Urban Biking

You don’t have to do the Tour de France every weekend to reap the benefits of cycling. Even riding around your neighborhood to do errands or meet friends is a great way to get some cardio and tone your lower body, plus it’s a terrific complement to your Pilates practice.

- Anne Marie O'Connor

A FEW YEARS AGO, I WAS INVITED ON A BIKE TRIP TO VERMONT WITH SOME FRIENDS. As we cycled along the rolling hills, the leaves were beginning to change, and the brilliant shades of gold, russet and orange looked even more dramatic against the still green landscape and the dark blue mountains. At every turn was another bucolic scene—it looked like Norman Rockwell and a Hallmark Christmas card had a baby. The weather was in the 70s, perfect for biking, and when the occasional car came by, it passed at a respectful distance.

I was bored out of my mind.

Where were the pedestrians abruptly darting into the middle of Eighth Avenue without glancing up from their phones? Or the drivers opening their doors without looking (did they really think there wasn’t any traffic on 23rd Street?). Or the tourists who decide Fifth Avenue is the perfect place to get on a bike for the first time in 20 years?

Until that Vermont trip, I’d really only biked in cities, first in Chicago, where I grew up, and for the past 18 years in New York—way before it became cool or (sort of) safe. Back then, pretty much the only ones on two wheels were bike messengers, a few die-hard Lance Armstrong types…and me. And bike lanes or paths? Fughet about it!

But what it lacked in safety, urban biking had in excitement, kind of like playing a video game while getting some exercise. Plus it made living without a car so much more convenient. I love to cook, so it was a great way to pick up spices at the Indian store up on Lexington and 28th, produce at the Green market in Union Square or fresh pasta at the old-school Italian grocery on Houston while getting in a mini-workout. As much as I love Pilates, let’s face it, you can’t pick up your dry cleaning while lying on a Reformer.

TWO WHEELS ARE TRENDING