Liberty Epic

An epic ride from Newark to Philadelphia. Along the way, we'll see some of the Jersey Shore and ride through the Pine Barrens. We'll stop for lunch at a kosher dairy restaurant in Deal, NJ  and have dinner at kosher meat/fish restaurant in the Elkins Park section of Philadelphia. Along the way, we'll take a spin on the boardwalk and along the Schuylkill River before we pass Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We return from Philadelphia Market East Station at night.

This ride will end after sunset: bring front and rear lights and expect a late return home to NYC. We will adhere to the listed pace: we cannot allow pace-busting on this very long ride. If you cannot keep up or have any other problem, there are a limited number of bailouts: early by train and later by bus. There are long sections with no public transit available, so bring your cell phone and some extra cash in case you need a taxi to get you to the train. Train fare: $1.75 PATH; $24.25 adult / $11.38 Senior citizen for SEPTA + NJ Transit combination back to NY Penn station.

Yes, if you inform me in advance you can meet us in Newark. Anyone can take the train to anywhere on the return.

Mileage	147
Miles until lunch	51.5
Miles from lunch to dinner	83
Maximum elevation:	250 feet
Elevation gain:	approximately 2500 feet
Sunset time:	8:08:57 PM

I'm still tweaking the route through Elkins Park to avoid the steepest climbs and the route through Browns Mills to provide an option for a rest stop.

Meet the Gunks

When 30,000 cyclists descend on Manhattan, it's time to leave the city if you want to ride your bike. The Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County is lovely place to ride and so every year on the Sunday of the 5 Boro Bike Tour I lead a group of cyclists on a Gunks ride. This year, I've done some changes to the route to swing out onto some of the other quiet back roads as well.  The ride climbs both Minnewaska and Mohonk. There is a scenic overlook south/east of Minnewaska.

The view from the scenic overlook sout/east of Minnewaska in the Gunks

The light is better for a nice photo of the view on a clear afternoon,but the weather forecast is for mostly cloudy this Sunday afternoon. So this year we'll climb Minnewaska first, stop for a quick photo opportunity and continue on to Minnewaska State Park. We will then ride downhill to the outskirts of Kerhonkson on a nice long descent until the terrain more or less levels off. This makes the route slightly more than the listed 55 miles but the extra miles are downhill. and we'd probably blow the turn on the slope of the descent anyway. After the descent, we'll  loop around and then climb Mohonk from the west. The golf clubhouse makes an excellent spot for a rest after this second major climb of the day.

When we get back to Poughkeepsie, if time permits we may stop for beer at Annie's. Those who aren't strictly kosher may choose to get some dinner before the long train ride home.

Good Darlington

I'll ride out tomorrow to the Ramapos on an NYCC listed B-ride. . Darlington Lake Park is open but not for swimming yet so no admission charge yet. Nice spot to picnic. The route is only 68 miles and 3600 feet elevation gain.

Stony Point

I've updated the Stony Point route and plan for this year. It's listed as B-16 with NYCC. I originally put it in as a B16 82 mile ride but I've changed it to make it a little shorter and a little faster 78.4 miles at a B17+ pace. I'm also moving the start time to 8:45 AM from 8:30 AM.  A cue sheet and GPS route generated from the foregoing is here

Spring into some hills by dhudes at Garmin Connect - Details

Spring into some hills by dhudes at Garmin Connect - Details