"The STS training rides are on for this weekend. We will be attempting back to back centuries with plenty of hills along the way. On Saturday we’ll start with a brisk pace from Central Park to River Road. Of course we’ll go down to the water at each opportunity on River Road. After River Road we’ll ride some trails through Tallman Mountain State Park and then visit Bradley/Tweed before heading towards Rockland Lake. After a 3 minute stop in Stony Point, we’ll take Mott Farm Road to Gate Hill Road, and then take Kanawauke Drive across the park so we can climb Hogback and Mt. Peter. Hopefully the snow will have started by now to make this a more scenic ride than usual. We’ll turn around at this point and head back towards Harriman. This time we’ll cross Harriman via Arden Valley Road to Tiorati Circle. From Tiorati we’ll head towards Bear Mountain so we can end the day with a few repeats from 9W to the summit Bear Mountain. By now it will be time to set up camp. Did I mention that this is also a camping trip? We will be camping on the beach at Lake Welch. Each participant is expected to carry their own tent, sleeping bag, and some pocket food. Dinner and Breakfast will consist of fish that we catch from Lake Welch. Carol Wood will bring ice-fishing gear as well as the ice-fishing shack. In addition to leading on the flats, Craig Breed will carry the chain saw to cut holes in the ice for fishing and swimming. We’ll use the blocks of ice he cuts to construct an ice palace on Lake Welch. Renown NYCC architects Jody Saylor and Ted Shaw are working on a design that will top the one we made last year. The next day we will get up and finally get to the challenging part of the weekend. Fred Steinberg has kept Sunday’s route a secret but rumor has it that Mohonk and Devil’s Kitchen will be included.
Beside the great scenery and comaraderie, there are a few things about ride that you won’t want to miss. Hank Schiffman will be running instead of cycling, John Zenkus will ride facing backwards, Timothy McCarthey will ride no-handed and film the entire adventure, Todd Brilliant and Beth Renaud will be riding a tandem, and Ron “I don’t need no stinkin booties” Roth, will wear one of his sleeveless jerseys. Peter O’Reilly will one-up Tyler Hamilton. He’ll ride his folding bike, broken clavicle and all, and demonstrate safe blood-doping techniques. (After all, the club always emphasizes safety first.) Christy “I love riding in the cold” Guzzetta has offered to enforce the strict A-22 pace on the flats. If you fall off the pace he’ll slime you with his fake tongue.
Temperatures above 40º F and a lack of precipitation cancels.
"
Cold and Snowy? Who cares. We ride.
Don't forget to take pictures for the bulletin ;^/
I waited at the NJ side of the GWB for 90 minutes this morning. Tried to ride home but my bike had frozen to the road. Can we be a little more specific about starting times in the future?
SATURDAY...SNOW DEVELOPING BY LATE MORNING...BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 6 INCHES. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH. LOWEST WIND CHILL READINGS AS LOW AS ZERO IN THE MORNING.
sounds great. i am in!
Let it be by someone with talent and a sense of humor.
Bravo!!
Hi everyone:
I've been eschewing the STS rides because they often involve train rides in one or both directions and I'd rather ride than train. Since this weekend's ride doesn't involve a train, I decided to tag along with my laptop and wireless connection in tow.
Currently, we're enjoying a rest stop outside the Bear Mtn. Inn. The Inn is snowed in at the moment but we're all enjoying hot chocolate in the parking lot thanks to the bunson burner Jon Zenkus brought along and Carol Wood's wonderful home made hot chocolate mix. I noticed Peter O'Reilly popping a few pills, must be pain killers for that broken clavicle. I'm sure they are well within NYCC regulations but just to make sure, we'll be conducting random blood tests when we get to the campsite.
While it snowed pretty much the whole way to this point, most of us have fared pretty well after equiping our tires with chains and metal studs. There was a tense moment on the Gate Hill Rd. descent where Tim McCarthy actually put his hands on his bar and had to suspend filming. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and our exploits continue to be preserved for posterity. Hank Schiffman was actually pretty happy about the snow since it slowed our pace down to about 18mph, well within his comfortable jogging speed and he was able to kibutz with us as we rode. I think I noticed Ron Roth wearing arm warmers for a few moments but as soon as we started the River Rd. climb out of the boat basin, the arm warmers came off in mid-ascent. The one person I haven't seen for a while is Craig Breed. The snow didn't slow him down at all and he dropped us on Bradley/Tweed without even breathing hard.
Uh-oh, gotta saddle up now, our 3 minutes are up, it's back on the road for the first of our Perkins repeats. I'll try to send another dispatch once we make camp but I'm not sure I'll be near enough to a T-Mobile Hot Spot. See y'all on the road!!
We are glad that we hadn't been eschewed by you again. Or have we?
And when are you gonna get out of your granny gear and break a sweat. It's at least 250 degrees Kelvin.
