WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, Bike New York, InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Kristina uses this post to bring us in on the some of the cerebral planning that she’s putting into this ride.

This trip to DC will be my first major bike tour, my largest athletic undertaking, and an overall BIG DEAL. You don’t go from biking 54 miles on a three speed cruiser to riding 260+ miles on a %#(@(*$ ^$*@($)@ road bike without learning a few things about yourself and the prep process.

1) Training is not just about building fitness – It’s also about trying out different clothing combinations to fight against the cold, what to not drink/eat the night before, and how to not lose your cool when your friend is flying up a hill in front of you. You don’t learn anything like that on a stationary bike. Spinning classes that say otherwise are a lie (and serve their own lovely purpose).

Climate control builds muscle but not necessarily character

2) Fit is important, but is not stagnant – When I bought my new bike, I had the seat dropped down as far as it could go. Because I have short legs and that’s what short legged people do. So when I developed this weird overuse pain on the top of my thigh, I took it back to the shop and we raised it substantially. The pain went away and everything felt great. Until mile 20 something, when I stopped being able to reach the ground with any kind of stability. So I will bring it back and we will try again until we get it right.

3) DRINK WATER! – I know I covered this one in my story of my botched century ride, but it begs repeating. That dead pain my legs after 90 minutes of riding on the equivalent of a moderately sized Big Gulp should not be a lesson I don’t need to keep re-learning.

4) Biking is my therapy, not a thing that should send me to therapy – I don’t think this one needs explaining nor am I able to without sounding like I am in need of actual mental health services. I tried this weekend and nothing came out of my mouth the way it was worded in my head. Granted, it was during my violation of Lesson #3 so I may not have made any sense. Once I left the friend I was riding with, I was starting to work through it and…

5) Falling is inevitable – On Sunday, I lost control of my bike coming up on a red light and connected with a cab barreling down the street. While the experience was terrifying, I managed to walk away banged but not broken.  Walking home, sobbing heavily, I rehearsed my speech to my #webiketodc teammates, friends, and family to express my regrets about not being able to continue this project. A friend took me to the doctor and other than bruises speckled all over my body, I was OK. I laughed my way through the weird yoga positions they had to bend me into for the x-rays. I had a really nice “holy cow, I made it through that” dinner, talked it through with Liz, watched “Walking Dead”, and have now spent my sick day figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it. The speech is gone from my head. Let’s blame it on a combination of optimism and the light concussion.

I’ll forego this layer when it gets warm enough that I don’t need two pairs of pants.

Transportation Alternatives has been advocating for safer New York streets since 1973. In the film by Luke Ohlsen, we learn why and how three brave New Yorkers tough it out and ride through the winter.

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

Transportation Alternatives has been supporting WE Bike NYC from the beginning. We are more than grateful that they are also sponsoring us as #WEBIKETODC.

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

On this post, Casey shares a humorous tale of what happens when you combine the joys of adolescence and long distance bicycle touring…

The first time I ever rode my bike a really serious distance was when I went on my first tour at 14. As an awkward adolescent middle schooler, I went with a friend (Anna) and her family to Canada for a large supported tour. While I hadn’t done anything like it before, Anna’s family had taken bike trips as their vacations for as long as she could remember, so they were all old pros. But I was young and in pretty good shape from playing sports in school, so with little (no) training, off I went. The tour looped around the peninsula near Niagara Falls, averaging anywhere from 55-70 miles a day. We slept in tents in fields of local high schools, would break camp and stow our gear in a giant semi truck, and ride from early in the morning til mid-afternoon.

I managed to get through the first half of the tour with only minor incidents: one spill on the rail trail gave me some gnarly road rash that was remedied by sticking a maxi-pad to the inside of my shorts to cover the wound until it could be dressed properly. (There was pretty much nothing I could think of that would have been more embarrassing than that at the tender age of 14.) And, while messing around with friends trying to ride with no hands, I rode off the road, between a telephone pole and a tree, only to flop over into a bush full of burrs that I would be picking out of my hair for the rest of the tour.

Our rest day was in Niagara Falls, with wax museums, haunted houses, and tourist attractions galore, and with 3 days left in the tour to go, I was feeling pretty good about things. We awoke the next morning ready to ride, and were about 5 miles in when the weather started getting gross. What started as drizzling and breezy turned into downpour and a fierce headwind that lasted throughout the day. This is when I would hit the wall.

I have a distinct memory of climbing a hill, my shoes soaked, barely able to see from the rain blowing in my face, my muscles aching, and feeling like I was spinning and spinning the pedals and barely moving at all. I finally came to the crest of the hill and started down, which should have been pleasant but wasn’t, due to the headwind and the rain. I coasted into the last rest stop of the day at the bottom of the hill, found a patch of grass, dismounted, dropped the bike on the ground (Anna’s mom to this day says that I threw it, but that seems dramatic), and said I was done.

Where was the SAG wagon? I was ready to get to the next place we were sleeping, have a hot shower, and curl up in my nice dry tent. I did not want to ride the bike any more. I did not want any water. I did not want a snack. I was over it. I was DONE.

To their credit, Anna’s parents handled it really well. They reassured me that I had been doing a good job, even though I was kind of being a baby at that moment. They said that it was totally up to me if I wanted to take the SAG wagon the rest of the way, and that no one would think I was lame if I did that. And they told me how much farther it was, and how long they thought it would take to get there if we rode. They got me to eat a snack and have some water. And by the time they were ready to go the last leg, I was too.

Everyone hits walls. And sometimes, it does mean that you take the SAG wagon the rest of the way, which is ok. But sometimes, you need a pep talk, a snack, and some water to get you going again.

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

WE Bike NYC founder, Liz Jose, tells us about her relationship with one of our sponsors, WomanTours, and how they came to be such a vital part of the #webiketodc team.

WomanTours had us at “first all women bike tour company in America.” When Laura met Jackie at the Philly Bike Expo, WE knew this was going to be a great partnership, but WE weren’t quite sure in what capacity.  Less than two weeks later, WE were calling them up to ask if they wanted to support a completely ridiculous, mid-winter ride from New York City to Washington, DC.  While the weather might be a bit of a challenge, WomanTours was on board as soon as WE told them about our mission to get more women involved in the national transportation conversation. Their expertise in route planning, packing and their donation of a 14 passenger van with 14 bike racks and two amazing drivers made this trip go from a “what if” to a “why not!”

Thank you WomanTours! WE can’t wait to spend 4 days with you!

Click HERE for a great video about their tours. I chose this one in Moab because this is one of my all time favorite places to be in all the world, ever. Next year #WEBikeMoab?

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

WE Bike NYC founder, Liz Jose, tells us about her relationship with one of our sponsors, Velojoy, and their impact on the female cycling community.

Talking with Susi Wunsch, the creator of Velojoy (http://velojoy.com/) always leaves me in a state of action!

I met Susi a few weeks ago to talk about our plans for 2014, as well as pitch our ride to DC and see if Velojoy was interested in being a sponsor. The conversation went everywhere from the best winter layers to the benefits of Citibike to the pros and cons of disk brakes to if gluten free cookies still count as training food.

Velojoy is a wonderful website because it combines hard core cycling knowledge about nutrition and technique with a style and grace that can only be called feminine in the best possible way. In a world where women’s cycling is constantly pigeon holed into “cutesy” or “butch, “ Velojoy provides another option. All you have to be on a bike is YOU!

And in case you aren’t quite sure about how to do that, Velojoy is there to help you do it.

Which commuter jeans are worth the money?

How do I stay warm on my winter commute?

Should I try cyclocross?

Where are my ladies at?

Thanks Velojoy for putting out great content, and thanks for being a sponsor of  WE Bike NYC and #webiketodc!

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!

Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

New to the world of long distance touring, Kristina shares with us some important lessons she learned on a botched century ride.

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, Velojoy, and InTandem, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE!  Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

Back in September 2013, I set out on my very first Century Ride. I met up with our long ride dynamo, Mary at Central Park at 5:30am to prep for the 7am start.

By 3:30, 54 miles in, I pulled off the route and called a friend to come pick me up. I have been thinking a lot about that “failure” while we prep for a ride 2 and a half times as long and infinitely more epic in scale. This is what I have learned: 1) Training is important. Prior to the Century Ride, the farthest I had ever ridden was 50 miles and while I was working out rather regularly, I wasn’t getting in a lot of miles on my bike. Training isn’t just about building muscles and cardio capacity, it’s about knowing when you need to take breaks and refuel, when to slow down and what to wear. It also is about knowing that spending the day before eating massive amounts of pork and drinking unlimited levels of beer will mess you up. 2) Knowing basic bike mechanics will keep you on the road. Somewhere around mile 20, my pedals stopped turning. It looked like one of the legs was loose. So, a marshall and I tightened it with our fingers. That only got me about 5 more miles before I broke down again. I had to walk my bike another two and half miles to a shop in Bay Ridge, who told me that despite being cleared for riding by my neighborhood bike shop, I had a piece of the crank that was cracked and finally gave up the fight. I was waylaid for over a hour while the mechanic searched his supplies to find a bolt that would fit my super old British bike. 3) Not taking breaks does not make you a superhero. Once my bike was functioning again, I was so angry about the delay that I put that rage into the pedals. I made to the Marine Park rest stop, chugged my water bottle, refilled it, had two bites of the bagel I horded and off I went towards Rockaway.  I ran into the Marshall that had helped me back in Bay Ridge. He told me my friends were not that far ahead of me and off I went again. And I kept going at top speed, despite an increasing dry mouth and cramping legs.

Bright eyed and well hydrated (Rest Stop #1)

Tired and thirsty (Rest Stop #2)

4) Drink water and calm down. I did end up catching my friends in Jamaica Bay, thanks to their stop at Rockaway Taco. I wanted to stop for more water, but they wanted to keep going. I didn’t mention my powering through because I didn’t want to be behind again. We went about 10 more miles and my bike started wobbling because my legs were wobbling. 2 more miles and I was cramming an orange in my mouth for refreshment. 4 more miles and I was sitting in a McDonald’s in Glendale, waiting to be picked up.

Pissed and Delirious

5) Asking for help is not shameful.

Luckily, there is an app for that

Adventures don’t always go according to plan. The reasons for this debacle are obvious: I wasn’t ready mentally and that overrode my physical abilities; I wasn’t ready physically, operating on a body “fueled” by salt and alcohol; and my bike wasn’t ready, she’s 45 years old and repeatedly the victim of repair malpractice.

In later posts, WE will talk about what WE are doing to be ready and would love to hear from you in the comments about the important training lessons you’ve learned.

Liz Jose, founder of WE Bike NYC, gives us further insight into her advocate philosophy.

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine, Pearl Izumi, and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE! Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors.

Yesterday, a young man was hit by a truck on Pennsylvania and Atlantic while a female cyclist celebrated a small victory when a cop car told an SUV to “let the bicycle pass” on Court Street. Our city, our struggles and our victories are often car related, even for those of us who can’t afford or chose not to ride in a car.

The car was and is an incredible invention that allows us to travel huge distances in short periods of time and allows us to do it on our schedules and on our terms.

However, as cities change, and more and more people move out of the suburbs back into urban centers, cars seem more and more foolish. It takes twice as long to drive anywhere in New York CIty as it does to bike or take the subway, especially when you factor in parking. And the cost of a car is far beyond what we think of as “gas and go.” There is, of course, gas, but there is also insurance, parking, tickets and tolls.

Cars are dangerous. They are expensive. And, while they are a great idea for going to the mountains, they take up an incredible amount of space in the city that could be better used for…just about anything else.

So that’s why I’m biking to DC. I’m biking because I believe that bicycles allow people to travel on their own terms and provide a sense of individuality and empowerment we all crave, while doing so in a safe, environmentally friendly, inexpensive and healthy way. And I want to make  bicycles a reality for people who don’t already have access. That is why WE Bike NYC runs programs for many different types of people, provides an opportunity to earn a bike in our Mujeres en Movimiento program and supports mothers and kids who want to move the next generation on two wheels. I work very very hard (I was going to say tirelessly, but I am often tired) here in New York City and I revel in the idea that I can bring my ideas and experiences to a broader community in DC. I want our voices to be heard not just in New York, but nationally, because I think WE have a lot to say.