As I was walking out of the door with my bike, heading down to DUMBO to sign in for the ride, I wondered just why they have to start an eighteen mile tour so early. The start time to sign in was eight o’clock. I knew there weren’t that many people riding and I was a bit cranky on the way down.

However, my attitude changed as soon as I got down there. First, the vibe of a crowd of riders is always infectious. People were jazzed, dressed up in their tour outfits, kids were excited, people were chatting with friends, people were wearing their bike gear and all kinds of bikes were in attendance. So of course a bike nut like me got excited too. Not only that, but the day was gorgeous!! Not a cloud in the sky. I even had to pull off my riding jacket to cool off. (Tis not me looking at the map. I just thought this would be a cool shot.)

As I waited there for the ride to start, these two awesome girls came over and chatted with me and we ended up spending the ride together, along with another friend of theirs. They were really cool people and I enjoyed hanging with some new people!!

The ride itself was kind of slow moving. At first I was a little irked. But chatting with new friends and the beautiful weather overshadowed the pace. I thought the turnout was pretty good too. It wasn’t that crowded, but still it was big enough to make a show of it. The crowd wasn’t as diverse as the 5 Boro or even the Tour de Bronx (which, by the way, I have already signed up for). But that was cool, because I think the riders were all Brooklyn natives so you know they were all cool!!

The ride was cool and I had a good time out in the sun and getting some fresh air and more exercise. I even got a shot of this really cool ride:

Pretty bitchin’ if you ask me. The owner even wore a leather vest over his T-shirt, bandanna and black jeans. He looked like a Hell’s Angel!!

I would totally recommend anyone doing this ride. It’s a great way to get to know your fellow Brooklynites, your fellow city dwellers, and just some good clean fun….

Well, thanks to Olivia of Super Vegan who I met last night at the Brooklyn Blogfest, I got this tip about Time’s Up Doggie Pedal Parade happening Saturday 17 May 2008, in which cyclists ride with their pets in vehicles altered to carry their little loved one’s. But also interesting about this ride is the route has animal adoption sites and also some animal friendly locations. From the looks of the page, it might be kinda fun!!

There never seems to be a shortage of things to do around here….

Above is my camera shy little girl.