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
WED
28
FEB
THU
07
MAR
MON
18
MAR
THU
04
APR
SAT
06
APR
SAT
06
APR
THU
11
APR
SAT
13
APR
SUN
14
APR
SUN
14
APR
SAT
20
APR
SUN
21
APR
SUN
21
APR
SAT
27
APR
SAT
04
MAY
SAT
04
MAY
SUN
05
MAY
TUE
07
MAY
WED
08
MAY
SAT
11
MAY
SAT
18
MAY
SAT
18
MAY
SAT
18
MAY
SUN
19
MAY
SUN
26
MAY
THU
30
MAY
SAT
01
JUN
SAT
01
JUN
SAT
01
JUN
SUN
02
JUN
THU
06
JUN
SUN
09
JUN
SAT
15
JUN
SUN
23
JUN
THU
27
JUN
FRI
28
JUN
SUN
30
JUN
SUN
07
JUL
TUE
09
JUL
TUE
16
JUL
TUE
23
JUL
TUE
30
JUL
FRI
02
AUG
SAT
03
AUG
TUE
06
AUG
TUE
13
AUG
TUE
13
AUG
TUE
20
AUG
THU
22
AUG
TUE
27
AUG
SUN
01
SEP
THU
05
SEP
SUN
08
SEP
SUN
15
SEP
SAT
21
SEP
TUE
01
OCT
FRI
04
OCT
SUN
06
OCT
SAT
12
OCT
SUN
13
OCT
SAT
19
OCT
SUN
20
OCT
SAT
26
OCT
SAT
26
OCT
SUN
27
OCT
SAT
02
NOV
SAT
09
NOV
SAT
09
NOV
SAT
16
NOV
SUN
24
NOV
SAT
07
DEC
SUN
08
DEC
SAT
08
MAR
SAT
15
MAR
WED
19
MAR
SAT
22
MAR
SAT
22
MAR
SAT
29
MAR
WED
02
APR
THU
03
APR
SAT
05
APR
SUN
06
APR
SUN
13
APR
SUN
13
APR
TUE
15
APR
TUE
15
APR
SAT
19
APR
SUN
20
APR
TUE
22
APR
SAT
26
APR
SUN
27
APR
TUE
29
APR
WED
30
APR
SAT
03
MAY
SUN
04
MAY
TUE
06
MAY
WED
07
MAY
SAT
10
MAY
SAT
17
MAY
SAT
17
MAY
SAT
31
MAY
SAT
21
JUN
WED
09
JUL
THU
18
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.
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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