Friday, April 4, 2008

NYC to Bear Mtn training ride

This ride will be the staple ride for my training out of NYC. I've talked to many longtime cyclists/NYC residents who claim the route over the GWB through the Palisades Park and on up route 9w is the only reason they are able to remain in this dirty, car-driven concrete jungle/wasteland called NYC.

It's roughly 85 miles round trip and pretty hilly the entire route. Probably in the neighborhood of 8,000ft of climbing. Maybe more. One site offers a century version of this ride and claims to have 10k of climbing, but I've not gone that route yet. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity this year!

For the most part, the ride is pretty isolated from heavy traffic which is incredible considering the close proximity to such a high density population. Ironically, my only run in with a car yesterday was a police officer in Stony Point, NY who was driving like the typical PO - unpredictable, angry, aggressive, or easier: like a jerk. He tried to run a red light and was clearly very disappointed when this measly cyclist came through the intersection and he had to slam on his brakes. I was pretty sure he was just going to blow through so I locked up my brakes. Well, he managed to stop and then offered a lackluster, fake smile and a small wave. Carry on.

On top of Bear Mtn., the pinnacle of my ride, I had the pleasure of conversing with another two wheeled rider. A tattoo covered rice rocket racer claiming bored out something or other giving an extra 100cc's of power for a whopping grand total of 737cc or 165mph top speed. yes, he's obtained that speed quite often citing it's 'really quick to that speed.' I thought it was pretty cool the muffler was made of carbon fiber, or at least on the outside. He noted my skinny wheels, I noted his fat wheels. We both noted they were nice and tacky for high speed descents. His suspension system was far superior. My overall ride was far lighter. He said he should stop smoking and start peddling. Hopefully another convert!

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