A group of cyclists made its way from New York City to Montauk Point Lighthouse this weekend — a 130-mile ride that is grueling for anyone. But this ride had a catch: You had to take your "worst" bike.
The peloton of around 40 riders started from the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge early Saturday morning on all manner of beach cruisers, road bikes and fancy Bromptons. But the one that caught everyone's eye (including hundreds of non-participants on Reddit) was the 60-pound blue Citi Bike (and no, it wasn't electric: Those bikes only have a range of 60 miles).
“It’s heavy, but it’s reliable,” said its rider, Josh Wood. “As long as you keep pedaling, it’s gonna keep going.”
Wood, a bike messenger who organizes with Los Deliveristas Unidos, said that the Citi Bike he rode was “unregistered” and belonged to a friend, meaning that he didn’t need to find a place to re-dock it and pay the overages on 11 hours. “I didn’t ask too many questions about how they got it,” he told Streetsblog.
Wood was one of the many riders with Dead Fucking Last, which describes itself as "NYC’s Slowest Cycling Team."
This ride was organized by Jason, a New York City cyclist and DFL member, who told Streetsblog that the event started off as a joke between friends. Jason's friend Jono (a founder of DFL) rides a BMX, and Jason rides a tall bike.
"I basically said, 'It'd be really funny if we did 100 miles, me on the tall bike, him on the BMX,' " Jason explained. "And then that kind of evolved into, 'Well, why don't we make it an event? Invite some of our friends and just say, "Ride the silliest bike you own?" ' "
A few friends turned into nearly 40 participants. Of the majority that made it to The End, a handful had never even ridden a Century before this weekend.
"People said, 'I didn't know that I could do this. Being in this big group, and feeling the vibe, I suddenly realized I could,'" Jason said.
Finding a group to ride with in the city can be overwhelming for a newbie, with club regulars dressed in matching kits on bikes that cost more than a month’s rent (and then some). DFL is trying to make riding your bike in — and out — of New York more accessible for anyone who wants to do it.
“It’s all community-run, our events are free or pay-as-you-wish,” said Wood. “That’s what I think cycling should be about: Just groups of people getting together, riding bikes.”
"I was super proud of how many women and nonbinary people came on this ride," Jason said. "I thought that was a really good sign that we're completing our mission of inclusivity and getting people to try hard things that they wouldn't try, maybe, with a different group."
“There’s more to doing an accomplishment in cycling than having a really nice bike, training the way that a high-performance athlete does and going super fast," Wood added. "And I think that’s what this ride was meant to show off.”
Wood said that his favorite part of the ride was the first 30 to 40 miles, while the motley group of cyclists was still mostly together. The neighborhoods on western Long Island were still waking up, and some early risers came to the side of the road to cheer for the bike parade. “They had no idea the adventure that we’re about to get into.”
Dead Fucking Last is hosting a race to Montauk on Sept. 7. All (non-electric) bikes are welcome.
