January 5, 2021 - New York, NY, to Danbury, CT

Start: New York, NY
End: Danbury, CT
Miles: 65.9
Feet climbing per mile: 74 
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/61104501

I was surprised that I was able to take a three-day trip in December and thought that it would be my last multi-day trip until the spring. I was even more surprised in early January when I saw that the weather would be warm enough (although rather cold) for another three-day trip. I quickly made a plan to take a subway to Washington Heights and then ride to Danbury, CT, a distance of 62 miles, where I would spend two nights in a hotel. The first 43 miles would follow almost exactly the route I rode to Norwalk, CT, on June 25th, 2018, a two-day trip that would lead to my deciding to take a 4,500-mile trip in 2019 (See How I decided to ride 4000 miles next summer). The second day would be a 40-mile ride around Candlewood Lake. I anticipated temperatures between 33 and 38 on the first day, between 33 and 37 on the second day, and between 30 and 41 on the third day. The forecast showed only a negligible chance of precipitation. Although I've ridden short distances around Manhattan when the temperature has been as low as 7, this would be the coldest multi-day trip I had ever taken. I chose clothing that I thought would keep me warm.

I woke at 7:30 without an alarm and was on the road shortly after 8:00. I remembered that in December, at the beginning of my ride to Milford, PA, I rode a mile to the subway station at 34th Street where I took three elevators to get to the platform and decided it might have been simpler to ride just a few blocks to the nearest subway station and carry my bike down the stairs. So I rode to the subway station at 23rd and 6th Avenue, just a few blocks from my home, and carried my bike down the stairs. Unfortunately none of the trains that stop at that station go to Washington Heights. I got off at 34th Street, thinking I could catch an A train, but this was Herald Square, not Penn Station. I took the next train to 42nd Street where I exited the station and rode 42nd to Port Authority where I caught an A train north. It would have been simpler if I had gotten on a B train at 34th and taken it to 59th where I could have caught an A train. I felt discombobulated and suspect a lack of sleep contributed to my multiple mistakes.

I had planned to arrive in Washington Heights in time to be on the road at 9:00. I actually left Washington Heights 20 minutes later than that, so my navigation errors on the subway did not put me too much behind schedule, although I think they cost me 45 minutes. I was confident I could arrive in Danbury before sunset at 4:40. The temperature was 36 as I started to ride.

After a ride through Riverdale a few months ago I created a route that would reduce the use of a 2.1-mile section of Riverdale Avenue where the drivers seem to not know how to deal safely with bicycle traffic to 0.3 miles. As I started to follow the alternate route I began to descend a steep road and recalled my exhortation "Who goes down must come up!". I turned around and followed Riverdale Avenue for the full 2.1 miles. Fortunately the traffic was light and no driver acted aggressively.

My first stop was at a Starbucks in White Plains, almost 20 miles (two hours) into my ride. The temperature had risen only to 38. By that time my toes had been numb for a long time, maybe an hour or more. I had considered taking my mountain bike shoes which are substantially warmer than my road bike shoes, but I decided on the road bike shoes because I had not tested a recent adjustment of the fit of the mountain bike shoes. My fingers were also cold because I hadn't taken my warmer gloves. Somehow I had thought I'd be ok with the road bike shoes and the lighter gloves, but being on the road for several hours is quite different from a short ride near my home. Indoor dining was not allowed at the Starbucks, but I did my best to warm my toes while I waited for my order of hot chocolate and a brownie. My next planned stop was for 32 miles later.

Two miles after leaving Starbucks I was pleased to be riding through a rural area rather than the suburbs I had just left. Because of the cold I wondered whether I would take any pictures. At mile 27 I saw a horse that seemed curious about me. He was wearing a blanket, and probably wondered why I wasn't wearing warm shoes and gloves.

I turned onto Lower Pass Road at mile 29.5 and remembered how on my ride to Norwalk in 2018 this road had been closed and that I used Google Maps to find a detour and had thought that in doing so I was acquiring the necessary skill of rerouting. Shortly before mile 32, I encountered a road block where I was told by a police officer that I could not go through. My detour was through a forest which was the most beautiful area through which I had ridden so far that day, but it added three miles to my ride. Somehow I found myself energized, now riding more vigorously, by the need to modify my plan. I guess that's the effect of adventure.

Actual ride in red, planned route in blue

Until mile 46.5, I followed almost exactly the route I rode to Norwalk, CT, on June 25th, 2018. One of my recollections of my ride in 2018 was of several times descending swiftly, riding through a sharp curve, encountering an ascent, and being unable to shift from my large chainring to my small chainring. I would get off the bike, shift to the small chainring, and start riding the ascent. Based on that repeated experience I decided, for my return trip on June 26th, to use the small chainring on descents whenever a descent ended with a sharp curve. My use of that strategy allowed me to avoid any of the awkwardness of the stopping and restarting I had on the previous day. On my ride to Danbury I didn't recognize any of the descents ending in a sharp curve followed by an ascent, and did not find any need to follow the shifting strategy I used in 2018. How is that to be explained?

At mile 55 I arrived at the Starbucks in Ridgefield, CT. Again indoor dining was not allowed so once more I warmed my numb feet while I waited for my hot chocolate. As I went through the door to exit, my bike in one hand and my hot chocolate in the other, I spilled my drink on both the door and my bike.  I was exhausted, having been on the road for almost six hours with cold and overcast weather.

Shortly before mile 60 I encountered a short but very steep (up to 11% grade) climb. After riding a tenth of a mile, as the road turned and continued its steep ascent, I got off my bike to walk two tenths of a mile. I then enjoyed two miles of mostly descending, with a top speed of 31 miles per hour. Who goes up gets to come down!

I arrived at the Maron Hotel at 4:41, one minute after sunset. It was 36 degrees.

After a hot bath, shave, and change of clothes, I walked across the road to order dinner from El Coyote. Indoor dining was offered but out of caution I returned to my room to eat. Unlike my last trip, this time I had brought my stainless-steel flatware. The black bean soup with sour cream was delicious and the cheese nachos were ok. The pork enchiladas were disgusting so I tossed them into the garbage after one or two bites. I had a few of the enormous portion of chips and a small taste of the creamed potatoes. For several hours I had a stomach ache and felt bloated. Although I never threw up or had any diarrhea, I looked forward to my dinner passing one way or the other.

Tom Reingold asked me on Facebook about the scenery and I replied by saying, "Ok, but it seems that the New York metropolitan area extends all the way to Danbury. With the exception of a 3-mile detour through the woods, everywhere was residential.". I revised my opinion on my ride home two days later, but that night I started thinking about making plans to avoid some of the suburban riding. 

When I went to sleep about midnight I didn't know how much of my planned 40-mile ride around Candlewood Lake I would do the next day. I still had a stomach ache and was exhausted from riding seven and one half hours in cold, overcast weather. I would wait to learn how I felt in the morning and delay my departure as long as I could for the weather to warm up.

My post from the next day: January 6, 2021 - Around Candlewood Lake