We're back, we did it. In all, we rode for 51 miles today, including the extra miles getting to the start and getting home from the end. I'm too tired to write more. I will update this post later with some images.
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Ok, I'm back. It's been 6 days. My wife and I have fully recovered though we can't commit to when we'll be back on our bikes again. This ride was indeed a personal triumph for us.

Follow up:

We got started early, hoping it would continue to rain so we could go back to sleep but also knowing this ride would be a great way to see parts of New York City we haven't seen before and also begin to get us back into shape. So two 1 trains later, we arrived at Chambers street. The "peloton" had already been lining up for a while so we were clearly one of the late arrivals. Plus, we cut the line by not going down to Battery Park to catch the tail of the group. As we waited for the horn to go off, we knew this would be a good day weather wise. The ride started off smooth, cruising up 6th Ave towards Central Park. Then the first snag, a 30 minute wait to get through 57th St. NYPD only let us through on green lights, allowing no more than 50 or so cyclists each time. How annoying? Central Park was a breeze, then came Harlem and a brief stop into the Bronx before returning into Manhattan and down the FDR. What a treat to ride your bike on that highway. Thanks to Robert Moses, it cuts off the waterfront from the residents but it does provide a quick way downtown. (Convenience versus quality of life? Aren't they one of the same?) Chugging along at about 13 mph, we approached the almighty Queensboro Bridge. We would take the upper level across into Queens. But wait! Another bottleneck. We were forced to get off our bikes, wait and then walk up the bridge 3/4 of the way before we could mount our bikes again. So with the climbing being done on foot, my wife and I got through our first challenge easily and looked forward to the big rest stop at Astoria Park. There we would be able to refresh ourselves with fruit, drinks and use the all important portopottie. That was mile 18 or 19, less than half way home.

Our ride south into Brooklyn was very scenic. But just as we got into a groove on the BQE for a mad dash to the Verrazano, we hit another slowdown. We were forced to stop and wait again. We didn't know what was going on but we could easily see people getting annoyed. Although we were feeling the same annoyance, we accepted this slowdown as a rest to what was to come. By this point, we were all pretty exhausted. I had biked this distance before but this was new to my wife. I am so very proud of her for fighting the negative thoughts in her head and channeling all of her energy to completing this challenge. She would need all of that and more for the Verrazano after riding almost 40 miles.

For those of you that haven't done Bike New York and therefore haven't ridden over the Verrazano, it is long. It just goes on and on but it's not that steep. Just get into a rhythm and then the next thing you know, you'll be flying down the other side and into Staten Island.

THE FINISH! We made it. It took us a long time but we crossed the finish line rejoicing in our accomplishment. But wait... It in fact was not over! We still had to ride to the SI Ferry, wait another hour or so to get back into Manhattan and ride the extra miles back home. (Can someone tell the walkers on the Hudson River bike path to stay to the right?) Now it's THE FINISH!

For us, this was a great experience. Would we do it again? Stay tuned...

See some of our pics below:

Schwinn Adult Ergonomic Bicycle Saddle