Hey all - If anyone is ever interested in morning training rides "over the river and through the woods" during the week, I'm out there 2-3 days a week. During the week I tend to just go up Alpine Approach and back, either back on RR or on 9W - moderate pace, with a few hard efforts on climbs or occasional sprints.

Looking at my fall class schedule, Mondays and Fridays will be my go-to mornings, with possible Tuesdays or Thursdays. I usually leave 8am from Manhattan-side GWB - if you're ever interested in joining, post here and I'll know to wait a few minutes.



tito

Let's use this thread to announce mid-week rides and gather company.


*************************


I have a month off from school (January 2011) and my coach (Señor Mattio Montesano) has deemed I make the best of it.

This includes a long ride once a week, but I might not be here this weekend.

Does anyone want to ride over the GW with me this week?

I'm thinking around 4 hours.

Holler!

-William

I might be game on Thursday...

WDC,
I'm thinking Wednesday. I'm thinking morning. I'm thinking making it quick.

JP

looks like jeff owens, myself, roberston, keith and chabanov are going over the bridge on thursday.

i will announce the time as it comes up.

i think this is going to be long/hard.

Count me in for Thursday

nice

we'll be at the manhattan side of the GWB at 9:30 tomorrow morning

tuesday and wednesdays are my days off, i could pick up with you guys in piermont if you transition off thursday.

oh lordy

that was hard

robertson, keith, rene, chabanov and i took the low road to bradley and road back through nyack.

i wasn't worried when i was dropped on every climb (even by eric! how embarrassing!) but i did become concerned while we were flying home on 9w when i started seeing long-dead relatives trying to hand me bidons on the side of the road.

i stopped at Strictly Bicycles and had a life-saving snack/coffee, then spun home.

wow . . . feeling DRAINED!

can we get these going again?

Going out tomorrow for a relatively easy, long ride since I'm still kinda sick. Supposed to be nice. Maybe 70-80 from Brooklyn, so GWB at...whenever. If anyone is interested in a non hammer fest with some climbs, I'm flexible.

being a suburbanite, the wednesday prospect nights just don't really work out for me. tuesday and wednesday are my days off, so if anyone wanted to rendezvous in piermont or so and ride out to bear or points futher, i'd be willing. i'm a local, so i could probably do a route you haven't done to death. anyone interested?

I'm off on Wednesdays, so that sounds good. I'd like to do the switchbacks again outside of nyack, and anything else you know of. That said, this wednesday looks like rain and 44 degrees. But it should be getting nicer soon, so I'll be down with that.

Jeff

I can do Tuesday this week if you want man. Bear would be a bit of a long shot for me as id get around 30 miles before piermont (60 roundtrip) but I can do an additional 40-50 miles with you

and here

I'm reciting today's incident to warn and also ask for a way forward.

On my weekly Thursday ride we were descending Route 9 into Piermont just after the intersection with the bridge at upper 9. A red domestic sports car maybe a dodge or a mustang jumped into the oncoming lane and sped by us. Since we were going about 30-35 he must ahve hit it to around 50. Coming to the first right turn he jammed on the brakes and veered a bit right looking like he was turning right. My training partner Dan was ahead of me a went left. The driver then quickly took the LEFT turn forcing dan to the brakes, a skid and nearly taking him out. Fortunately Dan is an excellent bike handler and he stayed upright. I took off in pursuit of the car. The driver pulled into a nearby driveway and I pulled up behind him before he was out of the car. I yelled "what the fuck was that, you almost killed him" as the driver exited the car. With what looked to be a .45 caliber handgun DRAWN AND POINTED at me he yelled "get the fuck out of my drive way". I argued and he repeated the threat 3 times. Now I would have no problem riding right over to the local police station and reporting the incident. Obviously the guy is unhinged and pretty fucked up. But based on his reply to my taunt of "what, are you gonna shoot me?" I think he has a badge. He said he'd arrest me. Could be bullshit but that's not the usual made up story of the common thug. Usually when that course of action you are dealing with a member of the public service class.
I have the plate #, I know where he "lives" (unconfirmed since I'm relying on his statements) but little else. No witness. No harm done. But this guy will probably end up killing someone either on the road or by summarily executing some "criminal". Either way 'round these parts cops get a walk unless they are caught on tape raping babies.
So a way forward? Ideas, suggestions? I'm open to all ears.

Keith

An exchange between Jeff White and Ragot the other week, prompted me on this post.


When I'm pressed for time and don't want to deal with lights, I go over to Jersey, and ride for 28 miles (depending on the interpretative program, it's at least 1600' of climbing). From my place, this is basically a 40-mile ride. I do a loop that has very few lights, some good hills, some good flats, and a few excellent sprint points. This way, I can fit in some 1m, 2m, 5m (m is for minute) efforts as well as a long threshold effort and some sprints.

Start at the GWB. Roll down the path to get into Palisades Park. Ride River Road to the end. Ride most of it at tempo. The first effort is up the Englewood Boat Basin hill. Ride all-out for a minute. Recover down the other side. When you're by the picnic area, get back up to tempo. Push yourself up to threshold on each little hill between the picnic area and the start of the climb at the end. Do the climb at the endas a 5m VO2 max effort. Recover until you hit 9W.

On 9W, turn left. Put it in the big ring. Start riding tempo. Make the first right onto Closter Dock. There's a short hill up ahead. Sprint over it. Ride as fast as you can down the other side. Ride down the hill to the first light. Make a right. At this point, you're rejoining the Kissena ride. Back to Tempo. Get onto 505 (Piermont Road). Turn right. More tempo.

Turn right onto Rockleigh Road. As the road pitches up, pick up effort to a bit above threshold. Dial it back to tempo as it flattens. At end, make right. you should see 9W at the light.

Right onto 9W, still at tempo. When the road starts to pitch up, go all out up to the top of the hill. Probably about a 2m effort. Back off down the hill. Then as the next hill starts, back up to a VO2 effort. When the road flattens by the Palisades Parkway entrance, back off to tempo. Continue to hold this pace until you pass the scout camp. Once passed the Scout camp, try to pick the pace up to threshold. Try to hold it all the way to MSNBC in Englewood Cliffs. Back off a bit down the hill, and then when it pitches up again,sprint for the gas station. Recover a bit. Get back to tempo. Left onto Palisades ave, right onto Hudson Terrace, sprint up the next hill. Recover. Then sprint for the Fort Lee townline sign.

For people living in Queens, Brooklyn, or Downtown, you can noodle across the bridge and past Columbia-Presbyterian and put in a tempo interval along the length of Riverside Drive. or you can use it for sprints. Use the rises at 153rd, 138th, Grant's Tomb, 96th and 79th.

Sorry for the late notice. but I shifted this ride, a birthday tradition of sorts for me, to Tuesday as it looks like it might rain Wednesday.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on riding to Peekskill by going west over Skyline Drive to Ringwood, then over to Harriman and through Harriman to the Bear Mountain Bridge. Skyline, Arden Valley, and maybe Bear Mtn. on the agenda, depending on time.

Leaving my place in Harlem at 9:15. Probably at the bridge by 9:30.

Want to be on the 2:19 out of Peekskill. Puts us back in the city by about 3:15.

Pace will be...reasonable on the flats and rollers. Might go hard on the climbs. Probably one rest stop, somewhere north of Tuxedo, NY. Formal attire discouraged.

also, bring your metronorth rail pass and a toe strap to secure your bike.

Can't ride with you (though I'd like to), but Happy Birthday.

Would join you JP but I think it might be a bit too much for me tomorrow. Enjoy & Happy Birthday

This makes me wish I worked in one of those school districts that get out before June 28th.

fwiw, my anniversary is Saturday. I'm taking time off work for this. Right now, weekdays are easier than weekends for this sort of thing.

Ahhh, JP led a great ride up to Harriman State Park. We hit some nice long climbs and JP again schooled me. Some really nice false flat roads with great pavement and little traffic for tempo/thresholdy type effort. Instead of taking the train back to the city in Peekskill with JP, I mustered up my best bad-ass Wojciech impression and told JP that train rides were for sissies and I went back over the Bear Mountain Bridge (love that bridge) and rode home (that's what 32 ounces of Dr. Pepper will do for you). Which was fine until, I don't know about north of Nyack when the elephant parked his big behind on my chest (you asthmatics will know what I mean). Short baby breaths for the rest of the way home. Very not fun.

But, overall the ride was really nice. It's refreshing riding on less familiar roads--if you can swing it, I recommend trying some new roads in town our out!

P.S. 111 miles total distance. I don't need to do that again anytime soon.

Ah! Why didn't I go on this? I was doing the normal GWB thing. Damnit.

Anyway, I also have bad asthma and try to check airnow.gov for ozone and fine particulate matter, which really exacerbate my asthma on humid/hot days after 3-4 hours. Not much I have been able to figure out in the way of prevention.

I'm sure you have all the proper inhalers, but any advice would be appreciated. I save the albuterol for acute stuff, occasionally prior, and use a fluticisone inhaler everyday as maintenance. I tried the long-release Advair type, but it didn't seem to do much and was crazy expensive.

Sometimes, I actually just have to sit down and stop for 15-20 minutes. Sucks.

Even if you did the wuss version, that is riding to Peekskill, you'd still have 5300' of climbing in 72 miles. The ride from the Bear Mountain Bridge to the Peekskill train station was an unexpected joy. good twisty descent action and nice views.

And I owe Marc an apology. We did have the time to climb Perkins Drive after all. Should have done it. Next time.

We did have some fun dive bombing the twisty descents up there. Passing each other at every opportunity. Nothing too tricky. A couple I should have taken quicker, but just a smidge too unfamiliar for me. Next time. Bear, fast descents, and I'll probably take the train home too! Ha!

Thanks for posting this JP. Looks like an excellent course... I look forward to trying it soon.

Marc you climbed route 9 from peekskill? Theres barely enough room on that road for the auto traffic. Props.

I would've joined but I did my long ride last week and I'm resting for the double this week.

If you go north on 9w past west point you can take route 218 which is nicely scenic and skirts Storm King mtn. Very nice views. I've been meaning to ride from nyc to poughkeepsie, ride over the renovated Poughkeepsie rail bride and take the train back.

who is racing the 3'4 tom Its my first race as a 4

Nosson...if I'm not mistaken there are two diff't races going on Thursday nights. Most of the club has been racing at Floyd Bennet Field. But I think there is also a crit at Rockleigh (where we had the workshop). Try reposting your question in one of the threads dedicated to the Thursday night races.

i, too, will be doing morning rides this semester

i'll post here