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 unpaved routes in our area. The goal is to get away from cars 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)
- Pacelining is discouraged on gravel roads.
- Some members enjoy challenging rides, but the goal is the experience, not speed/stats.
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.
How to get started with GrNY
You are welcome to join us for your first ride as a guest! Please carefully read and fill out the digital waiver form here. If you do not fill out the waiver, you cannot ride with us. The waiver must be filled out annually, before your first ride in that season. If you join us for a second ride, you will automatically become a GrNY member – see our Guidelines page for details and suggested contribution information. All riders should RSVP for rides on the Strava group. See details below.
Where to find info about upcoming rides
- All rides are posted to the GrNY Strava group. Please RSVP to rides using Strava. A free Strava account is all you need to RSVP.
- You can also join the GrNY email list to get notified about some (but not all) rides.
If you’d like to join the Strava group, where you can receive ride invitations and RSVP for rides…
First click “join group” on Strava. We want to include people who might actually join rides. That’s why we will check that you:
1) live in the broader NYC Metro area (e.g. NY, NJ, CT), and
2) are capable of riding the distance of our shortest rides (35+ miles of hilly terrain).
If your Strava profile says you live far away – you won’t be approved for the Strava group. And we also won’t approve you if, when look at the stats on your profile, we see that all the rides you’ve logged to Strava are short rides. Almost all GrNY rides are more than 35 miles and typically on hilly terrain, so you should be used to regularly riding at similar distances and elevation gradients. That said, we understand privacy is important and some people have their profiles locked down. Others have never used Strava before. That’s okay.
If your Strava profile doesn’t reflect your location or riding ability, click “join group” on Strava then send an email to Steve at track.smart@gmail.com with a link to your Strava profile or your profile name. We’ll take your word that you regularly do long rides and can handle the terrain – no major explanations are required.
Once you’re part of the Strava group, communication via Strava is sometimes an problem. To get around that problem we’ve created an email mailing list. To get on the mailing list visit https://grny.org/email-list/ and follow the instructions on the page. We try to keep emails to a minimum. Please realize you have to confirm your email address to be fully signed up. Check your spam folder if you don’t see the confirmation email within a few minutes.
Finally, if you want to get a sense for the rides we do, we’ve put “ride reports” on our website for many of our past rides.
