17 miles, 482 feet climbed
Today, our goal was to arrive at the beach as a group. We were to regroup at a Dunkin Donuts shop three miles from the end. From there, we would have an escort to the beach. Instead we road as a group the whole way, taking up the lane in many places and forcing those at the rear to enter many intersections after the light had turned red. It was rude, arrogant, and violated basic bike safety principles. I resented being encouraged to be a cyclist jerk (insert your own stronger words).
Upon arriving at the beach, cheered on by friends and families, we took photos. Thankfully we didn’t have to ride back to the hotel. Bikes were loaded either in friends/family vehicles or our luggage truck and we shuttled back. It seemed as if the ride back, mostly on expressways, took nearly as long as the ride to the beach.
In early August 2019 Melanie and I drove by this beach after the North tour. It had some very elaborate sand sculptures. Most of the median between the northbound (beachside) street and the southbound street was under construction then. Today that was over, with a new police station and restroom facilities now in place.
