i've done the Highlands GF in NJ the last two years. awesome roads in the north west part of NJ, nearly 10k ft of climbing, not over-hyped or over crowded, good feed stations, and just a bit above $100 entry fee. most likely will to it again this year. 

JohnOlsson said:

Im game for all of these enduro events Diego...i have a freakishly high 90min power (250+ Watts) & have been wondering what to do w it all these years =p

Just NOT the ones that cost $100+ (ie: NY/NJ Granfondo)

Fondos, yeas, but MTB duh.

@James Reeder let me know if you plan on doing Highlands again. I did it last year and liked it a lot so I'll most likely do it again. I agree that it wasn't overcrowded at all. 

Yeah, let me know if you plan to do Highlands also. We can share a rented car or something. 

@DiegoSanchez sure. No reason to rent a car, I'll drive. My rack fits three bikes so I have room for you. 

@RobertPeras @James Reeder  I'm down to do the Highlands GF. Saw some videos from last years ride and it looked like a lot of fun.

@RobertPeras, awesome. A new event to the calendar. 

I don't think I'm going to do it this year, but Highlands was a fun event when I did it ~2 years ago! Be ready to climb. 

http://www.hellofhunterdon.com/

Just to remind you that the Hell of Hunderton registration is tonight along with the other rides organized by Kermesse Sports. They are fun courses with good food along the way.

Id love to do something like this , in the summer ,exploring off beat NYC neighborhood night rides 

https://theradavist.com/2020/01/the-readers-write-the-new-york-pizza-and-dynamo-society/

@Mark Taylor add in a food stop and I'm in. Although I only have battery powered lights.. lol

I’m absolutely talking food stop , night ride , lights optional 🌑

@eloy, I'm replying here since the subject makes more sense in this thread.

So, for everyone, in Mexico there is a great Gran Fondo scene. Premium events (fully traffic close roads, timed beginning to end) there are three in Mexico City (two L'Etape & Izzi Kardias), Cozumel (GFNY), Cancun (La Etape), Monterrey (GFNY), La Paz (L'Etape) and Acapulco (also L'Etape). 

Additionally about once or twice a month there are Gran Fondos that start in Mexico city and go some place which are not closed to traffic but are well organized. 

In March 7th I'm almost surely going to Queretaro (three hour drive from Mexico city) to a GF. Is not "premium" but friends that have done it in past years say is well organized and that the views are spectacular.

Here is the route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/7625895

The timed segments are:
https://www.strava.com/segments/11392434
https://www.strava.com/segments/8931552

Here are the details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2511312248944384/

Let me know if anyone is interested

So, a friend, Kissena Alum Rob Panzera, let me know in January that he was doing a fund-raising ride on May 8.  It was for Padres Pedal the Cause (https://gopedal.org/) and the idea is everyone does a ride on the same day everywhere. 

He had the route all mapped out  98 miles.  Something like 20 miles of gravel.  Lots of climbing.  He wasn't looking for me to raise cash, just offered it up as a fun ride to do with him.  As it starts and finishes in Nyack, takes in lots of roads I didn't know on the east bank of the Hudson, including gravel, I wanted in, but knew that I'd only do it if I was vaccinated by then.

So, I reached out to him this week.  Today is just three days shy of my two-week build on the second shot.  And rain was predicted.  Wanted to know if he was still going.  Yes came the answer.  Even if it was raining.

I looked at the forecast.  it was changing all week.  Friday it looked like maybe two hours of rain max up there.  So I reached out to a neighbor, got him to lend me his car, and I was ready to go.  

Rob wanted to go early.  So 4am up, 5am start.  Didn't quite work out, as I didn't account for the extra time it takes to get on VeloToze booties.  

Rob warned me his fitness wasn't good and that he might send me ahead at some point.  And if I felt i needed to book, I should feel free.  Even though I had the route on my Bolt, the route turned so much that I wanted to ride together until Peekskill, where I knew I'd be able to figure out my way home, even if the machine failed.  

Nyack was deserted.  There was a deer standing in the middle of Broadway.  

The ride up to the Bear Mountain bridge was uneventful, save my first ride on the new Jones Point Path.  It is awesome.  It takes out Dunderberg Mtn on the way to Bear, but that sector of 9W is pretty bad anyways.

The ride gets interesting about a mile past the Bridge.  A sharp right onto gravel and we're climbing a wall.  And descending something nearly as steep.  then hitting a number of gravel sectors, twisty and loose and steep.  

I flatted on a gravel downhill, I think on the lip of a cement bridge.  Grrr.  And my replacement tube had a leak.  And it was starting to rain.  Only 2:24 in.  

But it was a drizzle and I was dressed warm enough and  had a rain jacket in my pocket. Didn't want to go there if I didn't have to.  Once it comes on, it's hard to take it off; you start to sweat up your clothes and then they feel really cold if the jacket is removed.  the rain drizzled for a while, like an hour, and then became a real rain for a while, backed off to a drizzle, then rain again.

Rob's been at this a long time and knew how to ride a survivable pace.  He'd take the hills at an easier pace and I'd roll ahead.  After a while, I realized I should be looking to take some pics.

so:





The "way back" begins with us re-climbing that first steep gravel hill outside of Manitou.  Rob told me I should go ahead then.  But I didn't want to get stuck flatting on gravel alone in the rain.  

So, when we hit the pavement outside of Peekskill, I went ahead.  only to get lost at the third turn for about 100 meters.  But since I had been sitting at a light for a few minutes already, Rob caught me.  We rode together for a few more minutes, then I omoved on.

While I've ridden back from Peeskskill, I've never gone this way before.  Barely on 9, the change was welcome and way more climbing.

i also got to see the Croton dam in person for the first time.



Had to stop for a nature break shortly thereafter.  Weird.  I was 5.5 hours into the ride, had barely had a bottle and a half and still had excess liquids.  All in a ride.  

Rob's route was great.  Lots of new roads and decent vistas and very little traffic.  

Heading over the Tappan Zee, where it was drying out, I was wondering if the ride would be 98 miles as he listed.  



Not only just short of a century, but just short of 10k climbing!

I have a friend in Nyack.  I reckoned her house was about a mile away and there was a steep hill I could take to get there.



Yup.  Missions accomplished.

Funny thing.  Rob was really feeling it, so he skipped all the curvy stuff I did to avoid Route 9.  He ended up doing 93 miles and crossing the Tappan Zee about three minutes ahead of me.  If I hadn't stopped to shoot the Croton Dam, we probably would have linked up on the bridge.

Damn that's a long time in the saddle JP

Jules said:

Damn that's a long time in the saddle JP

For some reason, climbing on gravel is slow.  And I can't really rip the descents like I can on pavement. And even the pavement was wet, so the blind turns needed to be treated a bit delicately.  
 
Didn't feel that long.

We chatted much of the time we were together, so that went by pretty quickly.Then  about 8 minutes for the flat.  15 minutes for a mid-ride stop.  A few minutes to take pictures and three or four nature breaks.  Then I hung out at  my friend's for 40 minutes or so.  

And when you start riding at 5:15 am, you still have much of the day left.  Good thing, too, I had to take stuff out of the house and clean the bike. 

mugwump said:

For some reason, climbing on gravel is slow.  And I can't really rip the descents like I can on pavement. And even the pavement was wet, so the blind turns needed to be treated a bit delicately.  
 

Yes it is!

Don't think I'll be in town for this year's Escape from New York on 9/25 but would be fun. But for anyone interested:  https://www.enynycc.org

So, with my hand healing, I've been thinking about what I want to do ride and race wise when I get the green light.

In the Fondo realm, there are a few things I'm interested in doing.

Highlands Gran Fondo, June 5, 2022
https://www.findafondo.com/event/317/highlands-gran-fondo


Ramapo Rally ??? 2022 (was august 15, 2021)
https://wp.btcnj.com/ramaporally/



Hillier Than Thou Century
Still waiting to see if this is returning.  When I did it last, it was 112 miles and over 12,000' of climbing in Western NJ and a little Pennsylvania.


Montauk Century
Not coming back until 2024 I just found out.

One way from Brooklyn to the Montauk lighthouse.  I'm considering trying to get the map off the promoter and making my own group.  

on Montauk, it is easy(ish) to find that ride or similar on ridewithgps or Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/11018756
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/5750839
https://www.strava.com/routes/7226915
etc
https://theawarewolfs.com/2020/02/27/how-to-ride-your-bicycle-from-manhattan-to-montauk/

On Sunday i did Hell of Hunterdon with a co worker , the weather  was cold , very windy and even a little snow , the sun shone for the 1st hour , took the Santa cruz with smooth Rene Herse  Barlow pass tires  , the bike road like a dream
this year was a rolling start ,which contributed to make it feel like less of an occasion . 
good , hard time 

@Mark Taylor

you had me at snow.

BTW, the Ramapo Rally is Sunday, August 21, 2022

https://wp.btcnj.com/ramaporally/

Hi Team & Fam,

I'm sure many of you remember former Kissenista Edie Perkins, who as you know, she had a terrible accident and collision with a car while riding in LA that left her paralyzed in 2017.

She has since moved to Vermont and is now the Executive Director of the Kelly Brush Foundation.

The foundation does an annual fundraising bicycle ride, next weekend, and wonder if you please consider donating.

Here's a link to Etsu's fundraising page if you are so inclined (He rides for Veselka, and is too an old friend)

https://kbf.akaraisin.com/ui/2024kellybrushride/p/daa0d0e2b37d46c99aeda3d169c9cabb  

Thanks!

Hey Team,

This ride was awesome by the way.  Really well organized and for a great cause.  Highly recommend we get a crew together for it next year

We set out at 7:00am and a group of heavy hitters quickly formed. I did 205W for basically 6 hours which hurt like hell.  Gorgeous fall foliage, and it was pretty cool riding on Mark Cavendish's wheel during the bear mountain descent and throughout the ride.  It's crazy seeing how flexible/aero he can get.

8,500 feet of climbing, so the route was no joke.  Mile 70-80 was the hardest for me, totally hit a wall and dropped from the front group. Doing the gate hill climb solo was no fun, but thankfully there was a rest stop at mile 80 and I got to regroup. 

Unfortunately I have zero photos from this, something in my pocket was hitting my phone and entering the password which caused it to be disabled for 6 hours!