NJ Leaf Peeping

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Trenton --> Mount Tabor, NJ

90 miles

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Hey hi hello,

 

I'm hoping to get in a long ride 🚲 through pretty parts of Jersey in October using NJ Transit lines. 

 

The ride:

Note: 43% of the currently planned route is on canal/rail trails, which are nice and smooth but are unpaved. There are parallel roads you can take if you'd like, but my hope is to ride the canal and rail trails for some peace and quiet - worrying about car traffic all day is tiring. If absolutely no one has wheels for this, I can create a new route that is all-road.

 

The ride is 90 miles, so I am planning to eat/snack a couple times, drink a lot of water, probably get ice cream, and do some stretching throughout the day. Elevation gain is 3,500 feet, which is reasonable but not nothing. No singlular significant climbs but there are definitely consistent hills in the second half of the ride (after we leave the flat canal trail). 

 

The combined ride and transit will take your entire Satruday. RidewithGPS estimates almost 7 hours of riding, and that is without breaks. A wise rider once said to estimate about 1 hour for every 10 miles of a ride accounting for breaks, so this ride will take 9 or even 10 hours total, including the breaks.

 

All said, we'll get a chance to pass through some cute towns like Frenchtown and Lambertville along the Delaware River!

 

Shorter route option:

If you'd prefer to do only half of this, you can ride the first half, and then break off and head toward the Raritan, NJ train station (goes along the aptly-named Raritan line). Option is ~59 miles total.

 

Meeting:

The NJ Transit timetable for the Northeast Corridor from NY Penn Station to Trenton transit center indicates ther is a 8:14am train that should get us to Trenton by 9:47am. There are earlier trains but... who wants to wake up that early on a Saturday. Not me! Learning from prior mistakes, just go straight onto the train 🚆 as soon as you arrive and don't wait to meet others in the station, so that we can secure seats for all of us. Too long a ride to stand with your bike... 

 

Weekend trains run out of Mount Tabor station every ~3 hours, so we should aim to get the 8:13pm train, which gets us back to NY Penn Station at 9:39pm. If we miss this train, which I don't think we will, the next and final train of the night is at 11:13pm. 

 

I haven't been but Mount Tabor is supposed to be a nice town, so we'll probably have dinner in the area while we unpack the day and wait for our train.

 

Related links:

 

Northeast Corridor line to get to Trenton in the morning - NJ Transit weekend schedule.

 

Morris/Essex line to get home from Mount Tabor in the late afternoon - NJ Transit weekend schedule.

 

Shorter option via Raritan Valley line to get home from Raritan in the afternoon - NJ Transit weekend schedule.

 

NJ Transit system map, if you need a visual.

 

Ride on RidewithGPS

Ride Details

Distance 90 miles
Start Location Sent to registered members
Date This Ride is cancelled
Meet Time Sent to registered members
Start Time Sent to registered members
Level B - Steady Eddy
Speed 13 mph, or whatever works for you
Ride Organizer Stephan P.


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RIDES AND EVENTS CALENDAR

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OC Travel Gathering - recap
Chelsea Hotel Happy Hour

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Pride Ride Kick OFF Party - Come get your SWAG Bags, Wrist Bands, and Jerseys - recap
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Pride Happy Hour and Dinner - recap
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March or Ride app. 2 miles

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09

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TUE

16

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30

JUL

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33 - cancelled

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13

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End of Fall Series Celebration!

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09

NOV

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SAT

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NOV

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24

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40 - cancelled

SAT

07

DEC

OutCycling Holiday Party! - recap
OutCycling Holiday Party

SUN

08

DEC

Classic Nyack - recap
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SAT

08

MAR

Nyack and back - recap
39

SAT

15

MAR

Classic Nyack - recap
40 miles

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19

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SAT

22

MAR

Rockland Lakes Ride - recap
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22

MAR

Wine Tasting for Trans America Ride - recap
Wine Tasting/Meet and Greet for Trans America Ride

SAT

29

MAR

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02

APR

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non-riding event

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APR

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19

APR

SUN

20

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22

APR

Prospect Park Laps - recap
14 - 20 miles

SAT

26

APR

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app. 20 miles - cancelled

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27

APR

Scenic Jersey! - recap
70 miles

TUE

29

APR

Prospect Park Laps - recap
14 - 20 miles

WED

30

APR

Sunset Pizza Ride - recap
app. 10 miles

SAT

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06

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07

MAY

Prospect Park Laps - recap
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SAT

10

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SAT

17

MAY

STS6 – Oyster Bay & Locust Valley - recap
60 miles (or 50 miles or 27 🚆, 36 🚆, 48 🚆)

TUE

20

MAY

Prospect Park Laps - recap
14 - 20 miles

MON

26

MAY

TUE

27

MAY

Prospect Park Laps - recap
14 - 20 miles

SUN

01

JUN

TUE

03

JUN

Prospect Park Laps - recap
14 - 20 miles

FRI

06

JUN

Pride Ride '25 Kick Off Party - recap
Kick OFF Pride Ride At Our Annual Packet Pick-up Celebration

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08

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OC Pride Ride 2025 presented by Colavita - recap
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SUN

15

JUN

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SAT

21

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SUN

22

JUN

Sunday Ride to Valhalla
61 miles - cancelled

TUE

24

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Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park
14 - 20 miles - cancelled

WED

25

JUN

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SAT

28

JUN

SUN

29

JUN

NYC Pride March 2025 - recap
March or Ride app. 2 miles

TUE

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JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
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02

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

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08

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WED

09

JUL

WED

09

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SUN

13

JUL

Tour de Brunch - 9W Market - recap
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MON

14

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park
20 mi (or rider's choice) - cancelled

TUE

15

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
14 - 20 miles

WED

16

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

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20 mi (typically 5-6 laps)

WED

23

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SAT

26

JUL

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23, 45, 63, or 100-mile routes

SUN

27

JUL

Tour de Brunch - 9W Market
30 miles - cancelled

TUE

29

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
14 - 20 miles

WED

30

JUL

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

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AUG

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03

AUG

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AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
20 mi (typically 5-6 laps)

WED

06

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SUN

10

AUG

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12

AUG

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14 - 20 miles

WED

13

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SAT

16

AUG

SUN

17

AUG

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40 miles

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19

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
20 mi (typically 5-6 laps)

WED

20

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park
20 mi (or rider's choice) - cancelled

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23

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40 or 65 mile options

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26

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park - recap
14 - 20 miles

WED

27

AUG

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park
20 mi (or rider's choice) - cancelled

SAT

30

AUG

TUE

02

SEP

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14 - 20 miles

WED

03

SEP

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park - recap
20 mi (or rider's choice)

TUE

09

SEP

WED

10

SEP

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20 mi (or rider's choice)

SAT

13

SEP

TUE

16

SEP

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park
20 mi (typically 5-6 laps)

WED

17

SEP

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park
20 mi (or rider's choice)

SAT

20

SEP

TUE

23

SEP

Lap It Like It's Hot - Prospect Park
20 mi (typically 5-6 laps)

WED

24

SEP

Lap It Like It's Hot - Central Park
20 mi (or rider's choice)

THU

25

SEP

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28

SEP

MON

29

SEP

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05

OCT

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OCT

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OCT

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OCT

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26

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Speed Freak Fast paceline ride Steady Eddy Moderate paced ride Easy Rider Gentle paced ride


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.