The Bicycle Bucket List

Ah January! Welcome to 2012 and a Happy New Year to you! Do you have a bicycle bucket list? The rides you really want to take, but haven't gotten to them just yet? These are the rides that you want to take before you leave the planet. January is a great time to dream and to plan. When it's too cold to ride outside, we can play with some possibilities.

For me, New Zealand, Italy, and France are on the list. I have travelled in Europe and New Zealand but not by bicycle. I would love to ride through the countryside. Ireland and Scotland are also on the list. These are the dreams for my rides. For 2012, my  plans are to do some rides that are closer and less expensive. However, they are still bike rides I always wanted to take.

The three rides are all about New York and vicinity. As a native New Yorker with plenty of biking experience in an around the city I have always loved the excitement and enjoyment I get riding on my old "home turf." Here are a few of the rides I want to do this year. 

New York City to Montauk: Ever since I got a bike, I wanted to do this ride. When I was a kid, my father forbid me to ride it with a few friends. As I got older I wanted to ride it, but never moved it off the back burner. This year I want to do it. I found a - a group ride Here is the link: Montauk. It's about 90 miles and it's in June, so I do have to be in reasonable shape to pull this off. Suddenly I am more motivated to get to my spin classes!

The Five Borough Ride: A long time ago, I was a member of American Youth Hostels. They were part of the original organizers of this ride. It is one of the great rides each year. Each year it's gotten bigger. This year you need to enter a lottery just to ride. The route is spectacular. All traffic is suspended and so bicycling in NYC is not an extreme action sport for one day. Bicyclists travel through Manhattan, Harlem, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn ending on Staten Island. If you'd like to enter the lottery for a chance to ride Here is the link: Bike NYC.

The Night Ride: I am a big fan of the northern fork of Eastern Long Island. Turns out that there is a great ride there in September. And it's a night ride! That's right it begins at 11:55pm and lasts until morning. You ride in the full moon - something else I have always wanted to do. You ride about and around Orient point and end at the ferry. It promises to be an amazing experience. Talk about riding out of the box! Here is the link: The Night Ride

There are a number of great local organized rides. One of them is the French Creek Iron Tour. It's going to be held on June 10, 2012. This ride, sponsored by the French and Pickering Conservation Trust, takes you on a tour of our beautiful countryside emphasizing protected lands along the way. It is also known as the gourmet ride among cyclists because of the great food at the rest stops. I have volunteered to SAG this ride for the last couple of years. I would love to ride in it in 2012. Here is link to the trust: French and Pickering Conservation Trust

In February, I will list all of the local organized rides I can find and provide the registration links. I am researching these rides now. If you know of a great local ride, please make a comment and include it. I would love to have a substantial list of local rides with some of your experiences. Also feel free to include some of the destination on your "Bucket List."