The guy racing the subway on a bike wants you to get out and explore
'I'm just an advocate of go do things' Danny Reed said.
There are two types of New Yorkers: people who complain about the subway, and people who look at the subway and wonder, could I beat that train? Danny Reed (@Where in NYC) is the second kind. He's gone viral on social media for turning the subway map into an endurance sport, sometimes beating that train (despite construction, turnstiles and traffic) and having fun along the way. If you haven’t yet seen a video, Danny hands conductors an AirTag, then tries to beat the train to its final stop, on his bike.
The Groove talked with him about how this started, what it’s like recruiting conductors as opponents and why his whole thing is ultimately a simple message: get outside, get moving and let the city surprise you.
Who are you and what do you do?
I grew up in New Jersey but moved here in 2014 for school, and it’s now 11 years in New York City. Once I graduated, I stayed in the city and kind of fell in love with it, and adventuring, endurance sports, and just being outside.
What made you want to explore NYC?
I still can’t exactly describe what led me to it. Going to undergrad here, it had a real college campus feel. A lot of people stayed on campus but none of my friends were doing that. I'd be having a blast running around exploring the city, a lot of cycling. That's really how it started actually — I just got a bike. I started exploring the city more via bike because it's a great way to do it. And I was like, oh my God, the city is so much bigger than anybody realizes. I wanted to showcase how big and chaotic and diverse it is. There’s landscapes and neighborhoods and there's nature. There's a beach that you can get to on the subway, like, you can go surfing! That was my initial motivation. I've also just been super, super active my whole life. Blending the two turned into this adventure.
Virginia K. Smith
For those who haven’t seen you on social media, what you do when you race the trains?
So basically, I pick a subway line and try to beat it to the final stop on my bike. The first one I did was the A train — the longest subway route in the city. I can't remember exactly how many miles the actual line is, but the bike ride was about 30 miles. It goes Inwood to Far Rockaway, this total diagonal through the chaos of the city. I'd been thinking about doing fun endurance and fitness challenges outside the box and racing the train, well I don't know exactly how I came to the idea, but I knew it would be fun.
What’s the process like?
The first couple times I did it I would have an AirTag crumpled into a napkin. I’d just put it under the seat, thinking, I hope my AirTag is there when I get there. In retrospect, not a great idea. What if someone saw me? “Yeah, this weird guy just came onto the subway with his bike, threw a crumpled napkin under the seat, and then just sprinted out.” It was in the back of my mind, somebody's gonna get me in trouble or something.
I did a few trains then I decided to do one against the ferry. And that's when I realized, I couldn't really just board the ferry and come back out, so I started talking to the staff. They loved the idea and were willing to take the AirTag. They said, like everyone else says, “You're a crazy person.”
How do you set up the race?
I talk to the conductors, hand them the AirTag, sprint out of the station, run up or down the stairs, carrying my bike over the turnstiles. I have the route on my watch. When I get to the end, I'll take the AirTag it back from the conductor. If I don't beat it, I tell them, “I might not be there when you're done, but you can just throw it out if they like.” I've lost like four at this point. When they're lost on the train, I follow them. They go to the dump somewhere, or the train terminal up in the Bronx maybe. And then it would eventually move to the garbage center in Staten Island. And then eventually it just didn't move for six months and was like, lost. I have an AirTag graveyard on my phone.
What have been MTA conductor reactions/reactions from your opponents?
It's so funny, I've been enjoying this piece of it a lot. Every time I tell them, they just give me this crazy look, trying to comprehend. It’s like, “what are you doing? You’re gonna ride from the Bronx to Coney Island, like, on a bike?” It’s a moment of pause. They just look at me and have an organic reaction, but everyone's been super nice and friendly. It's fun to talk to the people that are driving these trains every day and don’t get a lot of engagement from people who are riding the trains. I'm always excited to do it, having a good time, joking around. They will either match my energy or they'll give me an energy that I can vibe off of.
For example, the conductor for the 7 train recently was just like the coolest guy, like of all time. He said, all right go ahead, you're not gonna beat the 7 train. I'll see you over there, if you can get there. He was having fun, it put a smile on my face, we were both laughing about it. I've had one MTA employee recognize me. I was waiting in the station for a train and a different MTA staff was like, “Are you the guy that races the train?” I do wonder if it's being sent around like the MTA staff community.
What's your win-loss record been?
I am five and four. I had a race today, against the 4 train. I almost panic because I'm super competitive. It's all for fun, so I shouldn't be like that, but I'm biking and I'm talking to myself like, “Oh, you've gotta stop being a little bitch. Like you gotta bike harder and you can't lose.” But it was good. I beat the 4 train this morning!
What's been your closest win or loss?
Two stories: The ferry from Wall Street to Rockaway was the first time I did the ferry, and it was the first time I gave the AirTag to an employee, a captain named Mike. And I got to Rockaway, and as I got there the ferry was pulling out of the terminal. And I was just like, oh my gosh, Mike! I can't believe Mike didn't wait for me. I can't believe it! And obviously, I know they have a schedule. But I was just like, oh, Mike, just wait an extra two seconds. I would've been there! So that one was devastating. I blame it on the construction down the road.
And then, the 1 train that I raced like maybe two or three weeks ago. I went to the wrong station and they only had the turnstile entrances, and I couldn’t fit my bike. I had to turn around, go back up the escalator, people were on the escalators so I couldn't even run up the escalator, and I don't know if I would've won if I did go in the right door. I was frustrated!
Do you have other recommendations for adventures in New York City?
I love going north. I love love love the mountains and they are super accessible from New York City. Take the Metro-North an hour on the train and there's mountain biking. Upstate there are valleys and gorges, with the gorgeous Hudson River. There's tons of hiking, it's just beautiful. In New Jersey there are a hundred-plus-foot cliffs where you can just walk right up to the cliff, look down at the Hudson, see the New York City skyline. I feel like New Yorkers just don't really know that's there. And there's the Long Trail which goes all the way up to Canada. You could take the train an hour and a half into the mountains from New York City, do this backpacking route on the Appalachian Trail. No car needed, nothing? Yeah, I fuck with that.
Anything to say to people looking for things to do in NYC?
Get on your bike and explore. The city's a big place and every time you get out and go do something, whether it's planned or not planned, or racing, or not racing, you find something interesting that you weren't expecting. You run into a parade that you didn't know was going on in the city, that's oh wow, there, there's a million people here. I didn't even know that was happening, whatever it is, the new bike lane that you didn't know existed. You learn something when you go do things. I'm just an advocate of go do things. Go explore. Don't always have a plan.
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