triggahiccups

Is anybody attending the Rensselaerville Cycling Festival this year? Me and my friend are doing the Piccolo as I'm too poor to afford the Gran Fondo. Really looking forward to a relaxing ride followed by great beers and barbeque.

cleansheet

I'm in for the medio fondo. 88 miles and 9000 feet is a bit much. The 55 should fit just fine.

triggahiccups

Awesome! I'm confident I could do the Gran if I wanted to, but I just did the NYC Century a couple weeks ago and have been riding pretty much every day since. Also my friend (female) doesn't keep up so well, especially on long rides. It will be nice to go easy this weekend.

cleansheet

The Medio Fondo was epic.

ChuckD6421 

Made it a bit more than half way around the Gran. Got picked up a couple miles past Prattsville by the broom wagon. Good thing I accepted the ride because what I'd already experienced was eclipsed by what was to come. As it happens I lived and trained in and about Rensselaerville back in the '80s when I raced Cat. 2. To have a Tyler Wren in residence and a major event like this is a dream come true, of sorts. It was fantastic!
But this was truly brutal (notwithstanding the soft carcass I have to now drag around!). The "Pain in the Ashland" was the nail in the coffin for me. 2 miles of seasonal use only road with switchbacks and 17% grades left me cramping bad in both legs. I manage 100 miles a week or so in a nearby hilly area but next year it's a triple for me. 39x28 compact didn't cut it.

Triggahiccups of Brooklyn: So you did the NYC Century eh? I think you'd better drive this course once for the full effect . 'nuff said!

cleansheet

Good to know. Went back and forth with medio and grand. I just didnt think 8000+ of climbing was my idea of fun. The medio was plenty challenging. Felt really good up until the last time segment "The Wall". 2.5 mile climb in the open sun, you stare at the support tent at the top of the hill. Its the Venetoux of Albany County. Anyway, I was good until the last shelf at 14%, I stand for the final couple hundred meters and both my quads immediately cramp. Somehow, I am able to sit back down and keep spinning side to side on the road until the top. At least I pedaled. I watched several walk their bikes up the final section. The last few miles were a bit tough after that but the thought of a delicious cold beer got me through it.

Some of the views were breathtaking, especially the Scott Patent Rd. descent.

Will be back for sure next year.

triggahiccups

It's true, a hundred miles in the city doesn't prepare you for **** haha! Those hills were killer. I went too hard on the roller coaster (still had a terrible time according to Strava), and my legs didn't really want to try very hard after that. But I absolutely loved every minute (except those I spent on the side of the road waiting for my friend). might give the gran a go next year when I'm in better shape. The only bummer was the 1/2 a pint they put in my glass afterwords.

tim0

Funny enough, when I read him comparing this with the NYC Century, I had a little chuckle. The NYC Century is child's play compared to this. Perhaps GFNY would be a good start towards preparation for this event and the subsequent Highlands NJ Gran Fondo would prepare for this. I saw people falling off their bikes on the 2nd "major" climb of the Highlands GF, and that was nothing compared to what was coming up! =)

Anytime I see something that is 1000 feet of climb for every 10 miles, I'm cautious!!

tim0

100 miles in the city, yeah, I have to agree with that. But if you did 100 miles of boat basin to alpine PD repeats, you will have no problem with any GFs, guaranteed.

ChuckD6421 

?
Go on....

tim0

Repeats of THIS...
BoatBasinToAlpinePD - Alpine, NJ

southpawboston

I rode the 55 mile medio fondo, and enjoyed every minute of it except for the "wall" at the end. I had a 1:1 low gear, but by mile 50 I was fairly exhausted, and ended up walking the last segment of the "wall" where it supposedly reached 18% (my GPS track only shows 14%). I had grown up west of there, in the Catskills proper, and I'm used to a lot of remote gravel carriage trails, so I was mildly disappointed there weren't more dirt segments designed into the ride. There were plenty to be had if one wanted to design them in. Granted, it was a charity ride, and most cyclists don't want gravel (and many of the cyclists riding that day were obviously uncomfortable with it or ill equipped for it). But as far as pavement goes, it was some of the smoothest I've ridden, and the scenery couldn't be beat. Seeing the imposing Catskills to the west from many vantages along the ride made for a dramatic backdrop, and the fall foliage was in full peak. Couldn't have picked a better weekend! The route was carefully curated and took in some amazing scenery showcasing the beauty of this little corner of NYS. Traffic was very light, even on the main roads, which made the ride all the more enjoyable. Support was excellent, befitting most charity rides. But the climbing was deceptively difficult. While the route averaged 1000ft of gain for every 10 miles (which is what I'm used to riding around the Catskills and the Berkshires), it was concentrated into two main 10 mile segments, so the climbing during those segments was particularly arduous. If you like climbing, and enjoy breathtaking scenery, I highly recommend this ride!

Here are some shots I took from the ride (in no particular order), and you can see the complete set on my flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/751621...7647795873148/



















And lastly, the "wall":

cleansheet

Loved your pictures. It went a bit too fast for me to stop and take photos, so I appreciate yours.

ChuckD6421 

Great shots Southpaw, also glad you took the time to document.
The only other detail I'd add is that that last shot of 'the wall' needs to be put into its full context that it's the last half mile of six miles of climbing out of Preston Hollow. The psychological impact of seeing that in the distance will dent the hardest of men! But the view from the top, if you turn around, is what you see in the next to last shot. My first experience with that climb was many years ago during a midwinter ride when I was strong enough to not have to walk it. My recollection is it was in a 43x23 gear too (sigh).
Well done, thanks.

woodyman4916

Coming over the rise and seeing the "Wall" after ~50 miles was enough to make me sigh out loud. I made it to the lady in the Subaru who was handing out ice water before walking.

southpawboston

Ha, yes, the wall was very demoralizing, seeing from a distance and knowing that the seemingly constant climbing was only going to get tougher the closer you got. They also had small glasses of wine at that last aid station! I passed, as I worried that wine would just do me in-- I saved the alcohol until post-ride.

cleansheet

The wine was non-alcoholic. The chocolates were very good however.

Just staring at that pop tent from below was making me laugh heading up. Sort of proud now looking back that I made it all the way on the bike. Damn near blew out my quads doing it.