Two wheels, two legs can’t lose: The quickie guide to bike tourism in and around New York City
Gas prices being what they are, it's time for a different kind of road trip.
The freedom of the open road, the joy of seeing new places and meeting new people, breaking out of your routine and getting away from your terrible friends, it’s time for a summer trip. But how are you gonna get around?
It's generally advised that you don't leave New York City but if you must take a break, like running from a warm hot tub into the cold pool to appreciate the difference, the options for plane or train or car are dire. Road trips and flying are stuck at the mercy of gas prices tied to the endless but definitely ending any day now war on Iran (fun fact: there have been at least two ceasefires since I pitched this story). Our national rail system is a damn joke and really is only good for travel if you have a ton of time on your hands.
Consider then, the humble bicycle, which you can use to get to all sorts of day trips and camping spots with just a little bit of gear and a little bit of practice. Jumping on your bike for 30 or 40 miles in a day, you can reach the Hudson Valley, and if you push things more you can get to Western New York or even Canada, all via your own two legs.
It’s a little bit different than a bike trip across town to meet your friend at a bar, and it requires you to drag some stuff along with you, but anyone with some moderate cycling experience can pedal out of town.
Do I need to be like a real bike freak for this? What I really mean is, do I need the bike shorts?
The skill level for bike tourism in and around the city doesn’t require you to be in Tadej Pogacar shape. Presumably though, you have some experience and confidence on a bicycle since you’re reading a blog post about how to go on trips that require you to bike 30 or 40 miles in a day.
“I know they look funny but the Lycra shorts with the butt pad, cyclists call it chamois, is life-changing,” my friend Danny Engesetter, a committed cyclist who’s put in self-guided trips across the Adirondacks, told me.
Similarly, you should have some familiarity with how to ride in the city and around traffic. Even the trips that take you out of the city will require you to do some pedaling on city streets before you hit more sheltered and separated environments, and if you’re doing more than hitting an arbitrary spot and turning around, you’ll need to ride to whatever campsite or cute Hudson Valley town you’re hunkering down in for the night.
What if I want a practice ride to see if I can do this distance?
Of course, you also may be looking at things like “30 or 40 miles in a day” and wonder if you can handle that. It’s a perfectly reasonable question to consider and the good news is that you actually have plenty of places to ride to before you go too far outside of the city.
