Saturday, September 5, 2009

Day Ride

TA/5BBC Training Ride #5 THE OLD PUT CENTURY

Quick Spin 8:00 AM, Woodlawn, 100 miles

The New York and Putnam Railroad, a/k/a "The Old Put", was a dismal failure as a commercial rail line and was finally put out of its misery circa 1980. Fortunately, the right-of-way was preserved, and the rail barons' loss became our gain when Westchester and Putnam Counties built a rail trail for recreational use. You can now bicycle most of the way from Bronx to Carmel on a path that is paved, level, and car-free. Hooray! We are offering this ride again due to the response we got when we first did it in June. Riders should be able to maintain a "B" pace (15 mph). Bring water, snacks, lunch or $ for it, and $ for Metro-North in case you need to leave early. Travel note: this ride begins at the last stop on the Bronx-bound #4 subway, not the Metro-North station of the same name. Leaders: Jesse Brown and Steve Bauman

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Day Ride

EARLY MORNING RIDE TO CONEY ISLAND

8:00 AM, Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, 20+ miles

Let's get up early and get some exercise. We'll ride via the Shore Parkway bike path, to Coney Island, stop briefly on the boardwalk for coffee and a bagel, then onto Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay before heading back. This is a quick paced ride with an early return. Rain cancels. Leaders: Andrea Casertano and Alfredo Garcia

Monday, September 7, 2009

Day Ride

BROOKLYN RESIDENTIAL TOUR II

9:00 AM, Popeye's Restaurant (125 Canal St., between Canal & Chrystie Sts), 35 miles

We'll explore some of the quieter sections of Brooklyn. Ride through Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Red Hood, Carroll Gardens and others. Bring lock, snacks and money for lunch. Leaders:Terry Chin and others

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Day Ride

Cancelled

SLAVES OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

10:00 AM, Van Cortlandt Park, 35 miles, moderately hilly with a few steep hills

Follow the scenic Hudson River up to Philipsburg Manor, an 18th century grist mill powered with slave labor. Now a museum, visitors will get an unvarnished appreciation of life on a colonial farm. Return route will use the car-free (and paved) South County Trailway. Bring $10 museum admission; bring or buy lunch. Leaders Ed Ravin and Purnell Lancaster.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Day Ride

Transportation Alternatives NYC Bike tour

See TA/5BBC training rides and get ready! For more information, visit www.nyccentury.org/ and register before August 21, 2009.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Day Ride

TRAFFIC HATERS' RIDE TO LONG BEACH

9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, 50 miles, 12 mph pace on flat terrain

Enjoy the backroads of Nassau County as we avoid the major throughfares and have lunch on the boardwalk in Long Beach. Things to bring: Bag lunch or money for lunch TBA. Rain at start cancels. Leaders: Manny Sanudo and Kathleen Pryce

Day Ride

PHILLY FOR A DAY

7:45 AM, Penn Station (8th Ave and W 31st St), 15 miles

Indiana Jones once observed, "It's not the years, it's the mileage." But this trip in Philadelphia is more about the years. Philly is one of the oldest cities in the US. Using our bikes to get around, we'll pass by Independence Hall, tour the historic ship and submarine at the Independence Maritime Museum phillyseaport.org/ships_olympia. We'll see the Museum of Art and do a ride along the Schuylkill River Greenway. Lunch is on the south side by the Italian/Mexican markets. NJ Transit train to Trenton costs $21.50 round trip. The ticket machines are on the 7th Avenue side of Penn Station in the SE corner of the main floor. SEPTA train tickets between West Trenton and Philly cost $15 round trip on line ($18 on board) and are best purchased on line. It is the item at the bottom of the webpage, shop.septa.org. Note that tickets are mailed and may take 7-10 days for delivery. Museum visits subject to availability. Leaders: Fred Dieckamp and TBD

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Day Ride

BIKE PATHS TO SCARSDALE

10:00 AM, RING Garden, 25 miles

Let's follow the Bronx River bike path, enjoy the geese, ducks and swans and peaceful babbling brook. Lunch will be in Scarsdale. Helmets are required. We will observe Club riding etiquette. Bring your Metro-North pass for emergencies. Cancellation: 50% chance of precipitation. After you've checked the weather channel or 1010 WINS radio, call Maggie after 8 AM (212-567-8272) if still in doubt about weather conditions. Leaders: Maggie Clarke & TBD

Sunday, Setpember 27, 2009

Day Ride

Cancelled

HALO HALO & PEDAL POWER FOR TITA CORY

9:30 AM, South Ferry to take 10AM boat, 30-40 miles, mostly flat

Cycle in remembrance of the late Corazon "Cory" Aquino, President of the Philippines in 1986-1992, with the help of People Power. After we ride a bit, we'll memorialize her over humble Turo-Turo lunch at a Filipino eatery, in Jersey City. Wear yellow clothing and gear, Yellow was Cory's favorite color. If you have a yellow bike, ride it. Gold colored items also encouraged. Bring $ for lunch, return ferry and lock. Co-listed with NYCC. Leaders: Alfredo Garcia & Jesse Brown

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Day Ride

TRAFFIC HATER'S RIDE TO WELWYN PRESERVE

9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, approx. 45 miles

An unusual ride to a beautiful 200-acre preserve on Long Island's North Shore. With tall trees, streams, beaches and nature trails, this Nassau County park is far off the beaten - bring bag lunch or money for lunch. Rain at start cancels. Leaders: Manny Sanudo and Kathleen Pryce

Day Ride

NEW JERSEY'S RARITAN CANAL

8:45 AM, Penn Station (8th Ave & W 31st St, approx. 35 miles

Explore the Delaware & Raritan Canal from Trenton to New Brunswick. We'll see Revolutionary War sites in Trenton, lunch in PA, visit Princeton University campus and end in New Brunswick for train back to NYC. Hybrid bike helpful but not necessary for canal towpath. hiddentrenton.com NJ Transit train to Trenton costs $21.50 round trip and the same fare applies if returning from Princeton or New Brunswick stations. Ticket machines are on both the 7th & 8th Avenue sides of Penn Station in the south corners of the main floor. Leaders: Fred Dieckamp and David Seto

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Day Ride

BERGEN RAMBLE

10:00 AM, RING Garden, 27-30 miles

Let's venture into Bergen County, NJ on Irv Weisman's very pretty route through the 'burbs of Bergen to the Closter Diner for lunch. Helmets are required. We will observe Club riding etiquette. Cancellation: 50% chance of precipitation. After you've checked the weather channel or 1010 WINS radio, call Maggie after 8 AM (212-567-8272) if still in doubt about weather conditions. Leaders: Maggie Clarke and Fred Dieckamp

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Day Ride

ROOSEVELT ISLAND - FROM AWFUL TO AWESOME

10:00 AM, City Hall, Approximately 20 leisurely miles

Perhaps you weren't around in the 1850's, but this place wasn't exactly The Garden of Eden. We'll find out what was once there, as well as who was once there. Then, we'll move time 159 years later, to today. We'll discover some unique things that are going on right before our eyes. Be sure to bring your Metrocard, since the ride to the island begins with a high above the water aerial tram ride. Bring lock and money for lunch at a local off the island eatery. Rain at start cancels. Leaders: Richard Sanford and Andrea Casertano.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Day Ride

ESSEX COUNTY FALL CLASSIC

10:00 AM, LOWER LEVEL of World Trade Center PATH station at the Ticket Machines, 35-40 miles

Let's venture into Essex and maybe Passaic Counties in NJ on one of Irv Weisman's very retty routes through Branch Brook Park, Cherry Blossomland in the off-season, and through the beautiful estates of the Montclairs, maybe to Little Falls if we feel like it - at the height of the fall colors. Lunch will be indoors or outdoors depending on weather. Bring money for the PATH train, round trip. Helmets are required. Cancellation: Excessive wind conditions, expected temps below 40 degrees at the start, or 50% chance of precipitation. Call Maggie after 8 am (212 -567-8272) if in doubt about weather. Leaders: Maggie Clarke & TBD

Day Ride

TRIPLE PLAY OF HISTORY

7:20 AM, GCT or 7:50 at 125th St, 7:47 Through Train arrives in Poughkeepsie at 9:34, 25 miles, 12 - 15 mph

One town, three great historical sights. (Please note: Of the two rides to Poughkeepsie this month. Each explore opposite sides of the Hudson. See the Hudson from both sides.) As soon as we deboard the train at Poughkeepsie, we'll go straight to Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge. The view is spectacular. walkway.org, Then, it's on to the home and Presidential Library of the only man who had and ever will be elected President of our country four times, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu

And finally, well, if you boarded the train in the morning, everything from GCT to Poughkeepsie and far beyond was created by the Vanderbilts. Our last stop is their home in Hyde Park. www.nps.gov/VAMA Bring lunch (or $), Metro-North/MTA/LIRR Bike Pass, camera, and money for train fare ($29/Reg. and $19.50/Sen.Citizens) round trip, tours of the estates (optional). We have limited capability to get some tour passes for free. Otherwise, $14 for both tours. Leaders: Rodney Millard, Jesse Brown and Ed DeFreitas

Monday, October 12, 2009

Day Ride

BROOKLYN RESIDENTIAL TOUR II

10:00 AM, Popeye's Restaurant (125 Canal St., between Canal & Chrystie Sts), 25 miles

We'll explore some of the quieter sections of Brooklyn such as DUMBO, Ft. Greene, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and others. Bring locks, snacks and money for lunch. Leaders: Terry chin, Ed DeFreitas & Jesse Brown

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Day Ride

OY OY OYSTER!

Cancelled

9:00 AM, Cunningham Park, 50 miles, moderate pace with hills

They may look slimy, but they sure taste good. So do their cousin shrimps, clammies, steamers, and other nautical delicacies, plus the best chowder this side of Cape Horn. Before ye swab the decks, unfurl those sails for our fall foliage visit to Oyster Bay's 26th anniversary Oyster Festival, with music, crafts, souvenirs, tall ships and maybe a turkey leg or two. What's a better way to work up an appetite than by cycling to this North Shore enclave. Free admission, but bring pieces of eight for goodies, bike locks, that wooden pegleg, and a hearty appetite. We may re-route to alternate destination if rainy. Leaders: Captain Ted Kushner and first mates Ed and Liz

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Day Ride

TEATOWN LAKE BIKE/HIKE

Cancelled

8:25 AM, Grand Central Terminal, 26 very hilly miles

(We will take the 8:47 train to Croton-Harmon and return from Bedford Hills, RT train fair $18.25) For those of you who have done my ride to Chappaqua, this will seem familiar, but with an added attraction: quality time at Teatown Lake Reservation www.teatown.org in Ossining for some hiking. While the ride starts at Croton-Harmon, to allow for hiking time, the ride will end in Bedford Hills, after 26 miles. For those of you not familiar with this terrain, it is very hilly, though we will take our time reaching the peaks. We'll lunch in Chappaqua, perhaps running into their most famous residents. Bring MTA Bike Permit, a lock and snacks (lunch will be on the late side). Leaders: Brian Hoberman and Andrea Casertano

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Day Ride

BEAR MOUNTAIN METRIC CENTURY: THE SIX COUNTY RIDE

Cancelled

8:00 AM, Plaza Hotel, 65 miles

After cycling up the western bank of the Hudson for 50 miles through fall foliage, challenge yourself by ascending Perkins Drive to the 1,300 foot summit of Bear Mountain. The view is worth it! Return to NYC on Metro North from the Garrison Station. Bring your MTA Bike Permit and $11.25 train fare. The terrain is hilly with some VERY STEEP climbs. Riders must be able to maintain a 16 mph pace. Leaders: Dennis Griffin and Ira Najowitz

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Day Ride

BIKEWAY OVER THE HUDSON: AWOSTING FALLS

7:20 AM (for 7:47 departure), Grand Central Terminal, 45 hilly miles

The historic Poughkeepsie Highland Railroad Bridge ("Walkway Over the Hudson") opened to the public on October 3 as the world's longest and highest bridge dedicated to pedestrian and bicycling use. Our ride will showcase this bridge, plus other attractions including the 17th-century Huguenot settlement in New Paltz, the Hudson Valley and Wallkill Valley Rail Trails, Awosting Falls in Minnewaska State Park, and peak fall foliage along the Shawangunk Ridge of Ulster County. Some of our riding will be off-road; 28c or wider tires are recommended. Bring lunch (or $ for it), MTA Bike Permit, $29 train fare, and an appreciation for the natural beauty of Awosting Falls and the man-made beauty of this extraordinary bridge. Leaders: Jim Zisfein and Richard Brause.

Day Ride

THE 11 O'CLOCK GANG (rescheduled from Sat 10/24)

10:30 AM, Kew Gardens, Statue of Civic Virtue, 25 miles

We don't go far, we don't go fast, we just go--Don't ask where we go-since we just don't know--Don't ask what time we will be back because we just can't answer that. So come on our Surprise ride. Bring lock and money for lunch. Leaders: Ed Pino & Liz Baum