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.

==
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

2025 Spring Gravel Series!!! April 19 to May 17

We are happy to announce Gravel NY’s fourth annual Spring Gravel Series! We have planned five weekends of gravel rides, starting on April 19, 2025. Each ride will have three “pace groups”, which will differ in speed, distance, and intensity of climbing. There will be a common hangout location after each ride, so all groups can socialize over food and drinks. Participating in all five rides will take you to all of the major gravel riding zones in our region – a true gravel tour! We hope you can join us!

Questions? You can email Steve at track.smart@gmail.com, but please read all of the information below 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. We do not offer training or bicycle education. Please visit this page for important membership information and guidelines.

SCHEDULE OF RIDES*

Saturday, April 19: Katonah, NY. Ride some of the best and most scenic rural roads in Westchester County. [This ride is over, but you can see a quick report and photos via Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/14227145215]

*SUNDAY*, April 27: Dover Plains, NY. This ride has been moved to Sundy due to rain. Join us on the picturesque dirt roads of Dutchess County. It is worth the drive or train ride! [This ride is over, but you can see a quick report and photos via Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/14305908378]

*SUNDAY*, May 4: [This ride was cancelled due to weather! We offered a “Before the Storm” ride that started early in the morning on Saturday instead. You can see Steve’s activity with photos and description, here: https://www.strava.com/activities/14366766493]

Saturday, May 10: Pawling, NY. We will spend much of the ride in gorgeous Litchfield County, CT. The NY/CT border has some of the nicest gravel riding in our region. [This ride is over, but you can see a quick report and photos via Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/14439248660]

*SUNDAY*, May 18: Moved to Cold Spring, NY. Much of the ride is near Fahnestock State Park, with lots of fun and challenging climbs. [This ride is over, but you can see a quick report and photos via Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/14522754132]

Saturday, June 7, Far Hills, NJ: Spectacular ride that goes through the Teetertown Ravine and Lockwood Gorge – worth the trip! We skipped these routes previously due to weather and competing events, but we will be making up for it soon! Please RSVP here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/2054906

* For all rides, the default rain date will be Sunday of the same weekend. We will generally start each ride around 9am, with adjustments for train schedules. Ride schedule and routes are subject to change or cancellation due to weather or other factors.

PACE GROUPS

Long (60-65+ miles, faster speed, and killer climbs): These rides will be led by Steve. 17+ mph (“Strava speed” on paved solo rides); 19-20mph (NYCC standards); ~14MPH average on gravel rides with 100ft/mile of elevation gain.

Medium (45-55 miles, moderate speed, skips some of the deadliest climbs): Kathy will lead these rides, which will still be challenging, but travel at a slower speed. Pace expectation: 14 mph (“Strava speed” on paved solo routes);l 16-17 mph (NYCC standards); ~12 MPH average on gravel rides with 100ft/mile of elevation gain.

Short (40-45 miles, no-drop): Ralph will typically lead these rides. This group will stop more often to rest, take photos, and enjoy the scenery, riding at a friendly, no-drop pace. Pace expectation: 12-13 mph (“Strava speed” on paved solo routes); 14-15 mph (NYCC standards); 10 MPH average on gravel rides with 100ft/mile of elevation gain.

“Strava speed” = actual recorded average speed for long, solo paved rides on relatively flat terrain (i.e., not group rides with drafting).

EXAMPLE RIDES FOR EACH PACE GROUP

It is difficult to describe pace for rides that include dirt, pavement, and substantial climbing. You can compare these examples to your own gravel rides over similar distances and elevation gains. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE ELEVATION GAIN. THESE WILL BE HILLY RIDES.

Long: 63 miles, 6300 ft climbing, >14 MPH.
– Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/9023394582

Medium: 47 miles, 4500 ft climbing, ~12 MPH.
-Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/9023193918

Short: 40 miles, 3700 ft climbing, ~10 MPH.
-Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/11234424900

[These examples are from a previous year’s SGS rides]

RIDE ORGANIZATION

We will have at least one place to buy food and drink on each ride, but we are only doing grab-and-go during the ride itself (e.g., gatorade + portable snacks). Each group will have a few “wait for everyone” stops. That said, the Long and Medium groups will not wait for riders who are considerably behind the pace. The Short group will be no-drop – with some limits. If you are walking the hills and suffering, even at the slower ride pace, please take a shortcut back to the start and tell the rest of the group to travel without you. We can all hangout after the ride.

THREE REQUESTS

1) Please choose a ride group based on your riding speed, not distance. We want the groups to finish around the same time, so we can all hang out post-ride. We understand you can go the longer distance, but it will be more fun if people ride together (rather than get dropped) and then hangout for food and drink after the ride.

2) Ride safely! Please read our ride guidelines: https://grny.org/guidelines. Key points:
– Control your speed when traveling downhill. Racing downhill is how many serious injuries happen. If you’d like to ride hard, save it for the climbs! Then wait at the top.
– Being predictable to other riders and cars will keep everyone safer. Never pass a rider on the right. If you want to pass, call out, and then pass on their left (like a car).
– You need some form of off-line navigation and should have a backup navigation plan. Why? Many areas won’t have cell coverage. And phone batteries can die during long rides. Examples of offline navigation: Dedicated bike computer (Garmin, Wahoo, etc); Phone with paid subscription to Ride with GPS or Strava and remembering to download to route for offline usage before the ride; Paper map + cue sheets.

3) Don’t blow up your pace group.
– If one or two riders are traveling much faster than the group leader, others will chase them. Then everybody will get strung out riding alone.
– If you are faster than the group average, wait at the top of hills and after major road crossings.
– If there are big speed differences within a group, the group will subdivide at the first catch-up stop. This way everybody will have somebody to ride with.

Off-road trails and crazy climbs from Garrison, NY (Nov 16, 2024)

UPDATE: THIS RIDE IS OVER, BUT WE’LL BE POSTING MORE RIDES SOON. You can find a brief ride summary and some photos on Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/12916865605

Expect a normal “three speeds” ride on SUNDAY 11/24. We’ll try to get that ride posted soon.

This week (Saturday 11/16) Steve will be leading an informal gravel ride aimed at folks in our faster pace group. Expect miles of fun off-road trails and crazy climbs. If you have the choice between skinnier and fatter tires, bring the fat tires. You’ll be okay on normal gravel tires (e.g. 40mm) if that’s what you’ve got.

RSVP Link: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/1839047

ROUTES:

Full insanity (74mi, >8500ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49036211

Partial insanity (58mi, >6800ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49039746

Extra Credit (10k ft or bust edition): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49046949

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.

Summer’s Last Hurrah – Katonah to Carmel Hamlet

Summer weather returned for this weekend, so we decided to get the band back together for another three-speeds ride! It was a lovely ride on beautiful rolling roads in Westchester. We traversed forests, reservoirs, and horse country estates. This was a bit of a “groad” ride (more pavement and less dirt), but it allowed us to visit some places we seldom travel in our other Westchester rides. The long, medium, and short distance groups all had plenty of riders and everyone had a great time. Many of us gathered at Paulie’s Deli after the ride for some well-deserved drinks and food. Thanks to everyone who joined us today and added to the fun!

ROUTES
-Long (66mi/>5000ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48389478
-Medium (59mi/>4200ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48389607
-Short (45mi/>3200ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48389755

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/12409971731

Hot Gravel from Cold Spring

This was a fun ride with a great turn out! Thanks everyone for joining us on this Sunday. Summary: We did all of the climbs and the Long Distance (i.e., faster) pace group added ~6 miles of trails in Fahnestock State Park. The School Mountain Trail loop was beautiful and not too technical, though certainly rougher than our typical dirt roads. This fun diversion caused our longer-distance group to return later than the other two distance groups. Live and learn! We’ll have to account for the slower speeds in that section if we include it on future rides. Bigger tires are recommended for that trail section, though you can manage on normal gravel tires if you use some caution. Many riders stayed after the ride to celebrate over cold drinks and snacks by the river. Thanks for those who shared your photos — some of which are represented here!

In case you are wondering about the title: It was a hot summer day, so we started early and chose a loop that mostly stayed in the shade of the trees.

For those thinking of riding any of these routes on your own, be mindful of the elevation gain. Even the shortest route has a lot of climbing! According to many of our devices, the longer route traversed over 7,000 ft of climbing in just 56 miles. You have been warned!

Routes:

Long: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47680882
Long Without Trails: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47691283
Medium: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44307851
Short: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44307940
Bailout (all groups): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42990486

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/12005088156

Entering the School Mountain Trail loop in Fahnestock State Park

Kathy leading out the medium-distance group. We also had a faster “medium+” group and a shorter-distance group that travelled at an easier pace.

View from the School Mountain Trail loop.

GrNY Spring Gravel Series 2024: It’s over, but more rides to come!

UPDATE: Our Spring Gravel Series is over, but we’ll continue to post rides throughout the year! Look for invitations from our group on Strava.

Photos and Ride Recaps: See the links to Steve’s Strava entries, below. You’ll find photos and a quick summary of each ride.

Sunday, April 21: Katonah, NY: https://www.strava.com/activities/11234340871]

Saturday, April 27: Dover Plains, NY: https://www.strava.com/activities/11278170936]

Saturday, May 4: Cold Spring, NY: https://www.strava.com/activities/11332463445]

Saturday, May 18: Pawling, NY: https://www.strava.com/activities/11441847954 ]

Saturday, June 15, Far Hills, NJ (Natirar Park): https://www.strava.com/activities/11660226512]

Original Announcement: I’m happy to announce Gravel NY’s third annual Spring Gravel Series! We have planned five weekends of gravel rides, starting on April 21. Each ride will have three “pace groups”, which will differ in speed, distance, and intensity of climbing. There will be a common hangout location after each ride, so all groups can socialize over food and drinks. Participating in all five rides will take you to all of the major gravel riding zones in our region – a true gravel tour! We hope you can join us!

Questions? You can email Steve at track.smart@gmail.com

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.

SCHEDULE OF RIDES*

Sunday, April 21: Katonah, NY. Ride some of the best and most scenic rural roads in Westchester County. [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11234340871]

Saturday, April 27: Dover Plains, NY. The picturesque dirt-roads of Dutchess County. It is worth the drive or train ride! [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11278170936]

Moved to SATURDAY, May 4: Cold Spring, NY. Much of the ride is near Fahnestock State Park, with lots of fun and challenging climbs. [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11332463445]

Saturday, May 11: Columbia County Gravel Century. This is not one of our SGS rides, but if joining some members of the faster pace group for 100 miles and >10,000 ft of climbing is in your wheelhouse, feel free to reach out to Steve for more information: track.smart@gmail.com. [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11389565400]

Saturday, May 18: Pawling, NY. We will spend much of the ride in gorgeous Litchfield County, CT. The NY/CT border has some of the nicest gravel riding in our region. [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11441847954 ]

Saturday, June 15, Far Hills, NJ (Natirar Park). Spectacular ride that goes through the Teetertown Ravine and Lockwood Gorge – worth the trip! [THIS RIDE IS COMPLETE! See Steve’s Strava activity here: https://www.strava.com/activities/11660226512]

For Saturday rides, the default rain date will be Sunday of the same weekend. We will generally start each ride around 9am, with adjustments for train schedules. Ride schedule and routes are subject to change due to weather or other factors.

PACE GROUPS

“Strava speed” = actual recorded average speed for long, solo paved rides on relatively flat terrain (i.e., not group rides with drafting).

EXAMPLE RIDES FOR EACH PACE GROUP

Long: 63 miles, 6300 ft climbing, ~14 MPH.
– Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/9023394582

Medium: 47 miles, 4500 ft climbing, ~12 MPH.
-Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/9023193918

Short: 45 miles, 3600 ft climbing, ~10.5 MPH.
-Example: https://www.strava.com/activities/9197009980

[These examples are from last year’s SGS rides]

RIDE ORGANIZATION

We will have at least one place to buy food and drink on each ride, but we are only doing grab-and-go during the ride itself (e.g., gatorade + portable snacks). Each group will have a few “wait for everyone” stops. That said, the Long and Medium groups will not wait for riders who are considerably behind the pace. The Short group will be no-drop — with some limits. If you are walking the hills and suffering, even at the slower ride pace, please take a shortcut back to the start and tell the rest of the group to travel without you. We can all hangout after the ride.

THREE REQUESTS

3) Don’t blow up your pace group.
– If one or two riders are traveling much faster than the group leader, others will chase them. Then everybody will get strung out riding alone.
– If you are faster than the group average, wait at the top of hills and after major road crossings.
– If there are big speed differences within a group, the group will subdivide at the first catch-up stop. This way everybody will have somebody to ride with.

Compilation of Winter Gravel Rides

We typically post fewer rides in the winter and most tend to have a single pace group, rather than our larger “three speeds” rides. This usually means participants from our “long distance” (i.e. faster) pace group. Here are some quick ride reports from some of those winter rides. You’ll find route links for all of them.

Sunken Mine is Back! [Fahnestock / Cold Spring Gravel]

This was a last-minute solo ride to scout conditions in areas that had become unrideable due to storm damage. Fortunately Sunken Mine Rd is back in action. Bell Hollow road/trail, however, remains a mess! Avoid that one if possible.

From my Strava post:

What a beautiful winter day for a gravel ride! Only 58 miles, but the route had some zing, including the fun triple set of climbs: Miller Hill -> Long Hill Rd -> E Mountain Rd . In my mind, cool weather equals climbing weather – at least when I can manage to escape Long Island! Overall, an excellent ride – made better with awesome cookies for fuel – courtesy of Kathy.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45165489

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/10385562790

Freshly repaired Sunken Mine Rd.

New Year’s Eve Spectacular (Dover Plains)

Awesome New Year’s Eve gravel ride in Dutchess County, NY! It was beautiful out there today. A little chilly, but really not bad once we got moving. Thank you to everyone who came out to ride! I forgot to get a group photo at the start – we had to get moving to warm up, ha ha! Next time.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36062828

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/10470108550

Enjoying some car-free miles on closed-for-the-season dirt roads in Dutchess County. Just make sure the snow has really melted! It takes a lot longer back in the woods and without car traffic!

Great winter riding — we kept moving to stay warm.

GrNY: Frozen Gravel from Katonah

Lovely ride in Westchester County, NY! We had bright sunshine, clouds, calm air, blustery winds, and some short snow flurries. And then bright sunshine again! Dirt roads were in decent shape (a bit of mud in places, but not bad), paved roads 98% good with a few random bits of ice to avoid. And we traveled many quiet country roads through woods, horse country estates, etc. Thank you to everyone who showed up to ride on this chilly day!

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38559477

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/10559491259

Group photo at the start in Katonah.

We had a little bit of snow in the latter part of the ride, but not much.

Cold Spring Gravel (Reversed) – And YES, there is still snow on Sunken Mine Rd

A return to the nearby Cold Spring area in Putnam County, NY. Wow, what a beautiful winter day! The sun was shining for our entire ride. We had a great crew of riders, a few of whom chose the shorter route to get back a bit earlier. And we had a bit of extra adventure when we hit Sunken Mine Rd. I stated in the ride invitation “We are hoping Sunken Mine will be snow free, but we’ve been surprised before!”. SURPRISE! There was definitely some snow and ice, ha ha!

Overall, it was a great day on the bike with plenty of climbing to keep us warm (and provide a humble average speed despite our efforts on the hills!). If you choose to travel in this direction, know that you will hit the two biggest climbs, back-to-back, during the last part of the ride. We chose this direction so the folks who were leaving early could maximize their time on dirt before peeling off. It worked out just fine.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44320815

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/10690160870

Super Bowl Gravel from Katonah

This ride was on Super Bowl Sunday. it was a “three speed” ride, with warm weather (for winter) so we had a great turnout. There were a few places where the ground was sticky and velcro-like, but conditions were good overall considering yesterday’s rainfall in this area. A bunch of riders hung out for beer and/or food at Paulie’s Deli after the ride. Paulie’s has some good beer on tap and more options in the refrigerator case. A big thanks to everyone who joined us today and made it a fun ride!

ROUTES:

Long (~61mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37901198
Medium (~52mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37901140
Short (~43mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37901464

Group photo from Super Bowl Sunday ride.

Some of the long distance group out on the road.

Dirt Roads and Killer Climbs from Peekskill (Abridged due to rain)

Yet another return to the Cold Spring area, but starting from Peekskill. Why a return? Rain was in the forecast, so we needed to start someplace close and Peekskill was ideal. It’s a very short train ride or drive from NYC and other places nearby, so we could get an early start.

Beautiful forested roads, fun twisty up-and-down descents, and far more dirt than pavement. It was a good day on the bike with some great company. Thank you to everyone who came out for this climb-fest! For folks who haven’t done as much riding yet this season, it was quite a way to get rolling again! While we didn’t do the 79mi/10,000ft version, even this smaller version had some zing. Some of us grabbed beer and tacos, which were extra enjoyable after a challenging ride!

Steve’s Strava Post: https://www.strava.com/activities/10925302794

ROUTES (We did the shortest one to avoid the rain).

54 mi, 6200 ft (5400 ft on RWGPS) “Stay closer to the cars/train” option:
-Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/3200946825017014576
-RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45788595

67 miles and possibly 8700 ft (7600 ft on RWGPS)
-Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/3200857010336915552
-RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45785833

79 miles and possibly 10,000 ft (8800 ft on RWGPS)
-Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/3200855455111269472
-RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45781417

Staying warm on the hills!

Warnings about damaged dirt roads and trails in our region

Areas north of NYC experienced torrential rains during a mid-July storm (2023). It’s already mid-September, but some roads and trails have not yet been repaired. Be extra careful if you plan to ride in these areas, below.

Parts of Sunken Mine Rd, in Puntam County, NY were destroyed during the aforementioned storm. I’ve heard from a few groups of riders who found this out the hard way. In one case, a rider went down pretty hard as they approached the destruction. Even on the “better” parts, I’ve heard that the road/trail is pretty rough and there are many downed branches. The photo above the post, with the rider in yellow, is of Sunken Mine Rd. It was taken by Ken shortly after the July storm. Thanks Ken!

NOTE: Many of the dirt roads in Putnam County are in rougher shape than usual. On our last ride, we encountered many more washouts, big potholes, or soft spots (where riders lost traction) than usual. Old Albany Post Rd is one example of a great dirt road, which is rideable, but extra caution is required – particularly when going downhill, where speeds will be high. We purposly routed uphill only for most of our time on that road, with one short exception, which you could consider cutting around by staying on Rt 9 in that direction.

Black Rock Forest is a beautiful place to ride. That said, it should be avoided by bike until the roads and trails can be repaired (consider a hike instead). The trails and some of the other infrastructure at this research forest were badly damaged in that July storm. I think some of that damage will take a long time to repair. Note: bikes are only allowed on the roads / jeep roads — see their trail maps. Currently, trails are open for hiking but they state: “Please exercise extreme caution on trails and roads, and especially stream crossings!”. Has anybody been to Black Rock Forest recently and ridden on the bike-allowed trails? It would be great to understand current conditions.

Storm King Highway still has a section that was washed into the Hudson River. Yes, this is a paved road, but it is also the main way to travel through that area, on a bike, without riding on the side of the highway (9W) with an intermittenly disappearing shoulder (the shoulder turns into a drainage culvert in places), which I do not recommend. You will *not* be able to walk around that destroyed part. One section of the rear slope is a sheer rock face with water running down it, like a waterfall that is ready to carry you down the cliff.

Know about other damaged dirt roads we should watch out for? Let us know! email: track.smart@gmail.com. In particular, we tend to ride in these areas, which are within striking distance of NYC: Westchester, Putnam, Orange, and Dutchess Counties in NY; Litchfield County in CT; and the Bedminster region in NJ. Thanks!

The photo below is the state of Storm King Highway as of recently (September 2023). I’m not going to provide a photo credit since you aren’t supposed to visit that spot. The waterfall-like section is not visible in the photo, but please understand that you will not be walking around this mess. You will be stuck on one side or the other.

Sept 16, 2023: Putnam County Dirt!

On this wonderfully cool Saturday morning, we tackled a fun and challenging set of routes that included many of the big climbs in Putnam County. We modified our original routes to avoid some dirt road sections that were badly damaged in a storm in July (particularly Sunken Mine Rd), but we still traversed some beautiful terrain.

The long route, unlike our Spring Gravel Series version, saved the two largest climbs for the last 1/3 of the ride – and we might have broken a couple of riders with that setup – sorry! Those two big climbs are tough at any time, but especially difficult after you’ve already done 5000 ft of climbing. The route was mostly downhill for the last ~10 miles if that counts for anything.

Many riders stayed to hang out over cold drinks and food after the ride, which was fun. Our long-distance group missed a few people before they headed off (we got back a little behind schedule). For the record: Kathy (medium group) and I (long group) had almost the exact same moving time, 4:14 and 4:15, so our planning was actually pretty good. That said, we ended up taking some longer pauses in the long distance group for a variety of reasons, which slowed things down a bit.

ROUTES:
-Long (v2): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44397564
-Medium (v2): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44402963
-Short (v2): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44404608
Note: We’ll update these routes, particularly the long distance route, when Sunken Mine Rd is repaired again. The long distance route included a lengthy stretch along Rt 301, which was “acceptable”, but not as nice and quiet as the rest of the route.

Steve’s Strava Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/9862724695

Speeding along dirt roads through the woods.

Riders from the long distance group taking a pause before the biggest climbs of the day.

Part of the medium distance group, stopping to regroup.