"A Bicyclists Wonderland..." or "A ride to Remember" I'm a Gemini so its hard to choose ;)

My legs were tight from my half-marathon yesterday but I rushed to get to Central Park today at 8am (nearly missed the group by a millisecond but got in right before shut out). I had signed up as a volunteer bicyclists for the Achilles Tandem Ride (for more info about the org click here). My job was to lead a blind or visually impaired individual on a Tandem bike. At first it should have been solely in Central Park but we ended up taking the streets since today was NYCs "Summer Streets". Basically a Haven for Bicyclists, RollerBladers and Runners to run and frolic down Park avenue from the top to the bottom of Manhattan. I was nervous about having another life in my hand but practiced on the Tandem before "show time" and after just one cut on my leg, quickly got the hang of it. Met up with my passenger or partner, depends on how you look at it, and enjoyed an absolutely memorable day in the city. Tons of bicycles going down Park Avenue which is usually overrun with yellow taxis, trucks, cars and rushed businessmen. At one point a man on a bike with an automatic bubble blower flew by us. I stopped him at a stop sign and took a picture of course.

I heard from my passenger aka bike partner today that this nonprofit also does RUNNING with the blind. How cool! I may try that at least once.

On a more serious note... She mentioned during our ride how she does not like to place limits on herself and hates when other people try to do that in the name of safety... not more than a few minutes after that we stopped at a tent along Park Avenue where they were giving out Free Bike Helmets (which I seriously needed) we were too late to get one but as we mounted back on the Tandem a guy from a nearby display came to us and asked if we wanted to learn more about Truck "Blind spots" and how dangerous it was for us to ride on a Tandem bike. I stopped him and explained that she was Blind and this was the ONLY way she could bike, he apologized and said he did not realize...we said "no problem" and continued on our merry way...its amazing the experiences you can have...the insight into others lives you can get when you connect with people...I do all these sports everyday and only once in a while think about those who cannot do this all by themselves...this was really ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES of my life...being able to help someone else experience the joys of sports and fitness...who would otherwise be unable to... I hope to do this again and again....

I pushed through despite my tight legs and ended up biking 30 miles of biking. Crazy day and I am finally home resting.... Some might think I'm "nonstop" or "overdo" it...but in the end...The GREAT memories are well worth the fatigue...totally priceless...