—or those who are wary of riding a bike in Manhattan—the City of Hoboken makes riding a bike pretty convenient. There are bike lanes all over the place, as well as 65 bike racks. The best spot to ride is along the waterfront, where a separate, marked bike lane helps keep pedestrians out of the way. 

Riding my bike is my absolute favorite way to get around the Mile Square. And when it comes down to it, my bike is kind of my free gym.