Author: CycloSaurus

Welcome to Gravel NY

GrNY is an informal club for gravel riding in the New York metro area. Rides involve dirt and paved surfaces, since it is difficult to string together continuous dirt routes in our area. The goal is to get away from traffic and seek gravel where we can find it.

Join us for rides that emphasize:
– Fun exploration
– Non-competitive atmosphere
– No dress code (whether lycra, MTB baggies, or flannel)
– Some members enjoy challenging rides, but the goal is the experience, not speed/stats
– Pacelining on dirt roads is strongly discouraged.

Important information:

– How to Join GrNY

– GrNY Guidelines

We expect everyone to read and agree to our guidelines before joining us on a ride. You can find our guidelines in the links above.

Disclaimer: GrNY rides are completely informal. You ride at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. You are expected to be self-sufficient. We cannot guarantee the condition or safety of roads and trails. Nor can we control the behavior of other riders. Our rides are not supported events. We expect everyone to be an experienced cyclist who can repair a flat, carry appropriate food and hydration, and navigate independently if they lose the group. We do not offer training or bicycle education.

Sept 13: Unofficial “Ride the Ridge” + Fall Festival! (GrNY and MHBC)

Ride the Ridge has been cancelled for 2025, but the unofficial version by way of MHBC and GrNY will be just as epic! We have gotten permission to park at Fishkill Farms, which has all kinds of tasty delights: Apple cider donuts, burgers, jerk chicken, a hard cider bar, two food trucks — and even some live music. It should make for a great post-ride celebration! It will be a Fall Harvest Festival weekend at the farm.

You can RSVP on Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/3398729324363976264

*Thank you to Jeff D. for reaching out to us about this opportunity for collaboration!*

QUESTIONS? You can email Steve at track “dot” smart “at” gmail “dot” com, but be sure to read all of the information in the Strava post and the group information on the GrNY.org website first.

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DISCLAIMER: This is totally informal. You ride at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. You are expected to be self-sufficient. We cannot guarantee the condition or safety of roads and trails. Nor can we control the behavior of other riders. This is not a supported event. We expect everyone to be an experienced cyclist who can repair a flat, carry appropriate food and hydration, and navigate independently if they lose the group.

Sept 6: Katonah to Carmel Hamlet

We haven’t done the same routes twice this entire season and the trend continues! We will start in Katonah, but travel north towards Carmel Hamlet and the beautiful Croton Falls and Middle Branch Reservoirs. This will be a fun and fast-moving route with rolling hills and nice views. We will have our usual three pace groups. After the ride, we’ll gather at Paulie’s Deli for drinks and food.

RSVP Here on Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/3395259717705522720

QUESTIONS? You can email Steve at track “dot” smart “at” gmail “dot” com, but be sure to read all of the information in the Strava post and the group information on the GrNY.org website first.

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DISCLAIMER: This is totally informal. You ride at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. You are expected to be self-sufficient. We cannot guarantee the condition or safety of roads and trails. Nor can we control the behavior of other riders. This is not a supported event. We expect everyone to be an experienced cyclist who can repair a flat, carry appropriate food and hydration, and navigate independently if they lose the group.

Lake Waramaug Gravel Ride (Sunday, Aug 24)

This ride is over, but we’ll have more rides posted soon! You will find some photos and highlights from the ride on Steve’s Strava post. We’ve also added a few photos from this year’s ride at the bottom of this post.

Join us for one of Kathy’s favorite routes in Litchfield County, CT. The riding is spectacular here and will include the scenic shoreline of Lake Waramaug. We will have three “pace groups”, which will differ in speed, distance, and intensity of climbing.

Please RSVP here on Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2185139

Expect country roads, a civilized stop in Kent, CT for baked goods and coffee, and a visit to Lake Waramaug. There will be some climbs, but nothing like the Tunnel Ride in June! We had a great time last year and had some fun wildlife sitings. We saw a young bear running down the road, a bobcat, hawks, and other surprises (see here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11888393334)

Stick around after the ride! We’ll picnic next to the river. Kathy and Steve will bring a big cooler of drinks and snacks to share.

Young bear on the road! From last year’s version of this ride.

Expect beautiful riding along Lake Waramaug as an interlude between dirt sections.

PHOTOS FROM THIS YEAR’S RIDE:

Riders gathered by the Housatonic River

Medium group headed into Lake Waramaug State Park to refill water bottles.

Long Distance group cruising along Schaghticoke Rd near Kent, CT.

Westchester Dirt! (Aug 9, 2025)

THIS RIDE IS OVER! You can check out Steve’s activity on Strava for a brief recap and some additional photos. We’ve also included a few photos at the bottom of this post.

Our next group ride is scheduled for Sunday, August 24 and is posted to the GrNY group on Strava.

ORIGINAL POST: Join us for a scenic, dirt-heavy route in Westchester County! We’ll start from Katonah, but on a different route from the Spring Gravel Series. We will have our usual three “pace groups”. After the ride, we’ll gather at Paulie’s Deli for drinks and food. Paulie’s has good sandwiches, fun beers on tap, as well as non-alcoholic beverages for rehydration.

RSVP Link: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2176919

QUESTIONS? You can email Steve at track “dot” smart “at” gmail “dot” com, but be sure to read all of the information below and the group information on the GrNY.org website first.

==
DISCLAIMER: This is totally informal. You ride at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. You are expected to be self-sufficient. We cannot guarantee the condition or safety of roads and trails. Nor can we control the behavior of other riders. This is not a supported event. We expect everyone to be an experienced cyclist who can repair a flat, carry appropriate food and hydration, and navigate independently if they lose the group.

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A few photos from this ride are below:

Group photo, minus one or two folks still getting ready.

Some of our Medium Distance/Speed riders zipping along.

A few riders from our Long Distance (faster) group out on the dirt roads of Westchester.

NEW Jersey Dirt (Aug 3, 2025)

We rode from Bedminster, NJ on a series of routes provided by our resident NJ dirt guru. David leads a weekly ride from Bedminster most Fridays. We had only done these new routes once, last year, hence NEW Jersey Dirt for the ride title! These routes are a bit flatter (fewer steep sections) and spend more time in pastoral areas than our typical NJ routes, for a nice change of scenery.

Overall, it was an excellent ride with a fun post-ride picnic in Burnt Mills Park at the end. We had cold drinks, fresh baked goods (courtesy of Kathy), watermelon, salty snack, the works. We were tremendously lucky with the weather – it was almost fall-like at the ride start and we completed the ride before temperatures could climb too close to their summer highs. As with the first time we did these routes, the pace groups finished in a similar amount of time, we overlapped multiple times during the route – including at our refueling locations – and a good time was had by all. Thanks everyone who joined us today and made it a fun occasion!

You can find a few more photos on Steve’s activity post on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15333299492

There were great pastoral views throughout our ride.

Steve hitting the dirt with our Long-Distance crew (i.e., faster pace).

Saturday, July 26 – Black Rock Forest & Stewart Forest

This ride is over, but we’ll get the next ride posted soon! See here for a short ride report and some photos from the day’s adventures: https://www.strava.com/activities/15245451036

Overall: It was a fun day of exploration! Black Rock Forest was beautiful, as always. Stewart Forest was also a fun place to explore, though sections of our route where pretty overgrown – expect to travel through quite a bit of long grass – we advise using bug spray and checking yourself for ticks later, just in case. Expect the biggest climb at the end of the ride (sorry!), it’s the only way to get all the way back up to Black Rock Forest.

Come ready for adventure! We have an entirely new set of routes that will encompass the jeep roads of Black Rock Forest AND Stewart State Forest. Black Rock Forest is a hidden gem in our region. Steve and Kathy have been there in all seasons on bikes, snow shoes, and in hiking boots. The image at the top of this post should give you a flavor of what to expect.

RSVP HERE for the Black Rock Forest Ride

Ride Report: Our Dutchess County Gravel Grinder on July 12th was a lot of fun! Rolling hills, country roads, farms, forests, and great views from end to end. Plus a fun celebration at Kelly’s Creamery and Food Truck after the ride (ice cream, hot food and cold drinks).

You’ll find a quick recap and some photos on Steve’s Strava activity, here: https://www.strava.com/activities/15092008126

Photos from the Dutchess County Gravel Grinder (below):

Thank you to Ek for this photo of the Medium distance riders on the road.

One of the many dirt roads along our route.

A few of the Long group at the top of Tower Hill Rd. Sadly, it was too hazy to see the Catskills in the distance like we often can from this spot! Thank you Leslie for taking this photo.

Some of the pastoral views along our route.

Medium group tackling Tower Hill Rd, which turns to dirt at the top. Another photo from Ek.

July 12: Dutchess County Gravel Grinder – Summer Edition!

Our next “three speeds” ride will be on July 12. Join us for a spectacular ride on the dirt-roads of Dutchess County. After cresting Tower Hill Rd, be sure to stop around the corner for some views of the Catskills in the distance (i.e., the cover photo for this post). It’s a nice payoff for your efforts! We’ll end at Kelly’s Creamery & Food Truck, so everyone can celebrate together at the end of the ride!

You’ll find all of the details on the Strava event page: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2118672

Our thanks to everyone who joined our last two rides (October Mountain and The Tunnel)! You can find photos and a quick recap of those rides on Steve’s Strava posts, here:

Photos from The Tunnel & Lake Waramaug (below):

Photos from October Mountain Gravel Century (below):

Two upcoming GrNY Rides: June 21 & June 28

Our recent NJ gravel ride was a ton of fun! Thanks everyone for joining us. A few photos are included in this post. You can also check out Steve’s Strava activity for a very quick recap and some additional photos.

New Business: Two upcoming GrNY Rides!

Saturday June 21: October Mountain Gravel Grinder (CT to Berkshires). RSVP here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2096935

Saturday June 28: THE TUNNEL and Lake Waramaug (regular 3-speeds ride with three different pace groups and associated ride leaders.) RSVP here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2101834

Join us if the routes, pace groups, and distances suit you. The Strava links, above, contain more complete ride information.

Important info before you ride with us: https://grny.org/guidelines


TLDR version…
1) Please take two seconds to fill out the online waiver form on the GrNY website. You only need to do this once.
2) Please RSVP to the ride via the Strava event links.
3) If you’d like to support the club with a few bucks, you’ll find info on how to do that in the link above, but there’s no cost to join the ride or the club itself. After reading our guidelines, and signing the waiver… Just show up and ride!

Questions? You can email Steve at track.smart@gmail.com, but please read all of the information in the above links first.

Disclaimer: GrNY rides are completely informal. You ride at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. You are expected to be self-sufficient. We cannot guarantee the condition or safety of roads and trails. Nor can we control the behavior of other riders. Our rides are not supported events. We expect everyone to be an experienced cyclist who can repair a flat, carry appropriate food and hydration, and navigate independently if they lose the group.

The spectacular Teetertown Ravine climb from our recent New Jersey gravel ride.

Views from our recent NJ ride.

The Spring Gravel Series Continues!

GrNY’s fourth annual Spring Gravel Series continues! Our next SGS ride will be Far Hills, NJ on the weekend of June 7, you can RSVP here. It’s a gorgeous ride! We hope you can join us. See here for full details about the Spring Gravel Series.

Thank you to everyone who made our first SGS rides a success! You will find photos and short summaries of those completed rides at Steve’s activity posts on Strava:

A HUGE THANKS to everyone who has contributed towards club expenses! GrNY will remain free to join and free to ride, but contributions to help cover expenses are greatly appreciated! You can find out more at this link.