First Tracks

I did my first Long Island ride today and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

I live on the South Shore of Long Island, where riding is virtually impossible. I joined the LIBC, which does rides on the North Shore each Saturday and Sunday from the Westbury High School parking lot. Westbury High School is a 15-20 minute drive from my house -- a bit of a bummer to have to drive your car to go ride your bike but at least I finally get some use out of the bike rack I purchased.

LIBC has cue sheets listed on the site. I polled a few members and asked for a good mid-week training ride and they suggested two. I picked the shorter one.

I arrived a Westbury High School and was immediately a bit intimidated by the looks of the student body. I pulled into the faculty lot and asked a teacher if she thought they'd mind if they park there. She said it should be okay. As I was preparing my bike I saw a security guard approaching me. He said "great day for a ride -- great idea" and kept walking. I rode up to his car and confirmed it was okay for me to park there. He gave me the thumbs up.

The ride was supposed to be 32 miles but I had to cut it short bc I understimated what time it gets dark -- I did a total of 21 miles. Even with cruddy winter conditions I could see the beauty of the ride. Some of the houses I passed were unbelievable. The car traffic wasn't too bad either. Similar to some spots in NJ it seemed like the cars were used to seeing cyclists in the area so they were rather patient.

I probably won't be able to ride again for a while bc the weather is looking cold and I have a bunch of trips coming up. However, the outlook for riding on LI just took a big turn up.