Finger Lakes
06-07-13, 03:42 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Finger Lakes
I'm planning on spending a few days in the Finger Lakes next week. Does anyone have any good 30-50 mile bike friendly routes in the Canandaguia, Keuka, Seneca Lake area?
06-10-13, 11:58 AM
#3
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 21
Bikes: Diamondback Insight One
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
We renting a cottage at Seneca Lake in July and have been relying on this website -
http://www.fingerlakes.org/things-to-do/outdoor-fun/hike-and-bike
Tom
http://www.fingerlakes.org/things-to-do/outdoor-fun/hike-and-bike
Tom
06-10-13, 02:03 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 932
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Canandaigua Lake is 45-50 miles around, depending on your route. The lakes to the west of Canandaigua are much shorter than that. Keuka Lake is about 45 miles around. Seneca Lake is 80 miles around. I'm from Canandaigua and go there every Sunday to visit my mom (I'm such a wonderful son!) and have gone around the lake about 10 times since last year. It's a great ride, a few pretty intense hills. The worst hills are on the southwest side, the east side isn't bad at all. Keuka Lake is also a great ride, I've only done that once as part of a century last year.
If you really want a challenge you can go down Rt. 32 from Canandaigua through the Bristol hills, and then onto Honeoye Lake and then back along Rt. 21. That's a great, hilly ride. And if you're totally insane you can try the infamous "Bopple Hill Road" off of Rt. 21. There's a cementary at top for riders who tried to make it all the way to the top!
I have a garminconnect account with several rides in that area posted. My username is: danmc15 I think you should be able to see them, I have the security set so "everyone" can see them. I haven't ridden all the way around Canandaigua Lake since getting the Garmin though.
If you really want a challenge you can go down Rt. 32 from Canandaigua through the Bristol hills, and then onto Honeoye Lake and then back along Rt. 21. That's a great, hilly ride. And if you're totally insane you can try the infamous "Bopple Hill Road" off of Rt. 21. There's a cementary at top for riders who tried to make it all the way to the top!
I have a garminconnect account with several rides in that area posted. My username is: danmc15 I think you should be able to see them, I have the security set so "everyone" can see them. I haven't ridden all the way around Canandaigua Lake since getting the Garmin though.
Last edited by danmc; 06-10-13 at 02:08 PM. Reason: garminconnect info added
06-13-13, 03:46 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Tuesday we rode the eastern side of Canandaigua from the top by Nolan's; Wednesday we circumnavigated Keuka; Thursday..... rained out.
06-13-13, 03:50 PM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
The guy in bike shop in Canandaigua told us about Bopple Hill Rd; described it as "a wall of asphalt". He said it was a 22 degree incline. Is that even possible? We didn't get over to check it out.
06-13-13, 10:29 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Off the back
Posts: 143
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
2 Posts
Oh yeah, The Bopple. If you're at Canandaigua Lake, you gotta do The Bopple. I did it last summer. The first 0.27 miles of it are at 15.4%, then you've got a breather for 0.15 miles at 2.7%, then it's a right hand bend and there's a daunting, cliff-looking thing staring at you - 0.4 miles at 17.7% average, with the steepest point of 22.6% next to the cemetery, which beckons to you on your right as you get to the top. I brought a 30 x 26 gear and was doing the stand-up paperboy thing at 2-3 mph for most of that last 0.4 miles even in that gear. I didn't walk one inch of it, but I think if it was included a race, plenty of people would do a quick cost-benefit analysis, then hop off and push their bikes up a lot of it in order to get to the top faster.
06-14-13, 01:39 PM
#8
Still learning
06-15-13, 07:53 AM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Oh yeah, The Bopple. If you're at Canandaigua Lake, you gotta do The Bopple. I did it last summer. The first 0.27 miles of it are at 15.4%, then you've got a breather for 0.15 miles at 2.7%, then it's a right hand bend and there's a daunting, cliff-looking thing staring at you - 0.4 miles at 17.7% average, with the steepest point of 22.6% next to the cemetery, which beckons to you on your right as you get to the top. I brought a 30 x 26 gear and was doing the stand-up paperboy thing at 2-3 mph for most of that last 0.4 miles even in that gear. I didn't walk one inch of it, but I think if it was included a race, plenty of people would do a quick cost-benefit analysis, then hop off and push their bikes up a lot of it in order to get to the top faster.
06-15-13, 12:57 PM
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
06-20-13, 01:20 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 932
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Sorry, I missed all of your updates real time. The east side of Hemlock Lake is horrible, like going downhill full speed on cobblestones. I lost a bike computer going down it last year! I tried going up Bopple Hill Road last year and stopped 3 times to suck air, and I'm not in too bad shape for a 48 year old. I'll try again this year. My lowest gear is a 28-36, which is good enough for all of the other hills around the lake.
07-10-13, 07:13 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Central CT
Posts: 65
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I was on vacation (no bicycle) in the Canandaigua area July 4th & 5th. Checked out Bopple Hill Rd and yes, it's all of what has been said here. There were many walkers and a few runners, but I saw no cyclists other than a few on the north end of Rt 21 close to Canandaigua.
07-10-13, 08:52 PM
#14
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Next time I'm out that way I'm going to hit it. Probably on my mountain bike with the triple.
07-11-13, 08:49 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 932
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Great views of the south end of Hemlock Lake.
07-11-13, 08:53 AM
#16
******
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 949
Bikes: Specalized Tri-Cross
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Oh yeah, The Bopple. If you're at Canandaigua Lake, you gotta do The Bopple. I did it last summer. The first 0.27 miles of it are at 15.4%, then you've got a breather for 0.15 miles at 2.7%, then it's a right hand bend and there's a daunting, cliff-looking thing staring at you - 0.4 miles at 17.7% average, with the steepest point of 22.6% next to the cemetery, which beckons to you on your right as you get to the top. I brought a 30 x 26 gear and was doing the stand-up paperboy thing at 2-3 mph for most of that last 0.4 miles even in that gear. I didn't walk one inch of it, but I think if it was included a race, plenty of people would do a quick cost-benefit analysis, then hop off and push their bikes up a lot of it in order to get to the top faster.
I walked down it the one time I planned on biking it, hard left at the bottom, that steep of a grade, had no interest in seeing if my brakes would hold out.
__________________
In the words of Einstein
"And now I think I'll take a bath"
In the words of Einstein
"And now I think I'll take a bath"
07-11-13, 09:42 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 932
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I should mention in this thread also that there's an excellent book for rides in the Finger Lakes: https://www.amazon.com/Backroad-Bicyc...oads+bicycling
My copy is dog-eared and torn up. It has maps of all the Finger Lakes (well, not Otisco Lake if you count that) with routes around them, and also some rides around the area of varying distances and difficulties. The historical information is interesting also.
My copy is dog-eared and torn up. It has maps of all the Finger Lakes (well, not Otisco Lake if you count that) with routes around them, and also some rides around the area of varying distances and difficulties. The historical information is interesting also.
