Cold Spring to Poughkeepsie / New Paltz - Recap
Saturday, July 24, 2021 - Recap
A little gravel, a lot of paved trails, plus a killer climb
36, 54 or 64 miles
Saturday, July 24, 2021
[Not all the details for this ride are nailed down yet…]
This ride is organized by GrNY which has a mix of gay and straight riders.
Saturday's weather looks pretty nice (for July) - maxing out in the low 80s with low humidity.
The ride will start in Cold Spring and end in Poughkeepsie. It's mostly paved trails, not gravel. But there are small sections of dirt roads for a portion of the ride, so this ride is NOT skinny tire friendly. 38+ mm tires are recommended, though strong riders could possibly go as low as 32mm.
Most of this ride is pretty chill, BUT there is a whopping 1,400 feet of climbing in the first 8 miles (!) so the ride is still pretty demanding - but at least that climbing is at the beginning of the ride when you have energy.
After the hill climb there's a bit of more dirt roads and then we do mostly quiet roads until Hopewell Junction where we get on the (paved) Dutchess Rail Trail which we'll ride all the way to Poughkeepsie.
If you stop at this point in the ride it's 36 miles with 2,370 feet of climbing (only 1,100 feet of climbing the last 28 miles).
After crossing the Hudson the trail changes names to the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and goes to New Paltz. There are two options:
If you go directly to New Paltz and then back to Poughkeepsie, then it totals 54 miles with 2,970 feet of climbing (just 1,700 after the first 8 miles).
There's also the option to get off onto quiet country roads and then do a bit over 5 miles on the (gravel) Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. That route is 64 miles with 3,590 feet of climbing (2,220 after the first 8 miles).
This is the full route… The shorter versions are just variations of this route. The route is NOT complete, so please don't download it yet.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35959443?privacy_code=CwnaQSKx0kJLOX6e
To get to the start in Cold Spring…
If you're taking MetroNorth – I'll be leaving from 125th Street on the 7:56 train. I'll meet you on the platform at 7:45. If you want to start at Grand Central the train leaves at 7:45.
If you're driving I recommend parking in Poughkeepsie and catching the 8:52 train to Cold Spring), then your car is waiting for you when you finish the ride.
Please note that we'll meet at the southern end of the NORTHBOUND platform in Cold Spring, NOT the parking lot.
As with all GrNY rides, please read and agree to the GrNY guidelines for rides – https://grny.org/guidelines
Ride Details
| Team | Gravel / Multi-Surface |
| Distance | 36, 54 or 64 miles |
| Start Location | Sent to registered members |
| Date | Saturday, July 24, 2021 |
| Meet Time | Sent to registered members |
| Start Time | Sent to registered members |
| Level | B - Steady Eddy |
| Speed | 14-15 mph (if you average ~12 mph in Strava on 30+ mile paved rides you'll be fine) |
| Ride Organizer | Jay H. |
RIDES AND EVENTS CALENDAR
SUN
02
JAN
SUN
16
JAN
TUE
25
JAN
SAT
12
FEB
TUE
01
MAR
SUN
27
MAR
SAT
02
APR
TUE
05
APR
SAT
09
APR
SAT
16
APR
SAT
16
APR
SAT
16
APR
WED
20
APR
FRI
22
APR
SAT
23
APR
SAT
23
APR
SAT
23
APR
SAT
23
APR
SAT
23
APR
SAT
30
APR
SAT
30
APR
SAT
30
APR
SAT
30
APR
SAT
30
APR
SUN
01
MAY
WED
04
MAY
THU
05
MAY
SUN
08
MAY
SUN
08
MAY
SUN
08
MAY
SUN
08
MAY
SAT
14
MAY
SAT
14
MAY
SAT
14
MAY
TUE
17
MAY
SAT
21
MAY
SAT
21
MAY
SAT
21
MAY
SAT
21
MAY
SAT
04
JUN
SAT
11
JUN
SAT
11
JUN
SAT
11
JUN
SAT
18
JUN
SUN
19
JUN
SUN
19
JUN
SUN
26
JUN
SAT
09
JUL
SUN
10
JUL
SAT
16
JUL
SAT
23
JUL
SAT
06
AUG
FRI
26
AUG
SAT
10
SEP
THU
15
SEP
SAT
17
SEP
SUN
18
SEP
SAT
24
SEP
SAT
24
SEP
SAT
08
OCT
SUN
09
OCT
FRI
14
OCT
SAT
15
OCT
SUN
23
OCT
SUN
30
OCT
SUN
30
OCT
SAT
05
NOV
SAT
05
NOV
SUN
06
NOV
THU
17
NOV
SAT
03
DEC
SAT
10
DEC
SAT
14
JAN
WED
18
JAN
WED
01
FEB
SAVE THE DATE - NYC LGBT Sports Network Spring Season Kickoff
SUN
12
FEB
THU
16
FEB
SAT
18
FEB
SAT
08
APR
SAT
15
APR
SAT
15
APR
SAT
22
APR
SUN
23
APR
SAT
29
APR
SAT
29
APR
SAT
06
MAY
SAT
13
MAY
SAT
20
MAY
SAT
20
MAY
SAT
20
MAY
SAT
03
JUN
SAT
03
JUN
SAT
03
JUN
THU
03
AUG
SUN
03
SEP
RIDE LEVEL KEY
A - Speed Freak - Fast paceline ride
B - Steady Eddy - Moderately paced ride
C - Easy Rider - Gentle paced ride
The 'Ride Speed' indicates the target cruising speed on flat roads.
Question or comment about this ride? Ask here.
OC Members: Sign In To Comment