This ride is pretty much all paved trails - so skinny tire friendly, but there are gravel options…

This ride is being organized in conjunction with Gravel NY (despite not being a gravel ride).

In order to beat the heat this ride is starting quite early. We'll catch the 6:56 train out of 125th Street (6:45 out of Grand Central) which will get into Poughkeepsie at 8:44. The ride will start at 8:55. If you're driving make sure you get to Poughkeepsie and are ready to go by 8:45.

There are ride options for a lot of different distance groups. After you RSVP please post a comment below as to which route/distance option(s) you're most interested in.

Everyone will ride from Poughkeepsie to Brewster (~39 miles) via the Dutchess Rail Trail and then the Maybrook Rail Trail. Those who want a shorter ride will then take the train back to the City. Please note you can't (easily) take a train back to Poughkeepsie so this isn't an option for people who are driving. Use the 69 or 88 mile route below if you're just riding to Brewster.

I should also mention that food and fluid options are extremely limited for the first 39 miles of the ride. There's some right at the start, then almost nothing for miles and miles until you get to Brewster - so be prepared!

If you want to go further there are several options…

For 69 miles total you can ride back to Croton-Harmon where you can take the train back to the City or back to Poughkeepsie (if you parked your car there). This does end with a section of gravel. If you don't like gravel I can tell you have to avoid some but not all of it (the necessary bit isn't all that bad or long). This is the route:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38752578?privacy_code=MALzRjNdOvUM1s46 

For 77 miles total you can ride back to Poughkeepsie. You'll start with the 69 or 88 mile route and then switch to the route below in Brewster. This route does have you do the Dutchess Rail Trail in both directions, but it gives a nice road alternative to the Maybrook.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38749054?privacy_code=bZfD2p1N7kicem3u 

For 69 or 86 miles you can ride back to Cold Spring and catch the train back to the City or back to Poughkeepsie if you drove. The routing on this is a little complex - start with 69 or 88 mile routes. In Brewster change to the 77 mile route and ride it for 10 miles to Boyd Corners. Then switch to either long or medium "SGS2 / Cold Spring" route. The long version has a lot of gravel. The medium version has much less gravel.

Medium: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38753077 
Long: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38753068 

For 88 miles total you can ride back to the City on the Putnam Trail (aka North County / South County). This is all completely paved, so skinny tire friendly. The route ends at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx - so your actual ride back to your house may be closer to a century. This is the route:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38752576?privacy_code=tOoQleWr5ulAN7Jt 

OR for 92 miles with a lot of great gravel you can ride back to the City on the North County and then the Old Croton Aqueduct. You'll start with the route above that goes to Croton-Harmon and then switch to this route when you get to the Gate House Bridge or the Croton Dam. The 92 miles is back to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. (The routing actually ends in Harlem.) Clearly your ride back to your home will probably be closer to a century, if not over a century.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38752578?privacy_code=MALzRjNdOvUM1s46 

To recap all those options…

If you're driving your options are 77 miles with no train, and 69 (Croton-Harmon) or 69/86 miles (Cold Spring) with train.

If you're in the City and only want to do the train up to Poughkeepsie (no train back) - your options are 88 or 92 miles. If you are OK with a train back you can do the 38, 69 (Croton-Harmon) or 69/86 (Cold Spring) mile options.

That's a lot of options, and clearly the people who are riding close to a century won't be riding the same speed as people riding 38 miles, and there's no end-of-ride meet-up, but it'll still be nice to see everyone and ride together until the faster riders shoot off ahead.

Again, please comment below as to which route options you're most interested in so others know if there will be people to ride with.

Ride Details