The Rapha Women's 100 — sam way explores

Finally, the event that the Girls Bike NYC rides have been preparing us for - the Rapha Women’s 100.

A sisterhood that stretches beyond borders and breaks down barriers, a worldwide synergy that uplifts and overcomes, the Women’s 100 is back. And this year we’re marking a decade of dedicating the roads, tracks and trails to women all around the world. Whether you’re a first-time rider or returning for your tenth year, the W100 is all about celebrating women in cycling and going the distance, together. So on Sunday 18th September, we’re challenging you to ride 100km in one day, and with our sights set on a target of 100,000 people taking part, it’s going to be a global connection of shared experience.

I’ve ridden metric centuries before but I’m usually alone for all those hours in the saddle - this was my first long ride with a big group like this! Which also meant that it was my first time participating in the Rapha Women’s 100.

In the midst of everything that I have going on, I was somehow still able to get my act together enough to prep everything the night before (instead of waiting till the morning of, as I have been wont to do lately…) and began by switching out my training wheel for my road wheel. I restocked my first aid pouch with a cycling crash kit that has lots of useful things for treating road rash, and made sure I had a spare tube and patch kits. Then I gathered up snacks and other necessities, pumped those tires up, and I was all set!

I didn’t even have to worry about picking out clothes because, after the summer I had, I decided to go ahead and treat myself to the Rapha 100 10th Anniversary kit. And I went all out… jersey, bibs, socks, cap.

The starting point for the ride was the terrace on the Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge. We would ride up to Nyack and back, making some snack stops along with way. It was a nice little trip into Manhattan, since we were going to have great weather for the day.

We all slowly started to gather and I saw lots of familiar faces and tons of new ones. It took me a little while to get to this point after moving to Brooklyn, but having found Girls Bike NYC, it is nice to feel a sense of belonging and to share in these experiences that are so much more than just a bike ride. Later this day, I wound up receiving some bad personal news, but being on the ride and being able to celebrate afterwards with a group of so many diverse, supportive, strong, determined, adventurous women, made handling the news that much more manageable.

It was a little after 7:30 and our group of 38 women was ready to go! We self-divided into A, B, and C groups to make it easier for us to all stick together and get to our destinations safely. I tried joining the A group but was too slow and it filled up before I found where it was. Then I thought I was standing with the B group but was actually with the C group so I rode with them! Elizabeth and Rebecca led the A group, Belinda and Lexa led the B group, and Kate and Jaime were leading the C group (I think…). We rolled out, starting out in reverse order - the C group leaving first, with B, and then A following, waiting a few minutes in between to leave space between the groups.

We rode up the Hudson River Greenway and made our way through Washington Heights to take the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey. From there, we rode on some really beautiful, quiet side roads that paralleled 9W, a popular cycling route. We were surrounded by beautiful homes and trees, and the roads were perfectly paved and a true delight to ride on.

Cue our return back into New York where at exactly the state line, the roads turned to shit. See below for Exhibit A:

As a New Yorker, it’s in my blood to hate on New Jersey. But as I’ve grown older, and wiser, I am learning to appreciate its finer points.

A few more miles along the Hudson River and we were in Nyack, ready for our first pit stop at Boxer Donuts. This place knew their audience! They had a backyard for bicycle parking, complete with a bike repair stand, and even their decor was cycling themed! They also had delicious donuts and I have been on a donut kick lately so I was getting down.

From the donut pit stop, it was a short ride to the 9W market, a rite of passage for cyclists in the area. THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT THE 9W MARKET. WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING?

Anyway, it was only about 5 miles from the donut shop to the market, but I was grateful for this break because there was a lot of elevation gain ahead and more fuel would only help! Also, despite feeling so strong at the start of the ride, I was definitely getting tired and sent the below photo to my friend as evidence/when I was complaining:

Check out that kit though.

We got lots of food, with a priority on orders of fries, and then waited our turn to exit the market parking lot before finishing the ride back to New York for our celebratory dinner.

The ride back was a bit more difficult with the elevation gain and I started noticing some pain in my lower back. Then, on one of the final climbs, my chain slipped. I had to deal with that and then put in some effort to get rolling again on the not nice incline that I found myself stuck on. I hate hills. But I survived them and soon we were back in the city.

The Hudson River Greenway presented some CHALLENGES for the ride back and we ran into a lot of ridiculous people and obstacles. Lots of us had stories to tell by the time we all arrived at Tio Pepe in Greenwich Village. Jaime is a true GEM, and arranged a private space for our celebratory dinner in the one of the restaurants she manages. On top of that, she provided secure bicycle parking FOR ALL OF US in an empty restaurant next door! What more could we ask for?!

As I said, I had received some news that required processing but I stuck around at the dinner, chatting with Polly, Kristen, and Sivan, and sharing some delicious chips and guac with Elizabeth. Kate even gave a little speech!