Bike TOUR of the Old Croton Aqueduct - Recap
Saturday, July 9, 2022 - Recap
Learn the history of the Old Croton Aqueduct
43 miles (or 10 for NYC, paved portion)
Saturday, July 9, 2022
Please Note: This ride is a Gravel NY ride…
https://www.strava.com/clubs/513005/group_events/1182269
which means there will be people on the ride who are not part of Out Cycling. While it's mostly a gravel ride, the first 10 miles in Manhattan and the Bronx are paved / skinny tire friendly and pretty interesting, so feel free to sign up and just do that portion if you're interested in the OCA but don't have a bike with wider tires.
The Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA) Trail is one of the standard rides for NYC gavel riders. Most of us ride it with only a vague idea of its history which is unfortunate because it has a really rich and interesting history. This ride is a combo OCA ride and an actual tour with numerous stops where we'll talk about the history of the OCA and how you can still see evidence of it along the trail.
We'll start in Central Park and then trace the route of the OCA as much as we can up all the way up to the Croton Dam and Reservoir. The ride ends at the Croton-Harmon MetroNorth stop where we'll catch a train back to the City.
The first 10 miles are paved and people on skinny tire bikes are welcome to join us for that portion of the tour. After that point the pace will pick up, there will be fewer stops, and most of the riding will be on gravel. 35+ mm tires are recommended for that portion of the ride, though I've seen strong riders do fine on 28mm tires. If you find you can't keep up with the group or need to call it quits, there are MetroNorth stops every couple miles along most of the route.
The main highlights of the ride will be the stops at the Keeper's House and the Ossining Weir - both of which are run by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct. The Ossining weir is particularly spectacular - we'll actually be going down into the weir itself. You'll be able to see the aqueduct tunnel and the gates that controlled the flow of water.
This is the route:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39446612?privacy_code=TNxVyQHt3hcq58wL
(Please don't download the route - it's still being worked on.)
IMPORTANT: If you're going on this ride, or if you routinely ride the OCA, we strongly suggest you become a member of The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Membership is only $30 - the same amount you'd spend on MetroNorth tickets to get to/from one of the GrNY rides in Cold Spring, etc. If it weren't for their advocacy and hard work over the past few decades the OCA might be paved or wouldn't be rideable, so the least we can do is support them in their efforts. You can join at https://aqueduct.org/ When you join you'll see a checkbox for "I am contributing on behalf of an organization" - please check that box and then enter "Gravel NY" or "Gravel NY / OutCycling" so they know that our organization appreciates their work and their help with this ride.
If you're going on this ride make sure you bring the following:
- A bike helmet
- Supplies to change a flat
- A mask (required to go into the Keeper's House and Ossining Weir)
- Food and fluids to get between stops
We also recommend that you have route loaded on the Ride With GPS app for navigation.
The rain date for the ride is the next day - July 10th.
Ride Details
| Distance | 43 miles (or 10 for NYC, paved portion) |
| Start Location | Sent to registered members |
| Date | Saturday, July 9, 2022 |
| 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. |
Riders
Jay H.
Paul R.
D F
Daniel J F.
étienne S.
P B
Pauline B.
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
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
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SUN
12
FEB
THU
16
FEB
SAT
18
FEB
SUN
26
FEB
SUN
05
MAR
SUN
12
MAR
SUN
12
MAR
SUN
19
MAR
SUN
19
MAR
SUN
26
MAR
THU
30
MAR
SUN
02
APR
FRI
07
APR
SAT
08
APR
SAT
08
APR
SAT
08
APR
SAT
15
APR
SUN
16
APR
SAT
22
APR
SUN
23
APR
TUE
25
APR
SAT
06
MAY
SAT
06
MAY
MON
08
MAY
SAT
13
MAY
SAT
13
MAY
SUN
21
MAY
SUN
21
MAY
TUE
23
MAY
SAT
27
MAY
SAT
03
JUN
SAT
03
JUN
SAT
03
JUN
THU
08
JUN
SUN
11
JUN
SAT
17
JUN
SUN
18
JUN
SUN
18
JUN
SUN
25
JUN
SAT
15
JUL
SAT
22
JUL
SAT
22
JUL
THU
27
JUL
THU
03
AUG
SUN
20
AUG
SUN
27
AUG
SUN
03
SEP
SAT
23
SEP
SAT
30
SEP
FRI
06
OCT
SAT
07
OCT
SAT
14
OCT
SAT
21
OCT
SAT
30
DEC
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.
Comments:
Christopher V.
June 24, 2022
I will join for the NYC portion. If anyone wants to continue the ride on the road and knows a route we can take let me know otherwise will ride back and do a big loop.
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