9am gwb tomorrow (Sunday August 25th). Roll up to Piermont or Nyack depending what the group wants via low roads

TL;DR title: "Banger of a day"

Longform:

Woke up to my 4am "race reg summer backup" alarm, remembered to attach lights, Wahoo, saddle bag and bottles to the bike, packed up the car and headed out to Grant's Tomb which inexplicably is Parking Nirvana in Manhattan as it always has open parking spots during weekends. There were two enormous car wrecks on the other side of the the West Side Highway as I was heading down to the 125th St exit. Saw another mini one winding through the streets. I guess all the action happens when we're still in bed...

Parked, kitted up, headed out, and noted it was 5:35am, the earliest I've probably been on Riverside Drive. I hopped on the sidewalk to avoid the torn up section waiting to be repaved and carefully dodged the bleary eyed dog walkers oblivious to everything but the pull of their beds. I feel you, fam.




I paused halfway on the GWB to take in the views of the Hudson, Palisades and the city skyline to the south which from this vantage point looks straight out of Naked City. It's one of my favorites and I wish the south side path is open. I started up again and Guy called out and rolled up next to me. He was alone coming up from Brooklyn, the first leg of his century nearly complete.





Kevin joined us on the jersey side, looking a little less spry than usual - not that anyone should be at this hour. Turned out he had won his fantasy soccer league and tied one on last night in celebration. Blake and Greg rolled up together and after requisite selfies we decided to give River Road a chance. 




The first climb was barricaded and we could see piles of rubble that used to be asphalt strewn around. Greg hopped over to recon and a few minutes later we heard him calling out that it was good to ride. As we climbed after him, I thought perhaps "acceptable" was a better descriptor. We made it out of the disaster area (Kevin did a little 'cross move over the grass while the rest of us chumps unclipped and stepped over the barricade) and finished with an easy climb up Alpine. The bright orange sunrise was like a zoetrope through the trees on our right. It was magnificent.



9W breezed by with all of us taking turns on the front. I shouted at Kevin that we shouldn't do state line and then sprinted for it anyway. It's the only way I'll win against this guy. We paused at Market to fill bottles and empty bladders. I got a shot of espresso and a pipping hot blueberry muffin which was delicious despite the bitter efforts of the SPF70 sunblock on my lips. Another largish bunch rolled by as we clipped in to restart our ride. Greg pointed us to Piermont and the easy pedaling through town gave me an opportunity to load up his suggested route on the Wahoo.

The route took us to Nyack Beach and through the Nyack/Haverstraw River Trail right along the river. I can't remember the last time I rode this - maybe never? - and the first groomed part was a super pleasant light-gravel path. The sun was casting long shadows from our silhouettes and it was pretty spectacular.



And then we had to go through the woods.

Most of it was manageable, but there were some very rocky sections and a few rutted out sandy sections that had me slipping and sliding on 23mm 100psi Vittoria Corsa Pros. It wasn't ideal, but as the saying goes "all bikes are gravel bikes" and it was certainly true today.

The roads were generally quiet and mild this early and only a few cars respectfully passed us. We wound through Haverstraw, Stony Point and at one of the splits from 9W we followed Blake and Greg on the local road next to the river before we merged back back to Bear Mountain entrance road.




Blake's hard work and training was apparent as he confidently ascended up the road. Kevin and I set pace with him and joked about the unwritten rule of breathing through your nose when passing someone (which we did). Approaching the Gate before Perkins, I took a peak behind to see Guy riding steady with Greg and set a tempo for myself and started climbing. A giant raven flew overhead and perched on a leafless tree. Very metal. I've only done Perkins on a bike once and that was earlier this winter. I was slow then and I was slow today, but slightly less so. Progress! Some other early birds were already descending and it was something to look forward to.



All of us slowly rolled into the peak - myself, Kevin, Blake, Greg -  and just when we mentioned Guy, he manifested like a ghost from around the bend, grinning from ear to ear at his accomplishment. Requisite band photos were taken. You can obviously tell who the godforsaken drummer is.




No bathrooms to fill our bottles so we opted for the very expensive vending machines. A lot of things were sold out, but somehow one of the machines were giving a two'fer with one payment. My $3 Arizona iced tea became two $1.50 iced teas. Cheers to the little things.

The Descent and the bee. A few other riders came from behind and Blake joined them on their missile speed trajectory down the mountain. I was going at a pretty good clip behind Greg as well when suddenly an intense white hot pain shot through my right thigh. A bee crashed into my leg and it felt like a scalpel was slicing my leg open. I was going too fast and couldn't keep my eyes off the road so just started flapping my bib leg violently thinking the bee was stuck. Nope, but my leg kept right on hurting. Fun!

We regrouped at the circle and kept it pretty civil to Cove Deli. Unfortunately about 50 yards to the parking lot, Guy's leg cramped up so bad he had to stop on the side of the road. Blake and Greg when to go see what was wrong and he limped to the lot and we all sat down for a proper meal. Greg and Guy had omelettes while Blake, Kevin and I had sandwiches. Kevin is allergic to eggs so his was comprised of about 4lbs of bacon which he claimed was perfectly normal. Blake insisted his sandwich was a "Taylor ham". I opted for a classic egg and cheese. The lady who rung us up must have psychic powers as she offered me hotsauce without me even asking. The meal was glorious.

9W back seemed like the smartest option to motor it back home, but the road up there was utter trash and we had to ride in the gutter due to the heavy traffic. We decided to take the local roads but ended up right back to the Haverstraw/Nyack gravel path. Luck ran out and Kevin caught a puncture. While he was changing out a tube we took turns peeing into the woods facing the river which Greg found to be liberating and life affirming. It was hard to disagree. It was also interesting staying static in once place and watching various characters go by us for a change: Dog walkers, couples sweating it out together on Walmart hybrid bikes, joggers, families.

Guy kept falling off the back and cramping as we snaked through the river towns. I rolled back to him and realized his entire kit and face was caked in sweat salt. We stopped at Market again to fill up bottles and I gave him hydration packets and it seemed to have done the trick the rest of the ride back.

Random happenings at Market:
1. Someone was attempting to ram their rented hybrid bike between two very expensive ones onto the rack (one of them being Kevin's cherry Pinarello F10). I told him to flip it so the handle bars weren't smashing into the others. He shrugged an walked away. Nice.
2a. Heard a huge pop and fizz as we were about to grab our bikes and turned out to be my rear tire that was sitting on the rack. Maybe the intense sun and the hot metal rack on my alloy wheels did... something? I fixed the flat and the latex tube seemed to be holding air just fine, but I replaced with the spare tube anyway. Will have to see what happened there.
2b. I had to handle the dropped chain after putting the wheel back on low and behold, my fingers were clean as a whistle because of the wax - no grease or oil! It was miraculous and I'm sold.

Finally, long before Gas Station sprint, Kevin randomly rolled off the front. Greg and I were puzzled so we asked Blake who was pulling at the front with Kevin. "Oh he wanted to get ahead of you guys before the sprint." I immediately sprinted after him, but it was too late, he took the line and sat up victorious. Trickery wins again!

Sometime after the bridge as we were rolling by NY Presbyterian, Guy proudly announced he officially completed his first century.

Amazing report

Great report Dave! I'm glad Guy was able to have such a stellar group for his first century! 

Amazing report, Dave! Thank you for putting to words an awesome memory made

Anyone riding this weekend? Trying to get in some 9W miles before it gets cold.

If I don’t see anyone dropping a line here I'll just get a slightly later start solo. Bang me via text if you want to meet up: 631-974-2891

I’m game for a road ride Saturday morning

David V and I had a nice ride to Piermont and back today. Fewer cyclists out today as I think a lot of people were out of town. Not the clearer day, but the weather was good. 

Shoot sorry to hear - Dave hope you're okay bud.

Will probably hit Cunningham tomorrow. Planning on 8a start and see how it goes. Msg me if you want to join.

PatrickGrehan said:

David V and I had a nice ride to Piermont and back today. Fewer cyclists out today as I think a lot of people were out of town. Not the clearer day, but the weather was good. 

David got his problem with his chain dropping off his Pulley diagnosed by Bill at Piermont Bike. Unfortunately on way back on riverside drive someone stepped out between the cars and I slammed my brakes and David went down as he hit my rear wheel. All seemed okay apart from some scuffs on his Brad new helmet 😕

Hope your ok Dave ,
curious what was the diagnosis for the pulley , I remember you had the issue in LA

I was visiting my wife this weekend , who is on a project in Calgary 
we headed to Banff for the weekend , very busy as it was Labor Day here also , 
Rented a Trek Fuel for the day and hit Tunnell mountain , 
seriously amazing scenery and fantastic trails 
iI was half way though the ride before I saw any one else .
the trails weaved through pine forests , lots of features, wooded burm turns ,that were something I hadn’t really seen before , rock drops and skinny wooded bridges 
great morning .

I’ve got some scrapes on my back and arm and on my nice clothing and new helmet that I wish weren’t there but I’ll be fine. There doesn’t seem to be any damage to my bike, though it does feel dirty. I will do a deep clean soon.

This isn't an official cross clinic considering I'm about as novice as they get and don't have course tape and stuff, but I can help with the basics. Everyone is welcome to join (but you will need a cross or gravel bike).

Sunday Sept 8th
8AM until Whenever we feel like it

To start: Cunningham Park near Field 6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/J2MHmtDAhdTSpm1U7

Eventually: Cunningham easy trails on the east side
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MT6gjGHZuv4CrA8F9

You will need: A cyclocross or gravel bike with a minimum of 30mm+ tires with at least some tread. We will be removing at least your downtube bottle cages.

What we're going to do: Get comfortable riding off road, learning basic skills (starts, dismount/mounts, hurdles, tight turns). Easy trail riding.

Im gonna try and do 9W tomorrow and maybe Sunday too if I can’t get my shit together for the cross clinic. If anyone wants to ride with me, post here or ping me on cell: 631-974-2891

I'm planning on riding 9W on Sunday. NJ side of the GW Bridge at 9:00, unless others want an earlier start.

Joe,
     I'll meet you at the Bridge at 9.  I'll turn back at 10, but feel free to go longer.  

I’ll be there at 9 too. Need to be home by like 12 so will probably only make it to piermont for a quick stop before turning back

Met up with Joe and Matt at the GWB.  We did the traditional.  Until I headed back at Palisades, NY.

What was different was what seemed like a pretty stiff headwind from the north.  We still managed a decent tempo.  

And the tailwind on 9W going south was pretty sweet.  I was tired but felt fast.  

https://www.pissei.com/en/man/accessories/leg-warmers/

Good ride yesterday with great weather. Joe and I split up at Piermont, he went further north, I went south then worked my way through NJ home. Got home and thspent an hour trying to reindex my gears because they were rough all day and I couldn't get into some of them. Realized the hanger was loose when the derailer moved forward and the chain rubbed on the chain stay taking a bit of paint with it from the bottom All fixed now, but boy what a pain

Hey folks! Sponsor shop ride this coming Saturday Sept 14th! Here is the Instagram story with details, but we're going to meet at the shop by 8a and head out together to GWB, pickup friends there and do a chill ride to Market.

Here's the link in BIO: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1168/group_events/1775908

BTW I'll be starting/ending at the shop - anyone else joining from there?

I'll be starting and ending at the shop. 

There have been 4 responses to the new member email that was sent out earlier this week. I expect that at least 1 or 2 of them will come through. 

I’m joining from GWB with Max, a friend and also potential new member 

I'm almost certain in , will meet at shop if i make it

I'm in- will meet at GWB

I'll be @ da shop.

I'll be at the shop as well

Absolutely beautiful ride today, the second week of September with the sun out, the temps in the 80s and a warm breeze over the GWB. We've set the world on fire and I'm lighting my cigar with the flames.

Starting from Ride Brooklyn, I said good morning to teammates I haven't seen in such a long time, hello to teammates I either haven't met or ridden with informally, and hiya to Bae our single Ride Brooklyn charge ready to hit 9w.

To my softball questions, she gave me assurances that she has ridden the distance before. Though it never dawned on me to check her equipment. (Foreshadowing!)

An easy ride to the Brooklyn Bridge where we pick up another teammate and a comment that the soft purring of rear wheel pawls is the fine good morning note that perks us up in the early AM.

I am, as usual, the only one needing to use the restroom along the Greenway, but now everyone knows where it is, just in case.

And a relatively easy ride up to the GWB with an aside about the construction, always the construction, as the city is in a fluvial state of rebuilding but with the construction more noticeable than the changes themselves.

Is this a metaphor for our own selves?

The ride over the GWB was stunning. On the left, cop cars stopping traffic while workers picked up or dropped off orange barrels along the road, and on the further left, the fair city of Manhattan sticking up like the impressive city it is, and I ride with conflict, wanting to live in and be a part of such a fantasy place, but remembering that I do and I need to reconcile what mysteries I may be missing so that my wants are aligned with my reality.

And to the right, the wide and swift Hudson, with a warm summer breeze and boats, lots of boats, cruisers and sight seers and sailboats, small dots further North on the water sailing away. And sun, lots of sun today, on a pathway that I have ridden in the rain, in the snow and ice, on overcast and utterly miserable days with bone chilling winds.

But today, bright and cheery and happy and breezy.

More teammates on the other side of the GWB and David climbing off his steed to inspect Bae's brakes - there was a regular clicking and clopping coming from her rear wheel and I suspect David is investigating not only to help her but to get rid of the annoying noise that represents an unloved horse.

Alas, a cracked rim! I think these are Mavic Aksiums? I've broken those on potholes before, so no surprise at the deep slice in the metal.

An adjustment of brake pads, an admonishment to get new parts, and we're off once again.

Plans have changed with a ride first through the neighborhoods of New Jersey - I notice a new trend of wide, black aluminum roofing with ridges, some houses covered entirely with them, and some used as an awning.

And three-car garages. That's a lot of bike storage!

Joe and I drop back to keep Bae company and the rest of the gang ride on and then stop and wait, ride on and wait. Thanks for that, always nice to see the orange helmets up ahead.

Coffee and snacks at the bike store. Hey, they've moved the coffee place to the back of the store, forcing us to walk past stunning brand new bikes as though this was a pet adoption center - my goodness, which good little kitten and puppy am I going to take home today? Yes, I wish I could take all of you.

My heart breaks, not only at not being able to adopt today, but because of the croissant as well. There seems to be a reason why the coffee shop and pastries were shoved to the back of the store.

And then... more teammates! Fresh off a climbing ride, we're joined by Patrick and Mark and Jeff. Good morning, gentlemen.

Clipping back in, it's off to 9w to head home. The gang revs up and off and Joe and I have a pleasant ride back with Bae. A quick stop at Strictly, for me, of course, where we watch a young man being carted away in an ambulance.

This is part of the city that concerns me, living here, a man with chest pains, a gurney? I'm unfazed, I see this all the time. As cyclists, as racers, we've ridden in them ourselves. This is just another Saturday. Get well soon, young man, I know what recovery is like and it's a bear. But it's just another Saturday.

At home, with 70 miles under my wheels, I eat all of my leftovers and think about the conversations I had with so many different teammates, about work and bike parts and homes and renovations. Nice to get a quick chat with you guys, it's been a while.

I look in the fridge for what else I can eat and wonder about getting a new bike, some new wheels, if David will win the race on the new 55s he's been eyeing.

A nap awaits me, and cramps, and on Monday in my meetings when they ask if I had a good weekend, I'll just say yes and smile and nod because no one would believe me if I told them.

Nice to ride with you guys today.