This is a trip that routinely would take at least 2:30 to 2:45 to cover the
30 miles even on the recumbent. Today it was 1:55, including the 6 minute
delay to walk the bike across the Atlantic Beach Bridge. I was riding the
newly-resurrected Trek into the bitter, bitter cold but fortunately there
was an insane 30 MPH wind from the west. The trip vector is ESE but half
of the South component is through heave traffic anyway. Also, after 20 or
30 times of doing this ride, I finally figured out how best to get from
Broadway Junction across the LIRR tracks to Pitkin Ave and across the Belt
Parkway into Queens. This is a wonderful little stretch going from xeno to
xenophobia in three miles which is entirely missed by car. I also figured
out the wonders of the Rockaway Freeway, if a road with a 25MPH speed limit
can be properly called a freeway. This road always looked too weird and
scary to take -- one lane each direction under the elevated subway tracks,
not looking like it was going anywhere in particular -- but apparently it
was safe and led the 4 miles from the Cross Bay Blvd Bridge to Seagirt Blvd
and the Nasau County Boarder.
It was weird, though -- not a single other long-rider on the route today.
Maybe it's because anyone else would have faced having to go _back_ into
that wind.
--ag