The NYCC Ride Library Commitee has searched high and has seached low. They’ve begged, pleaded and cajoled. They’ve wrestled ride leaders to the ground and forced them to cough up their best routes. We now present the booty all in one place. As these routes come from diverse sources the formats of route sheets vary, however quallity of the rides don't. They all offer scenic, bicycle friendly routes for riders of all levels. They all offer cyclists to the opportunity to fully explore our wonderfully diverse region.

Since 1963, the New York Cycle Club has always been and continues to be about the ride. We have a solid commitment to having as much fun as possible on a bicycle while riding safely, getting strong and making friends. One of our favorite mantras is “We ride to eat!” As an engaging educational and recreational non-profit cycling organization operating in the heart of New York City, the Club organizes weekly rides, weekend trips, training programs and special events for bicycle enthusiasts at all levels of experience. Our volunteer leaders offer great Club rides at all levels year-round. Non-members are permitted to join any Club ride.

Pushing north, mainly by Metro North, this region is a combination of the Hudson Highlands and rolling Hudson Valley.

Sweet! 

Pushing north, mainly by Metro North, this region is a combination of the Hudson Highlands and rolling Hudson Valley.

Sweet! 

      The Berkshires

Within a single, hard day's effort out of New York City solely by pedal, the Massachusetts Berkshires are more easily accessible by train at the upper end of the Harlem Valley line of Metro North.

Users need to be aware that trains north of Southeast run every other hour.

Sheffield and Great Barrington play host to NYCC's annual Memorial Day Weekend.

This region is well within striking distance of the NYC, however some of these rides utilize MetroNorth trains to get to the good stuff quickly or to get back to NYC with out slogging through the Bronx in afternoon traffic. The rolling terrain offers challenging rides that test the cohesion of groups. Beautiful shaded roads abound.

 Distant and wild, these peaks are actually an eroded plateau, though you would not be faulted mistaking them for mountains. The Catskills offer long passes with few crossing roads, deeply wooded forests and solitude.

Though still many miles ride to and from, Poughkeepsie is the Metro North rail head to this region. Also accessible by car, the Catskills host the NYCC's Columbus Day weekend.

The Catskills are where Rip Van Winkle slept and early American landscape artists honed their skills. They are as far away as 2 hours on a train plus a concerted effort on your bike. But they are as close as water flowing out of your tap and a well planned all day ride.

The Gunks, formally the Shawangunks. These highlands are the Camelot of NYCC regional climbing aficionados.

Wide open vistas, unusual east of the Mississippi, long, steady ascents and geologic details unlike either the Hudson Highlands or the Catskills, the Gunks might just as well have arisen in the Black Hills of Dakota or above the Colorado River.

Beacon and Poughkeepsie serve as Metro North portals for cyclists seeking out these choice routes. Look for club rides to the Gunks during that time of year with long daylight hours because the Shawangunk Ridge lies west of New Paltz and Wallkill.

RIDE LIBRARY FEATURES explained by NYCC Ride Librarians in a You Tube Webinar

YouTube video explaining voice navigation and the RidewithGPS App

The north end of the island offers hilly terrain while the south, flatter, more windswept expanses.

Getting through Queens to the good stuff may seem an impediment, however there are some fun

ways through the borough. Riding back all the way through Queens in the afternoon can be a drag—

one might consider taking the subway home from Flushing or Jamaica. 

The north end of the island offers hilly terrain while the south, flatter, more windswept expanses.

Getting through Queens to the good stuff may seem an impediment, however there are some fun

New York City we need not go far to find challenging rides and a different atmosphere. The City offers a diversity of terrain from the familiar Central and Prospect Park loops, to the cobbles of Red Hook, on to the sharp hills of Staten Island. Be adventuresome and explore the exotic neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Be aware of the network of bike paths in NYC. The City of New York offers free maps showing routes all over the city.