The George Washington Bridge connects higher Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey. It carries extra motorized vehicle visitors than another bridge on the earth. I wouldn’t be stunned if it additionally carries extra Fred visitors than another bridge on the earth, since it’s the default crossing for just about each street rider within the metropolis, and on a pleasing weekend day it carries an unbroken string of wheels and Lycra finish to finish in both course.
This being New York, it most likely received’t shock you to be taught that, regardless of being so common with cyclists, the bike path on the George Washington Bridge has all the time sucked ass. Situated on the south facet of the bridge, it concerned a decent hairpin activate the Manhattan facet that foiled and flummoxed all however essentially the most professional riders. Then when you hit the span there have been these slender blind chicanes round every of the towers which have precipitated untold collisions. Pedestrians had it no higher; whereas they did have their very own path on the north facet of the bridge, it concerned climbing a number of units of stairs–171 steps in whole. Typically when the southern path was closed for upkeep they’d route cyclists over the north facet, and also you’d get to expertise shouldering your bike and clomping up and down these stairs in cleats. To not get slowed down in engineering jargon, however it actually blew.
Effectively, yesterday was an enormous deal, as a result of after years of labor the Port Authority has lastly opened the newly renovated northern path, which is able to alleviate many of those issues. That is a type of issues that appeared like it could by no means occur, and I didn’t even notice it had opened till I noticed it on Streetsblog, who went from Zero to Complain in report time:
Significantly, I didn’t even should juxtapose these two tales, they have been proper subsequent to one another on the web page.
Effectively, I haven’t learn the Streetsblog tales, and as a substitute I headed over to the trail this morning to expertise it for myself. Should you’re not from New York it’s arduous to understand what an enormous deal that is. It’s just like the Golden Gate Bridge, uh, additionally getting a brand new bike path, or like Cleveland lastly getting high-speed Web. The GWB is like six miles due south of my house, and I used to be quivering with anticipation as I crossed the Henry Hudson Bridge, the place the bike path (which isn’t even a motorcycle path because you’re technically not allowed to trip on it) continues to be resolutely shitty:
That’s the Palisades on the opposite facet of the chain hyperlink fence, and the George Washington Bridge is simply out of sight to the south and/or left of the image:
As soon as I’d crossed the bridge I lower by way of Inwood Hill Park, since as its title would recommend it’s on a really steep hill, and I wished an excuse to make use of all three of my chainrings to verify I’d lastly cured the sticky hyperlink drawback yesterday:
Sadly the chain obtained caught on the granny ring once more, so apparently I had not.
Persevering with alongside the Hudson River Greenway, the GWB got here into view by way of the naked bushes:
And shortly I used to be on the entrance to the brand new path:
The place delighted riders have been taking group selfies:
That is essentially the most excited space roadies have been since Mario Cipollini got here to city:
In fact he’s since been cancelled for his smarmy methods, however they have been on him like oil on an olive, and I’ve obtained the images to show it.
There are some twists and turns to get onto the span, however there are not any stairs or hairpins to deal with:
There’s additionally the requisite statement deck:
As soon as on the span, it’s not sumptuously vast, however it’s accented in inexperienced:
Approaches to the towers afford loads of visibility:
Although it’s nonetheless fairly slender when you’re in there:
How dare they not fully rebuild the bridge for us!
The trail was fairly empty, however I nonetheless took nice pains to stay under the 15mph velocity restrict:
Simply kidding:
I’m not bodily able to exceeding 15mph.
Alighting onto the New Jerey facet you get view of “River Street,” the favored biking route that takes you thru Palisade Interstate Park:
Then you definately get to bear left and benefit from the luxurious of not having to climb these goddamn stairs;
As a substitute there are some hairpin turns, however they’re virtually straightaways in comparison with the notorious one on the south facet;
And eventually you exit the trail and emerge into the huge wonderland that’s the Backyard State:
A long time in the past you could possibly have informed me “You’ll be driving a motorcycle with a kickstand earlier than they repair the George Washington Bridge bike path,” and by golly you’d have been proper:
I’d have beloved to proceed on, however I didn’t have time, so as a substitute I turned proper round, stopping briefly on the statement deck on the New Jersey facet;
Drivers dwell and die by the bridge crossing instances, so I’ll very properly take up everlasting residence on the statement deck and begin my very own visitors report.
Aside from the odd roadie or e-contraptioneer, the trail was fairly calm:
I think about the twisty ramps and tower tunnels will nonetheless be fairly chaotic on good weekend days, however it’s clearly a serious enchancment.
And sure, in fact I finished to take an image of my bike in two states directly:
Although the wheelbase on the Homer is so lengthy it’s typically in two states on the similar time.
Additionally, mockingly, I didn’t trouble to deploy the kickstand for that picture, and so the bike fell over instantly after I took it. Luckily there was no injury, although the Brooks saddle did go to SOS mode and pointed itself in the direction of Smethwick:
Please don’t be a large Map Fred and inform me that’s not the way in which to Smethwick.
As soon as I’d fastened that I headed house, stopping solely at a motorcycle store to lastly decide up a brand new chain. I obtained a 9-speed Shimano one–the one with the pin as a substitute of the fast hyperlink–which is able to hopefully resolve the sticky-link scenario as soon as and for all. So when you’ve donated to this website, you’ve not solely helped underwrite a significant acquisition, however you’ve additionally not directly helped assist a neighborhood bike store.
See that? As soon as individual can make a distinction!
