Northeast - 2008 North Fork Century

assuming y'all don't think it's too dorky to show up like team BF!!:D

Yeah, I'm going to show up on a 20" folder and worry about the dorkiness factor of my clothing...

Yeah, I'm going to show up on a 20" folder and worry about the dorkiness factor of my clothing...

:D

I hear ya.....I've got too many fred genes to worry about such trivial stuff. I can't even blame it on age - I've never looked cool.

The BF jersey can't hurt, tho

So who's driving out to Greenport and who is taking the bus?
I'm supposed to be driving out but i'm considering the bus.
The gentlemen who sold me his wife's reg. also has her bus ticket available.
It's just that "I get those bike seperation blues" (dylan).

Hey, my bike and I are staying in Laurel right now. Leaving en route to Da Bronx Friday. On a training ride today to Southampton, I saw one of those pink markings on the tarmac. If I find one of them again tomorrow, maybe I'll try and follow them.

As for the ride- Can't do it, racing that day + work. Don't forget to post a cue sheet!

I'll be at 8th Ave. and 31st St. at 4:30 AM.

driving out there... im never going to leave my ride...

I'm driving out on Saturday and staying in a motel. FUN, FUN, FUN ! ! !

which one? We always used the Drossos - bike century and miniature golf.....throw in some wine tasting and you got yourself a weekend!

did I mention I'm bummed to miss this one?:(

The gentlemen who sold me his wife's reg. also has her bus ticket available.


The Bus has been SOLD OUT.
However, I do have one slot available for any taker. It is $27. Than includes the bus ride to/from the start and NYC and bike transportation.

Worried about your bike?
I also have available an optional moving Blanket (offered by the ride). that Cost us $10 This will make your bike nice and comfy for the ride.

Online registration for the event ends today at NOON. They do have Day-of registration at the start for CASH only. And the price has gone UP UP.

If anyone wants the transportation just send me an email at wtorres@nyc.rr.com

Hope to see you there.

I'm driving out on Saturday and staying in a motel. FUN, FUN, FUN ! ! !

I was thinking about doing the hotel thing half way to the ride.

The clickbox won't come off the rear axle of my folder, so I can't put my skinny tires on. I'll be riding my road bike tomorrow--gray helmet, gray/maroon jersey, orange Trek road bike. See you there...

I'm on the first bus. I looked for familiar faces--anybody else here (and checking BF)?

great ride.. beautiful day. Was able to get in the 101 miles and catch the first bus that left at 3:30, but no shower. Sorry to the guy that had to sit next to me. Luckily I'm not a stinky guy. Hope everyone else had a great ride!

I'm on the first bus. I looked for familiar faces--anybody else here (and checking BF)?

I think i saw you at the start. Brown leather saddle on a orange/yellow? trek.
You were talking 2 young ladies on line right in front of me.

I finally got to meet Matty and his lovely gf (sorry forgot her name) and also Henria and Steve.
Would have been nice to head out with you guys but my reg. didn't get there until the line for registraion was reeeealy long.

great ride.. beautiful day. Was able to get in the 101 miles and catch the first bus that left at 3:30, but no shower. Sorry to the guy that had to sit next to me. Luckily I'm not a stinky guy. Hope everyone else had a great ride!

Hey willie..foprgot to mention meeting you.
You made waiting on that looong line a little easier.
Thanks again for the reg.

i did this ride, LOVED it! everyone I met was super cool and friendly. i was one of the single-speed dudes, the one with the Trek Soho S and the helmet with all the stickers on it. i found it pretty funny that so many people commented on how brave or athletic i must be for riding a single speed. it was totally flat out there, so not having gears wasn't challenging or anything. besides, i'm a simple man, i like simple bikes. :)

anyways, i was wearing my Brooklyn cycle hat on the bus. if I met you on the ride, post up here and let me know.

This was a great day; great ride; even though I had severe abd. pain for about 25 miles, the scenery was awesome.

Many thanks to Matty and his girlfiend for sticking with me through the thick of it. Those two have improved to the point where they've passed me by! Amazing!

Henria86, many thanks for the ride out and back. FYI, a comment, I may be slow, but I love this sport ;)

Keith (notean), I do not know how you do it, with what's on your plate - pure inspiration to us Cutters!

My new ranking for cycling fun has this at the top of the list:

#1 North Fork
#2 Times Up Central Park Rides and Prospect Park Rides tied for second place
#3 ...probably the next ride I do ;)

I think i saw you at the start. Brown leather saddle on a orange/yellow? trek.
You were talking 2 young ladies on line right in front of me.

Ha! I saw you. I was wondering why the guy behind the girls was watching me like that. I should have acknowledged you--sorry!

Those were my seatmates on the bus. I got to be the older married man who listens to them talk about relationships, gives them cycling advice, and then goes away.

You guys had a nice day for it...I hope to see you all next year.

It def looks like a fun fixed gear route.

This was a strange ride. I found it really fun at times, but I was honestly a bit disappointed. The food left something to be desired (AGAIN). Glen seemed to know this and actually manufactured a sign for the rest stop at 40 miles. Neither I nor the dozen or so people around me appreciated it - it said something like some "people on previous rides had requested snacks with more protein", followed by a short list of unusual and gross meats and seafood with their respective protein content, and then a joke that was approximately "Instead of supplying you with these foods, I've decided to provide you with the yummy snacks you see here", which was basically PB&J and (admittedly decent) fruit. It's almost like he said, "I know you don't want these snacks, and I know that you athletes want something more substantial and less sweet than this, but I'm not going to listen to you, and instead I'm going to make jokes. Tough."

I'm no stranger to centuries (yesterday was my 9th or 10th full century). I found the transportation situation weird too. I rode as fast as I could to arrive to the end before the 4pm bus was supposed to leave. When I got to the finish, I found out that the bus wasn't leaving at 4pm, but instead at 3:30. I got lucky. I feel sorry for those who missed the bus because they were given incorrect information. If the website says that the buses will leave at 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm, then they SHOULD. If the website says that the food will be THE ABSOLUTE BEST, then it should be, really. I like pie as much as anyone, but, like a lot of people on the ride, I'm serious and I need something different. Don't get rid of the pie, please, but maybe get rid of some of the candy and fig newtons and give us something more nutritious. At least once in the ride. Please.

I found out that the bus wasn't leaving at 4pm, but instead at 3:30. I got lucky. I feel sorry for those who missed the bus because they were given incorrect information. If the website says that the buses will leave at 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm, then they SHOULD.

From what i understand the bus that left at 3:30 was the first (1pm) bus. And Glen did note in his email that since the buses were sold out that the buses would only leave once they are full with the last one leaving after the sweep vehicle returned.

That being said I was told that even if I arrived before 3 and if that bus was full I would have to wait until 7pm. I still signed up taking that chance.

I don't envy or worship Glen. But I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone that could (or would want to) put on an event with so much logistics from the bottom up as he has.

Fig newtons
calories 110
fat 2
sodium 125
carbs 22
protein 1

gu gel
calories 100
fat 0
sodium 55
carbs 25
protein 0

Fig newtons offer practically the same benefit as Gu Gels ,, and their much much cheaper.

Yeah, I agree. I skip the bloat food, which leaves bananas and peanut butter.

I was also not pleased with the transportation. We sat on the bus at Penn Station for quite a long time when we could have left (the bus was full--what were we waiting for?). Got to Greenport around 7:30 or so--at which time I had to sit around waiting for my bike, despite paying for the Express Lane service. ("Just show up, grab your bike, and start pedaling!") I didn't get to start riding until 8:15, by which time it was way too late to join any of my BF pals.

It's a nice ride, and the route was well-marked. But as I do more of these, my gruntlement level with the logistical side of things is gradually declining.

We sat on the bus at Penn Station for quite a long time when we could have left (the bus was full--what were we waiting for?).

yeah what was with that?.. I know you paid for express lane.. but why couldn't they just give us our materials on the bus? There is NO master list so it would make more sense.

Great Ride... Had A blast with the people.. i was able to help people fix flats an derailer adjustments.. an still be able to catch back up to some other riders doing the 66 in the start an finish the 101 milers an still catch back up tooo them.. I Guess I Laped Them.....
Then i drove back some extra people cause i have extra room in the support van..
see yah
next time..
had a blast!!

Great Ride... Had A blast with the people.. i was able to help people fix flats an derailer adjustments.. an still be able to catch back up to some other riders doing the 66 in the start an finish the 101 milers an still catch back up tooo them.. I Guess I Laped Them.....
Then i drove back some extra people cause i have extra room in the support van..
see yah
next time..
had a blast!!

Yes, I'll admit it, you lapped us 66ers :cry:

Henri, I think they'll have to give you Marshall status next year ;)

I didn't want to be a complainer but I see I have company.
Without going through a list of complaints I will say that this has been my least favorite ride this year.
It wasn't the location because i did the Gold Coast and the Harbor rides out there.
What made it bearable (bareable ?) were the other riders i met up with throughout the day.
Glen should take a lesson from Bike NY on how to organize a ride.

This was a strange ride. I found it really fun at times, but I was honestly a bit disappointed. The food left something to be desired (AGAIN). Glen seemed to know this and actually manufactured a sign for the rest stop at 40 miles. Neither I nor the dozen or so people around me appreciated it - it said something like some "people on previous rides had requested snacks with more protein", followed by a short list of unusual and gross meats and seafood with their respective protein content, and then a joke that was approximately "Instead of supplying you with these foods, I've decided to provide you with the yummy snacks you see here", which was basically PB&J and (admittedly decent) fruit. It's almost like he said, "I know you don't want these snacks, and I know that you athletes want something more substantial and less sweet than this, but I'm not going to listen to you, and instead I'm going to make jokes. Tough."

I'm no stranger to centuries (yesterday was my 9th or 10th full century). I found the transportation situation weird too. I rode as fast as I could to arrive to the end before the 4pm bus was supposed to leave. When I got to the finish, I found out that the bus wasn't leaving at 4pm, but instead at 3:30. I got lucky. I feel sorry for those who missed the bus because they were given incorrect information. If the website says that the buses will leave at 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm, then they SHOULD. If the website says that the food will be THE ABSOLUTE BEST, then it should be, really. I like pie as much as anyone, but, like a lot of people on the ride, I'm serious and I need something different. Don't get rid of the pie, please, but maybe get rid of some of the candy and fig newtons and give us something more nutritious. At least once in the ride. Please.

I really believe the food issue is relative. When he says "Best", I think he means that there will be plenty of food, and it will do the job, which IMHO Glen did.

For me, I just don't eat very much other than Gels or Shot Blocks or the Potassium/Calcium pills Henry's nice enough to give me. BTW, Shot Blocks are expensive, and I'm sure he had to do some serious negotiating to get those into the food program.

The food at the end is the most important to me, and I believe Glen did a good job. Yeah, the burgers were a little overdone, but the hot dogs were good and the corn was so sweet and good that you didn't even need butter.

I overhead a number of people talking about how the 5 boro sponsored Montauk ride actually ran out of food for most of the riders. I've now done two of Glen's rides this year and he had plenty of decent food, which I am quite thankful for. The pie looked so good, but I am not fast enough to carry that extra load!

[ I've now done two of Glen's rides this year and he had plenty of decent food, which I am quite thankful for. The pie looked so good, but I am not fast enough to carry that extra load![/QUOTE]

Steve.. ur fine just got to focus alil more on the cadance an more stamina... let's go again ...
:)

Hmmm.... I dunno what to say. The G/F and I did the 66 mile option and we had a blast! The route was great (and scenic), the food was great (and plentiful), and the other riders were great (and friendly). We stayed at a nice inn in Greenport on Saturday night, rolled out of bed and drove three miles to the tour start. We hooked up with Stevesurf and Henria86 at the start but we treated this ride as a "tour" and not a "race", so we were too slow for Henri. Stevesurf hung with us the whole day and we enjoyed the sights and sounds of nautical Long Island at our preferred "leisurely" rate of speed.

We were happy to be able to say hello to FrankieV at the start, and dissapointed that we did not see Noteon at all.

I wonder if the people who were dissapointed with the food selection were more "race" oriented riders? As a guy riding a "leisurely Long Island bike tour", I thought the food was not only adequate, but rather tasty as well. If I was in a racing mindset, I would have wanted a different menu. But for "tooling around" the north fork of L.I., the food was "appropriate" in my view.

I think Glen does an outstanding job overall and should be commended for all he does on these rides. Most ride dont have alot of the elements that Glen has with his rides. And he is there at the finish line to hear your comments (good or bad) instead of hiding somewhere in the background.

Just for clarification, nope, I'm not a racer. I don't race; never have, and never will. But I just like to have some food that isn't simply sugar, not only when I ride, but always. This was clearly known, and this is clearly why the sign was manufactured, explaining why we weren't going to be provided with food we had asked for in the past... My main complaint was about the smart-ass sign. Yes, the weather was beautiful and the views were spectacular. Thanks, everyone for coming and making it, in general, a nice outing.

Yes, I had fun too. My only complaints were the food and the transportation logistics. And I don't think I'd have a food complaint if there weren't such a big deal made about how great it is.

Anybody else still feeling it? I'm fine...except...when...going...up...subway...steps...

Yes, I had fun too. My only complaints were the food and the transportation logistics. And I don't think I'd have a food complaint if there weren't such a big deal made about how great it is.

Anybody else still feeling it? I'm fine...except...when...going...up...subway...steps...

A staple of any long ride is the peanut butter sandwich.
I've never been to a ride where you had to make your own from the bottom of almost empty jars using a plastic knife that wasn't long enough.
It's like he was saying.."here's your PB, if you can get it".
Sorry to be so petty but it's little things like that that drive me nuts.

I did have fun. The particpants really make the difference and this was no exception.
And yeah, I'm feeling it. Somehow 100 miles of flats was tougher on my body than the 78 miles of rolling hills at the Harlem Valley Ride.

Now that I know your real name (wasn't sure how pronounce noteon) I'll be sure to say "hi" next time we meet.

from the bottom of almost empty jars using a plastic knife that wasn't long enough.

Yeah!

I know, it's a totally dumb little thing. But MAN, I hate peanut butter on my knuckles.

I understand that frustration. I brought my own food for most of the NF in previous years, tho I did eat veggie burgers at the end. In all honesty, the food did look pdg to me at the rest stops I recall. Maybe things have gone downhill? And it's not a cheap ride.

But here's another angle - my wife, who is a very good egg, indeed, once volunteered with me at a rest stop for a less expensive century (not the NF).

We made about 5 gajillion half-pita sandwiches that day; some with hummus, some peanut butter, some with jelly. Once the spread was on the bread, we laid them on flat pans and riders could just grab them as they passed.

When the stacks of pre-made snacks were depleted during rush periods, we had to slather on at rapid fire pace to meet the demand. One thing that shocked - and annoyed - the heck out of both of us were the surprising number of people who kept saying "I see you have half a Peanut butter sandwich, and half a jelly....don't you have any peanut butter and jelly?" We politely explained several thousand times - no , we don't; there's the half with PB on it, there's the Jelly half, please help yourself. My wife actually was making 'custom' pbjs for some very insistent people, interrupting her part of the assembly line (she was jelly, I was PB).

Finally, the guy running the rest stop came over, grabbed one of each half, slapped them together and thrust it at a particularly obnoxious rider - "There! Peanut butter AND Jelly!! Really difficult, huh?"

who knew feed zones could be so violent;)

A staple of any long ride is the peanut butter sandwich.

soo true! When I do a long unsupported ride I always throw one of these in my jersey pocket. They are sold frozen and all you do is thaw them out and eat. So by the time you reach mile 40 you have an awesome contained PB sandwich right in your pocket. The individual package has just enough air in it to prevent you from smashing it and just small enough to fit in a jersey packet. YUM!

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=79549&stc=1&d=1219787409

she was jelly, I was PB
And you let her be jelly? Risky business; everyone wants jelly ;)

who knew feed zones could be so violent;)
Yes, you could tell the happy riders just kept eating, enjoying and riding. I think all the rest stops had multiple spreads, like cashew spread that was awesome...

I remember the tables at the NF rest stops being very well stocked with good stuff. Btw, for those not familiar with LI, the pies are a staple out there (you go out east, pick fruit, taste wine, gorge on Briermere pies). Not sure if that's the best fuel for riders.

That's a shame that you guys got the "tough s***" attitude; you pay a decent fee for what is a nice ride, but one that could use improving (they always can). Your feedback should be taken seriously. I know a lot of people have problems with Glen - I've found him to be very good about returning emails and answering questions, fwtw.

Good to read this honest feedback from this year's ride; we'll still look to next year's but am keeping ears open for all your comments.

And you let her be jelly? Risky business; everyone wants jelly ;)


Yes, you could tell the happy riders just kept eating, enjoying and riding. I think all the rest stops had multiple spreads, like cashew spread that was awesome...

the worst part of our experience that day (besides not being able to even think about having a PBJ for several months afterwards - we had nightmares about not being able to clean the stickiness of our hands, plastic gloves notwithstanding) was that we made about 2/3 of our 30 billion pb or j half sandwiches using those dinky little plastic knives - talk about sticky goo on your knuckles (we went through several cases, let alone jars of PB & J in the course of the day), before someone saw us and said - oh, hey - did you know we have these big spatulas for you?

Going from the knives to spatulas was like being given a shovel after trying to dig a ditch with a screwdriver.:rolleyes:

could any of you kind folks please spare a copy of your cue sheet? I'd love to do this ride sometime in the coming month. please PM me. thanks!

If anyone is interested in a North Fork jersey from three years ago, I am selling a medium, only worn once or twice:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=463552

I bought one of these yellow ones too (larger size); I really wanted one fo the older multi colored ones but they only had tiny sizes left in '05 and none in '06.....

The contest photos are up (including mine):

http://www.nycbicycleshow.com/North%20Fork%2008/Photos%20of%20the%20%2708%20Ride.html

The contest photos are up (including mine):

http://www.nycbicycleshow.com/North%20Fork%2008/Photos%20of%20the%20%2708%20Ride.html

Thanks for the link.
Never thought of submitting.
I had at least one that might have made the cut.
Which pics are yours?

I don't think the cut has happened yet. He may still be accepting submissions.

Mine's the orange bike centered in front of the pole.

could any of you kind folks please spare a copy of your cue sheet? I'd love to do this ride sometime in the coming month. please PM me. thanks!

Here are my GPS tracks (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ny/cutchogue/355038196781), I did the full century.