A great ride with some excellent company! We enjoyed some of the most scenic roads in Litchfield County, mixed in a few climbs, and enjoyed hanging out at the Housatonic River Brewery at the end for food and drinks. We got lucky with the weather, too. Relatively cool compared to some past weekends, though I won’t mind when we get to some actually cool fall weather!
We look forward to riding with everyone again next Saturday! We’ll be starting from Natirar Park in Far Hills, NJ.
Thanks for joining us on The Tunnel ride! It was excellent ride on a gorgeous fall day! All of the pace groups tackled very challenging routes – possibly our most challenging “Medium” and “Short” distance routes given the steep grades and total elevation gain. The payoff was beautiful riding along streams, across scenic ridges, and over peaceful wooded roads – including some exciting dirt descents. We traveled through Steep Rock Preserve, which is home to the (locally) famous tunnel and is always a highlight. Some of us gathered at Housatonic River Brewing after the ride for some food and drinks, which were much needed after the day’s exertions. A big thanks to everyone who joined us today! You’ll find Steve’s activity post on Strava here.
Some post-ride notes:
1) Great job to everyone who got out there and rode, whatever the distance! As we forewarned, today’s routes were especially challenging.
2) Next week’s ride will be a ‘normal’ GrNY ride, rather than an extra-challenging version. We hope to see you next week! You can RSVP for that ride via Strava, but be sure to read all of our ride guidelines first!
3) For first time GrNY riders: You picked a really tough day to get started with us! Our ‘regular’ rides are difficult, but these Tunnel routes were especially challenging. If you survived today, you should have an easier time on most of our other rides. And we’ll try to forewarn you if the routes are more challenging than usual. We hope you’ll join us again!
Photos from yesterday’s ride are below. The group photo is at the top of this post.
Entering the Steep Rock Tunnel
Great views from our route.
A short visit to the shores of Lake Waramaug gave us a temporary respite from all of the climbing.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
