September 27, 2020 - Second half of the GFNY Route

Start: Garrison, NY
End: New York, NY
Miles: 70.4
Feet climbing per mile: 83

Record of today's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/56848172

I rose at 8:00 without an alarm and was on my way at 8:25. I forwent my usual pushups to make sure I would arrive at Grand Central Terminal in time to catch the 8:45 train to Garrison. The plan for the day was to ride the second half of the Gran Fondo New York route, most of which I hadn't ridden since I participated in the race on May 20th, 2018. More precisely, I would ride south from Garrison to cross the Bear Mountain Bridge and then ride from mile 41.3 to mile 93.3 of the GFNY route. Because of the length of time required for this ride I had preponed it from Monday to Sunday.

After riding almost seven miles I began the four-mile climb up Bear Mountain. It took 38:48, ten seconds less than in the GFNY race in 2018. For the race I had already ridden 42 miles, but still I'm pleased at my performance up Bear Mountain, on which I had expected to do not as well as in 2018. I had planned to climb Bear Mountain shortly after completing my 4,500-mile solo ride in 2019. I regret that I did not do that. I expect my time would have been substantially less than my GFNY climb.

On top of Bear Mountain

As I've written in this blog and elsewhere, who goes up gets to come down. My descent down Bear Mountain reached a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour, while my maximum speed for that descent in the GFNY was only 32 miles per hour. Perhaps I was more cautious because of all the other riders in the GFNY, or maybe I've become more daring.

After descending Bear Mountain I rode 4.4 miles south on 9W where I turned onto Mott Farm Road at mile 19.9 which begins with a short but steep (nearly 10% grade) climb. As I was making that climb I thought about how I would like to be at home taking a nap, that maybe today's route was too challenging, and that I should turn around and ride home on 9W rather than winding my way through all the climbing of the GFNY route. I decided to continue with my plan.

About ten minutes later I saw three deer off the right side of the road. The two young deer ran into the woods, while the older deer, I presume their mother, ran across the road. When I stopped to take a picture the mother stood perfectly still for maybe a minute. I suspect her intention was to distract me from her offspring.

The second half of the GFNY route is outrageously hilly, with one climb after another. At mile 28.2, I encountered a short but very steep (as much as 11.4%) climb up Woolf Road, followed by a climb up Halley Drive, on which my zig-zagging can be seen in the image below.

After riding 41 miles I stopped at Manny's Famous Deli. At that point I had climbed 4423 feet, which is 108 feet per mile. That's comparable to the Blue Ridge Mountains, except that on the Blue Ridge the climbs are longer. I don't know for what Manny's Deli is famous, but I was glad that it had my favorite riding beverage (after water).

I stopped at the Cone Zone at mile 47.5. The last time I had been at the Cone Zone was on a training ride for the GFNY in 2018. I enjoyed a three-scoop serving of black cherry ice cream in a waffle cone, but I would have enjoyed it more if the color had been much darker. The pink color suggests strawberry to me, not black cherry. Next time I will view the color before choosing a flavor.

It's black cherry but it looks like strawberry

At mile 53.5 I was back on 9W, and at mile 54.6 I made my final stop before the end of my ride. Neither The Filling Station nor The 9W Market had Mountain Dew, so I had a Boylan creamy red birch beer from The 9W Market. I enjoyed the drink but it didn't have the bite I was seeking.

At mile 59 the GFNY route would have exited 9W to take the Henry Hudson Drive, but instead I stayed on the easier 9W. After crossing the GW Bridge into Manhattan I caught a subway at the 175th Street station which I took to 34th Street, from which I rode home 0.7 miles.

Manhattan seen from the GW Bridge

This 70-mile ride was challenging due to all the climbing. I'm glad that I followed my plan rather than abandoning it after 20 miles.

FYI: The distance of 70.4 miles and the 83 feet of climbing per mile reported at the top of this post includes the 1.3 miles to Grand Central Terminal and the 0.7 miles from the subway to home.