What was your first WE Bike NYC ride?
My first WE Bike NYC ride was THE first WE Bike NYC ride! It was a training ride for the 5 Boro Bike Tour in Central Park. It was raining and SO COLD and there were three of us -- me, the sweep, and one brave participant! We ended the ride early and all got hot chocolate.
What’s your favorite route?
I currently live in Seattle, so my favorite route is my commute to work that goes by Lake Washington. I love seeing the water every day and how it changes over the different seasons.
In NYC, my favorite route was definitely any time I got to ride over the Williamsburg Bridge. For me, riding over that bridge to BikeWorks in the lower east side was where I hatched all my best (and worst) plans.
What do you ride?
I am one of those people who have too many bikes. I recently retrofitted one of my bikes to be an electric bike, thinking it would give me a mental and physical boost to commute in the winter. However, I find that I really just want to ride my tried and true Trek 520! This bike is the only bike I ever bought brand new (in 2007) and I rode it on my cross country adventure from Boston to San Francisco, all around Boston, all around New York City, and now all around Seattle. I joke that it is like riding a couch -- it's not fast, but it's sure comfortable. Riding this feels like home and reminds me of all the great things my body has done and can do!
Why do you love WE Bike NYC?
I miss WE Bike NYC every day out here in Seattle. The community in WE Bike NYC helped me to meet people that I never would have met in the city. It connected me to fashion designers, activists, teachers, artists, tech folks, youth workers, baristas, and so many more people. It made me feel like I had a safety net in the city, and those connections continue to support and fuel me through the pandemic, on the other side of the country! The connections I made with WE Bikers went way deeper than our love of bikes, however, without that connection, we may never have found each other. Whenever I need advice on bike things, I go directly to Female Bike Forum, because it's the only place on the internet where I know I'll get a variety of answers, from people who have a variety of body shapes, and who offer support without judgement. (And yea, I'm probably biased...but oh well.)
|