Monday - Start Spreading the News

Ladies, Gentlemen and Blog Fans its the installment of the final cycling day of our Ultra Endurance Charity Adventure..

The day started in the Comfort Inn Motel in Easton at about 6 where a light 'continental' breakfast was consumed by Ben and Jack while Tom frigged about with his brakes after tightening the spokes on his back wheel resulted in it spinning so out of shape the brakes were engaged at all times. We got out on the road after sorting the route out and worked out we were roughly 70 miles from New York. We cracked on, passing through into New Jersey after about 20 mins. We cycled on towards Long Valley where we encountered a mountain or two which made interesting cycling as the bikes creaked and clicked their way to the top of each incline. It wouldnt be another day of cycling without the obligatory 15 minute puncture stop which Ben delivered right on cue at the top of a hill.

We coasted down to Long Valley, losing all the hard climbing work we'd put in where a bike shop appeared where Tom could get his back wheel repaired yet again. While the mechanic got to work we wondered off down the road to the gas station for a hot dog and milk breakfast. We returned and the mechanic gave us his best british accent and procalimed that the wheel was 'pretty knackered' when it came in. That quote let us know we were getting closer to home.

We hit the pedals and a few more mountains for another 15-20 miles before stopping in Morristown where Tom rang home for the first time since leaving for Heathrow while Jack and Ben checked the map and directions. We got to East Orange, NJ and knew we were about 12 miles from the water so we stopped and got some greasy burgers from New York Fried Chicken, basically a kebab house. Jack conversed with a local cyclist about the ride we were on and he wanted to get pannier bikes like Jacks aswell as explaining how he turned his seat round the opposite way so his nuts didnt hurt while he was riding. We left with that great advice and he wa happy with a link to Wiggle where we got our pannier bags.

We cycled on with the kebab shop energy and we got into Newark which was interesting to cycle through with some cultured neighbourhoods and no spacee to cycle in before working out how to get over to Jersey City where we could get the ferry. We then embarked on the scariest part of our journey so far, taking the Truck Route 1/9 bridge over the water to Jersey. A couple of semis were practically grazing our pannier bags while we were cycling over. We got over the bridges and had a beer while we waited for the water taxi to take us over to New York City (pictured.)

We got off the boat in Manhattan and cycled up the West Street cycle highway across to Canal Street, Up Hudson and onto 8th Avenue all the way upto 48th street where we hung a right onto Broadway where Times Square appeared and our epic journey came to an end at 17.54. We stood in the middle of times square where we were met by Ian & Pheobe and Phil & Clerge. Hugs all round aswell as a few well made signs of congratulations and a change of shirts to boot. We cracked out the (non-alcoholic) champagne to toast our achievement in public without breaking the law and stood around chatting while chinese tourists took pictures of us.

After we'd decided Times Square was good we walked to the ferry station to get back over to Jersey City where we'd been put up for our stay by Ian and the cupcake machine Pheobe Chen. Ian suggested taking the ferry on 33rd st so we didnt have to go to the bottom of Manhattan again but somewhere along the way he got his wires crossed and we ended up walking for over 2 hours before we go to the train station to get to their appartment.

We got to the apparentment and the doorman stored our bikes away aswell as offering us to go on an internet radio station he worked at on Wednesday night which we agreed to.
We got in and everyone agreed that we wreaked and all of our belongings were put in a big basket ready to be washed. We got showered and borrowed Ians jeans with our new NY shirts and got ready to hit the town. We went to BCD Tofu on 33rd and 6th in Korea town, a koreon restraunt where we were fed an enourmous amount of different kinds of foods and plum wine and we also met up with Tom's sisters friend whos interning at Vice magazine, Miss Victoria 'Tors' Beedles and our friends from Uni Mair Hewlitt-Packard and her celtic other half Shane, and Mairs friend whos name I cant remember. We moved onto Thunder Jacksons on Sullivan and Bleeker where we got on the beer pitchers and the barmaids and their casual self defence teacher took us to Pinch's an Irish place down the road. Much more beers later we called it a night and Phil hearded us home via the Subway. The boys had all hit the bricks (below) and turned in at 4.20am for some much needed sleep.


No more cycling, but the adventure isnt over yet. Until next time blog fans. Look after yourselves, and each other.