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
THU
30
APR
MON
11
MAY
MON
25
MAY
WED
27
MAY
SUN
31
MAY
SUN
07
JUN
SUN
21
JUN
TUE
23
JUN
SUN
28
JUN
SAT
11
JUL
FRI
17
JUL
SAT
01
AUG
SAT
08
AUG
SAT
08
AUG
SAT
08
AUG
SAT
08
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
15
AUG
SAT
22
AUG
SAT
22
AUG
SAT
22
AUG
SAT
22
AUG
SAT
22
AUG
MON
24
AUG
SAT
29
AUG
WED
09
SEP
SUN
13
SEP
TUE
22
SEP
FRI
09
OCT
SAT
10
OCT
SUN
18
OCT
SAT
24
OCT
SUN
25
OCT
SAT
31
OCT
SAT
28
NOV
TUE
01
DEC
SUN
06
DEC
THU
10
DEC
SAT
12
DEC
SUN
13
DEC
THU
24
DEC
SUN
27
DEC
SAT
02
JAN
SUN
10
JAN
WED
20
JAN
THU
04
FEB
WED
03
MAR
SAT
20
MAR
SUN
21
MAR
SAT
27
MAR
SUN
04
APR
SAT
10
APR
SAT
10
APR
WED
14
APR
SAT
17
APR
SAT
17
APR
SAT
17
APR
SAT
17
APR
SAT
17
APR
TUE
20
APR
SAT
24
APR
SAT
24
APR
SAT
24
APR
SAT
24
APR
SAT
24
APR
SAT
01
MAY
SAT
01
MAY
SAT
01
MAY
SAT
01
MAY
SAT
01
MAY
SAT
01
MAY
THU
06
MAY
THU
06
MAY
FRI
07
MAY
FRI
07
MAY
SUN
09
MAY
SUN
09
MAY
SUN
09
MAY
SUN
09
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
15
MAY
SAT
22
MAY
SAT
22
MAY
SAT
22
MAY
SAT
22
MAY
SAT
22
MAY
SAT
29
MAY
THU
03
JUN
FRI
04
JUN
SAT
05
JUN
SAT
05
JUN
SAT
05
JUN
SAT
05
JUN
SAT
12
JUN
SUN
13
JUN
SAT
19
JUN
SUN
20
JUN
SAT
26
JUN
SAT
26
JUN
THU
01
JUL
SAT
03
JUL
TUE
06
JUL
THU
08
JUL
SUN
11
JUL
THU
15
JUL
THU
15
JUL
SAT
17
JUL
TUE
20
JUL
THU
22
JUL
SAT
24
JUL
SUN
25
JUL
TUE
27
JUL
SAT
31
JUL
SUN
01
AUG
SAT
07
AUG
SAT
07
AUG
SUN
22
AUG
SAT
28
AUG
SUN
29
AUG
TUE
31
AUG
SAT
11
SEP
SAT
18
SEP
SAT
18
SEP
SAT
25
SEP
SAT
25
SEP
SAT
02
OCT
SUN
03
OCT
SAT
09
OCT
FRI
15
OCT
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.