Who is in the parks?
Today we have another argument contributed by a reader. I’m really starting to enjoy having the arguments written for me—as I have more time to well, do whatever it is I do.
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Now that teams are out more and occasionally training in the parks, have you noticed the characters that assemble in the parks? Are there regulars out there? Prospect has soccer medicine ball guy, unicycle guy and clown guy (or so I’m told), are the park characters training through the winter too?
cell phone taped to helmet guy
old speed walker w/ moustache and bandana
homeless jogging guy
guy who tries to attack me during my intervals and fails miserably
in prospect park there is that runner, who is very thin, bearded and looks like he has not left the park since the 70’s. He kind of reminds me of the part of Forest Gump when he runs across the country a few times. Does anyone know more about this guy?
a dependable CP favorite would have to be guy-who-bounces-handball-furiously-for-hours-on-end (habitat: south side of horeshit alley), though i quite enjoy the rare siting of guy-karate-chopping-that-damn-tree (this reclusive but violent beast keeps to the wilds of the north wood, near harlem hill). there’s also enthusiastic-boombox-guy, pumping tunes right before the downhill into harlem hill (always gives you the nod or thumbs up), and lately, mandolin-hippy-guy, strumming near cat’s paw.
howabout Super-duper-old guy that runs every morning in central park and looks like he’s about to have a seizure and die? does anyonee know who i’m talking about?
i haven’t seen him recently. he wears 70s frames and looks muslim. dude spends his entire day there it seems.
orange “saftey” vest woman who occasionally disrupts club races by not moving over.
long haired, older hippy guy with the big 70’s Harry Reams mustache
noxema painted, white ghost faced jogger girl
jogger girl with the slight limp and ankle brace who will not move over and gets belligerent when asked. her limp is not getting better. running can’t be good for her
Male-runner-with-big-yellow-round-things-on-hands – weights?
Can someone confirm that this guy has been dancing atop that rock for 15+ years? I swear he was there in the mid 90’s?
Karate chop tree guy scares me too. I guess the tree would be damaged by now if had any real “Master-Killer” Shao-Lin monk skills.
Isn’t ankle-brace-limp-woman the victim of MS or something? Kinda messed up to call her out…Her limp may not be getting better but the exericse may hold her disease at bay and improve her quality of life. Alternatively, she may be a heealthy person who is just a bitch and exercise allows her to beat her husband/kids more effectively.
“Lights! Lights!”
I have seen this guy in CP for 20 years: “speed” walker who carries two circle/orb weights and wears headphones. Generally walks clockwise.
Older man (60s or beyond) who appears to have a very debilitating disease (swings arms pretty severely, drags feet) but runs all year long, year after year…kudos.
that buzz everyone as if they own the park: Foundation? Toga? Special Surgery? how about just riding without shitting on others? I got it! There could be an effort to educate other users why cyclists ride in pacelines? When and where events take place? Good SAFE viewing…but that might be too constructive!
DFL
http://pelotoneast.com/showthread.php?t=5701
First I would like to say that the good guys over on PE are super strong and super motivated racers. I was reading this post today and realized that many of the local racers dont seem to actually enjoy riding their bikes for the sake of riding and having fun – seeing the world. They are all about training and racing and forget why they got into this sport to begin with. What happened to the good old coffee shop ride? I am probably not fast enough to win because I seem to always want to ride. I love the bike. A beach cruiser, mtn xc, cross, road. Give me a bike and I am happy. To hear guys preaching that they only train or rest is just sad.
So, where am I going with this? Well, I am curious to know what the local veteran racers think of the new wave of racers. All about power, coaches and winning races and nothing at all about just riding the bike for fun…
I’ve seen another guy around 60 running every morning for months who seems to have had a stroke and is successfully rehabilitating himself! I’ve watched his left-side paralysis disappear from his leg and greatly diminish from his arm which he swings around while running.
People aren’t allowed to pass you? That means you are the one who thinks he owns the park.
Why do you presume to tell others what they do or do not enjoy? Why don’t you just mind your own business, ride your bike and stop judging others? You sound like an old fool.
wow, that is the guy I have seen as well, but I had not noticed the improvement. even more awesome…
Girl running clockwise usually seen on the Southern loop, with a kind of lab/golden retriever mix of a dog.
is a very relative and personal thing. Tread lightly on that one………………..
is great. it’s what got most of us into racing in the first place.
but it’s not racing. this is an amateur bicycle racing website.
Yeah I see him alot. He occassionally wear a Pioneer Track Club shirt, a club headed by legendary runner and ultrarunner Ted Corbitt. He runs and walks for hours and hours (I’m out there doing my own 3-hour runs and rides) which leads me to believe he trains for ultrarunning events (50K-100M). The looney beard look is very ultrarunner style (like year-round ‘cross).
“Homeless jogging guy” does 2 laps a day at about a 7:30/mile pace, never showing the slightest fatigue. Could probably run a 3:15 marathon. Drags his feet incessantly, his shoes seem notably more worn-out day after day. He’s probably a professor at Columbia U who just prefers running in denim to coolmax.
Old speed walker is a cranky bastard.
there is also this guy i like to call the “hot stepper” but i haven’t seen him recently. he is tall, lanky, black guy who speed walks with jazz hands. he is the man.
Usually in a yellow jersey. Churns 40-50rpm rigidly upright, 16-18mph no matter which way the wind blows.
And unicycle guy has a unicycle girlfriend.
Fake tai-chi guy on Riverside/120 or so?
Only West side path takers would know this one.. relatively young guy playing trumpet with his shirt off sitting on a bench overlooking the hudson.
central park – old thin guy – riding 40 rpm in his 53-12
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/study-finds-cyclists-disobey-traffic-laws/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/14/realestate/1115-fsbo/index.html
You have to get up early for this one — Distinguished looking older gent who runs year-round dressed in classic tennis whites with high socks and a long-sleeved oxford shirt, usually seen around 5:30 a.m. behind the Met.
Wait until the 8:00 mark, it’s well worth it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqWU9huMMco
The prospect marathon walker is, so I’m told, in fact a competitive marathon walker. He walks to the park, does a few laps, than walks home (Bensonhurst or Bay Ridge). Walks something around 20 miles a day. Supposedly he’s a big fan of boxing, too. I’ve never spoken to him but I’ve seen others talking to him and he seems like a decent approachable guy. There is another walker who is in the park a lot who reminds me of Super Mario. Short, stocky tightly-wound dude who always seems like he’s about to self combust.
You guys are forgetting dog-walking unicycle guy. Propect Park Hall of Fame. I like how he felt riding a unicycle wasn’t enough — had to add the dog.
That guy is the king of regulars. Has some neurological disease but is out busting his arse for hours and has been doing it for years. I have always wanted someone to do a story on him. I would write it for here but you all know what would happen.
That would be cool. You should do the story.
rides a cannondale, merill lunch kit,usually riding around floyd Bennett field, snarky blogger… who is this little guy?
Super Mario = old speed walker w/ moustache and bandana
Does anyone know about Prospect Park clown costume guy? Large, heavy-set man, dresses in super colorful clothing — bright reds, greens, yellows. Never figured out his wavelength or deal but i want to get there. Looks like a good place to be.
Fat guy, brightly colored clothing… hmmmm. sounds like your average CRCA member…. does he ride a Colnago?
Well played.
extremely overweight guy riding very slowly on a road bike, wears support hose and rides with a female friend (trainer?). Well, good for him, at least he’s not just sitting on his a$$
well, technically speaking he is sitting on his a$$ …
unlike one of my favorite rare birds. an elusive species that i havent seen in some time. most often spotted on the GWB … the dude who (on purpose) rides with no seat. rumour had it he was training for the standing hour record or some such thing. quality.
There are some counterclockwise specialists on local teams. You know who you are. Guys who like to mix it up by ascending the Hors Categorie descent in Prospect the other way.
The guy in Cannondale. He never wears a helmet, always exposing his shaved head(or knit hat) and found treading behind other peoples wheel or rides?
And the other dude…with big hair and no helmet…very big guy. also always want to suck wheel..actually a pretty strong rider
These guys are never polite…
Is park characters a different thread from park jerks? Because park jerks is a fun argument too
sounds like JCM. a very strong rider
Always on the road out of the southeast corner of the park. Fights the air for hours on end, usually with boombox or big headphones.
Now THAT guy was a real character. He could argue for hours, days even, about nothing in particular, then call those who challenged his chop logic names like Douche and Weak Straw Man Arguer. 46% of all NYV postings were by JFT until that stalker Cranky scared him away a few months ago. There were some good exchanges to his credit, I have to admit. Has anyone seen JFT? JFTIA!!!
cranky misses him, too. i know he does.
You’re gonna have to put some more cheese on that mousetrap
PP has a Softride warrior on 404s— I always feel like I’m riding behind some guy sitting on a barstool
ha! you’re drafting him, huh?
you’re all characters. a big FU to all the prospect group ride dooshbags!
Yes, I am drafting him…. But I also keep finding his bike in your mama’s hallway, too.
really? cause yo mamma so fat when she sits on my face i can’t hear the stereo
Study Finds Dogs Lick Balls
This thread is classic! Here’s my contribution:
Old Asian Guy With Daily Vittles in Bag: every morning without fail, around 6:30-6:45, middle aged (50’s?) asian guy, kind of stocky, running in street clothes (these days including sweater or jacket), carrying plastic grocery bag with presumably the day’s lunch (or whatever). I always see him on north side of the park, running over to the west side. Incredible.
Old African Dude Running for Allah: older dude (mid-60’s?), almost every morning (btw 6-7) in summer/fall & early winter running slowly on north side of park, wearing traditional robe and leather sandals. Amazing.
Anorexic Middle Aged Angry Walker Lady: you’ve likely seen her, a short, mid 50’s (perhaps) gal who walks fast, furiously pumping her arms, looks deliberately (and agonizingly eating disorder-driven) like she’s trying to squeeze a giant turd out while walking furiously. I’ve seen her out there for hours on end sometimes, especially in the summer. Someone needs to feed her a good steak and tell her to eat.
Rollerblader Dude with Waterbottles on Head: you’ve definitely seen him if you’ve witnessed the CP rollerblading disco zone. Middle aged guy, beard, balances water bottles while rollerblading. He’s actually a prominent guy in international relations, I once saw him on 60 Minutes. Has split personality disorder.
UPS Delivery Guy on Ancient Bike with Sneakers Who Keeps Up With Fast Guys: dude who shows up and sticks like glue at the back of a pack (however fast it may be going), on an old clunker bike, wearing a UPS uniform, sneakers, no helmet, and always wearing a backpack. That guy is strong!
Me Native American Big Game Runner Hunter: big bIG BIG dude who looks like a warrior with long hair, coffee colored skin, arms that look like they would squish carbon fiber frames with a flick of a wrist, always wears a gut buster belt (and no shirt) to work on the water weight…the guy impressively jogs for hours on end in summer.
Anorexic Middle Aged Angry Walker Lady? Is this the lady that always runs (speed walks?) in what looks like a bra? She scares me even more than the ghost faced jogger.
Yes that’s probably the one. She’s got short-cropped hair too. I’ve considered stopping & tackling her to the ground, make her eat a Powerbar and drink some gatorade and give her my i-pod filled with Dr. Phil therapy recordings on a variety of topics, but I’m usually wearing my team kit so that might not be a good idea publicity-wise…
1) jogger girl with the slight limp and ankle brace
2) Roller blade skinny dude w/hand weights which he swings around to some kinda rythm
3) Old Asian lady running in the park early most every morning (short gray hair) -around 6-630 makes it look so effortless.
4) Speed walker huge African American guy wearing camouflage hat.
5) Skinny tall runner w/an amputated arm
6) casual female cyclist w/long curly hair on a mountain bike wearing regular cloths going slow but is always in the park (8-9ish on weekends).
7) There use to be a very old ex-runner walking around using a walker and wearing a gold medal around his neck. I haven’t seen him since this summer – used to hang out around the reservoir.
is Mike Keohane, a great guy and a fine running coach.
Anorexic jogger woman in her fifties (with colored hair, naturally) has a twin sister. It’s true. Occasionally I see them together. Terrifying sight.
Woman with gimpy leg is clearly barking mad. The leg’s getting gimpier as she continues to run.
what about the guy that kicks the two rubber balls and walks the wrong way, usually out there in the morning?
what about the asian guy that wears the crew jacket and is always pushing a huge gear?
Yes I can’t believe no one mentioned Prospect Park Medicine Ball Man – though he’s been somewhat scarce in 2008. Hope he’s not sick, but just deflated — thank you, make sure to tip your waitresses!
Huge-hair-fixed gear monster diesel for a rider w/ no helmet decent position, not friendly and yes, pretty f_cking strong – guy. The friendliest I have ever seen him is during the peak of the season once time I saw him ahead of me with his monster (not really a jew-fro more like a Dominican fro) blowing in the wind anyway, I chased him for about 3 laps and he is competitive as hell as others have said likes wheel sucking so he didn’t want to let me catch up to him but I figured with gears and actual endurance past 3 laps I would eventually punk this guy but it took about 4+ laps and when I finally did he nodded at me – which I of course tool to mean ” I was the shit and master of his world”
haven’t seen him in a while. tall guy rides a track bike with a chain ring that looks like a 100 tooth salt flats speed record rig
leg brace grrl is hostile, especially to cyclists
boxing guy has been at it since the early 80’s
used to see howard stern with trainer at lunchtime
jogger woman with the hijab covering her face
Stern still goes out there, and who can forget Madonna! Sometimes see this dude with super funky skates that have 2 large wheels mounted outboard and he kickes his feet to the outside while giving a little twist…or my favorite, the 4 Parks Dept goons smoking in there Jeep by the East 72nd/5th exit…once a random rider was out cold in the far right lane by “Balto” dog statue, and they didnt lift a finger to even call it in, “We can’t leave our post!”
Pedi-cabs 3 a-breastesses;
runners in the joggers lane as cabs come into joggers lane while passing, at 50mph, the horse buggies…
Riders riding backwards to find the ride they are late for, no lights…
Inson is a character
Crocket…
Big Mike…
slow triathletes, overgeared on aero bike with baggy gym shorts…
SMASH!
nice.
10-12 young black dudes, wearing gi’s, jogging barefoot past the start/finish line soon after a Kissena race.
loves to pull over cyclists for no good reason. dunno if she’s out now but when it’s warmer she’s always driving around the park in that ridiculous thing, burning up fuel and not much else.
a good photo essay here. someone needs to do it.
stepped up to put a cross race on in Staten Island, of all places!
Don’t forget Squirrel – balding middle aged jogger who has fear issues crossing the street, so he hop/jogs in place by the curb, then does a few stutter steps onto the road only to retreat back to the curb again, like a confused squirrel in the moments before being turned into a road pizza by a taxi. I waved him across one time and he got 1/2 way across, then bolted back again at the last second. then he yelled at me. SQUIRREL!!
Not a character, but I am constantly stunned by the number of parents who blindly roll their kids out in $1200 strollers in the middle of the park, often against traffic– right up the middle of the road. Not saying they can’t — it’s absolutely their park, too – but it just defies safety and common sense and I can’t help but think it’s a byproduct of NYC entitled parent syndrome — ie, here’s my baby and my Dutch stroller, I’m pushing my kid, and everyone else can suck on it…..I honestly am terrified that someone will T-bone a Bugaboo one day and THAT will be the end of biking in the parks.
but there was a guy rolling slow around CP on weeknights for a few years that was always in a full CSC or Credit Agricole kit with a full Cervelo TT set up including rear disc.
7) There used to be a very old ex-runner walking around using a walker and wearing a gold medal around his neck. I haven’t seen him since this summer – used to hang out around the reservoir.
That’s Albert- the first man to run in CP:
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/12/albert_arroyo_t.html
There used to be a guy in a full Assos kit who rode around on a black Storck who passed out $100 bills to everyone in a pace line. What ever happened to that guy? Used to talk a lot about his real estate investments…….
7. yeah, haven’t seen the old guy with the walker in a while. has the medal around his neck, always wearing coats even in the summer. i heard him referred to as “the mayor of central park” in an article somewhere. i always wave to him and he just smiles. hope he’s still around.
i can’t believe no one has mentioned “grey-face” … big dude with a helmet, really upright hybrid position, and no shirt (warmer weather) with literally a greyish/blue skin tone. (some sort of medical/iron condition). i’ve seen him all up and down the westside bike path, CP, midtown streets, and holy crap…. 9W near Kiku steakhouse! i think he’s following me.
haven’t seen “ghost-face-killah” in a while
skinny jabberwocky chic is painful to watch and of course, she’s always coming at you the wrong way. god bless her.
I used to know Albert as “Coach”. He’s been running the Resevoir for decades, used to be very fit, although in recent years he’s been spending his time on a bench at the south end. I first saw him running in the summer of ’78.
i’ve seen “her” in the morning too after the cars have entered and passing not more than a foot away. right up horse shit alley with a double wide, forcing runners and cyclist out in to traffic. there will be tragedy, whether it involves her or caused by her, it’s just a matter of time.
A couple I haven’t heard:
Turkmenistan Strongman: This guy looks like a circus strongman from a former Soviet Central Asian Republic. He’s big, bald with a mustache, walks against traffic in old school grey workout sweats and punches the air with one of those anachronistic workout devices made up of a bunch of springs connected by two handles.
Roy Orbison: This guy is in the park all the time, he must be in his 60’s or 70’s but has jet black hair styled in a pompadour. Always alone, sometimes listening to headphones, dressed in all black in a kind of gay rockabilly fashion.
I wonder what ever happened to Jimmy B( Bobrowitz)…. he raced just a few yrs mid 80`s , he won 20+ crca races 1 yr in then just completely quit riding the next season and i would spot him walking on the streets every now and then over then next 15 yrs… 1 time he mentioned he was selling real estate then another selling cars on the west side , then i saw him out on a date with 2 girls at the same time around Gramercy area…. so that last siteting was at least 10 or more yrs back ?? gossip about Maddonna & Howard stern is TV & papers everywhere but i aint found anyone who seen any of Jimmy lately last 5- 10 yrs …. he was character?!
Larry Sass!
Jonathan Massie!
Frankie Lopez!
Jerry Malone!
hahahahaha you all fuck up.haha jcm
meaning u win some u lose some ask anybody who as ever won .work hard and a lot of luck.but u know me so f uall.haha
Jah Love Old School White Guy: looks kinda mid 50’s, long dreadlocked hair, vintage bike, lycra shorts, always shirtless and no helmet. He’s baaaack! Spotted the other weekend on 9W. Dude rides on…and on….and on… More power to him.