Category: Westchester County NY

TWO upcoming gravel rides: Saturday Nov 8 & Nov 15

Join us while we’ve still got nice autumn weather! We’ll be riding this Saturday and the following Saturday (weather permitting for both). Beyond November 15, we’ll have to play it by ear given colder weather, holidays, etc.

As always, GrNY rides are free and open to all experienced cyclists. Just make sure you are 1) up for the distance and the climbing and 2) that you’ve read all of our ride guidelines carefully!

  • Saturday, Nov 8: THE TUNNEL (New Milford, CT)
    This route is a favorite for Kathy and Steve! You’ll travel to the famous tunnel in Steep Rock Preserve. Spectacular riding, lots of dirt, and challenging climbs from start to finish. We might even see some goats on the trails. We’ll hang out at Housatonic River Brewing after the ride! Their kitchen is now open and has all kinds of good stuff. RSVP at this link on Strava
  • Saturday, Nov 15: Wolves of Waccabuc (Katonah, NY) – Season Finale???
    Did you know there are wolves in Westchester? They are safely housed at the Wolf Conservation Center. We won’t be visiting any of the Ambassador Wolves during this bike ride, but we’re naming the route in their honor! The first part of this route is similar to our “Westchester Dirt” route from 3.5 months ago, but the second half contains a lot of new roads. Come ready to explore some new dirt and revisit some old favorites! RSVP at this link on Strava

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.

==
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.

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.

==

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.

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.

Westchester Dirt! (Sunday, Nov 24)

UPDATE: This ride is over. You can find some additional photos and a brief recap on Steve’s Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/12975542393

Our thanks to everyone who joined us for this fun day of riding and post-ride celebrating. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Join us for a dirt-heavy ride in Westchester county! We don’t know how many more “3-speed” rides we’ll be able to do this year, given that winter is coming fast. We will have our usual three pace groups, which will differ in speed, distance, and intensity of climbing.

RSVP Link: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/1843882

ROUTES:

Long (61mi, >5200ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43458179
Medium (51mi, >4100ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43458220
Short (42mi, >3500ft): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43458314

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.

Riders tackling the climb through Mountain Lakes Park.

We traversed many miles of beautiful dirt roads through forests, farms, and horse country estates.

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

All the Gravel Roads in Westchester in One Ride (well, almost all of them)*

Super fun and chill gravel century with a few GrNY riders. It’s been two years since we attempted the “full version” (100+ miles) of our “All the Dirt Roads in Westchester” ride. It was time for a revisit on this beautiful day! Some extra detours were required this time, due to the road construction in the northern part of our ride near North Salem, but we managed to get just about all of the dirt, none-the-less.

For those who don’t need to be quite as completionist, the 88-mile version of this route has a slightly higher proportion of dirt and fewer random out-and-back spurs:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44840039
[Warning: At this moment, you won’t be able to ride the route above due to construction in the northern part! See what we did in Steve’s Strava post for how to get around the construction and still catch most of the dirt in the north.]

The 88-miler is probably, in objective terms, a better route, but there’s something fun about the madness of trying to get ALL OF THE DIRT in one ride! Yes, there are a few bits of dirt road further away in southern Westchester, etc, but you need to draw the line somewhere. At some point you want the ride to be heavily biased towards dirt, rather than 75% pavement and 130+ miles of total distance, just to squeeze in a couple of miles of missing dirt roads.

[* All of the reasonably connectable dirt roads, so >95% of the total. We ignored forest trails and multi-use paths. We were shooting for actual dirt roads. We also avoided private property and a few, short dead-end streets that are practically driveways.]

Routes (BEWARE OF CONSTRUCTION CLOSURES NEAR NORTH SALEM. YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE DETOURS UNTIL THAT IS DONE)

107-mile version: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37819854

88-mile version: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44840039

Steve’s Strava Activity, which shows how you can detour around the current construction: https://www.strava.com/activities/12165575605

The exclamation points (!) show where there is ongoing construction in North Salem that you’ll want to avoid with some detours.

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

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: 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

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.

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:

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!

End of Season Ride: The rest of the dirt roads in Westchester!

Two weeks ago, we did a ride that included *most* of the reasonably connectable dirt roads in Westchester County (see: https://www.strava.com/activities/10121167782). This week, we polished off the rest of them! We had a great group of riders, including a number of new faces. Thank you all for joining us today!

We declared this to be an *End of Season* ride. And what an excellent season it has been! We started the season with our Spring Gravel Series: five weekends in a row of awesome rides covering all of the “gravel regions” within ~1.5 hours drive of NYC. A true gravel tour! We continued with group rides every other week through today (November 12).

What does the “off season” mean for Gravel NY? Check out Jay’s post on Strava for more details: https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/posts/26246750

The short version: GrNY rides will be much less frequent over the winter. Rides might have a single pace group, instead of “three speeds”, where all the groups overlap several times and hangout at the end. Rides will typically be announced with less notice due to unpredicable weather. We may do some paved riding to avoid messy freeze/thaw conditions on dirt roads and trails – or just for some variety. If we don’t see you this winter, we look forward to riding with you again in the spring!

Parts of the Long and Medium distance pace groups connecting just outside of Mountain Lakes State Park. Both groups were taking a short breather (and waiting for riders) after tackling the largest climb and roughest trails of the day!

This photo is courtesy of Anthony (AKA ToneB). There was still fall color in the understory in some places.