Dodgson

Thanks! This is very helpful. I've also discovered the Ride to Montauk route, so I might do segments of that.

From what I've read Montauk Highway (27) is also pretty good at least east of Babylon- do you have any experience with it? How is it west of Babylon? Do you think I could get on it in Massapequa OK?

Ferdinand NYC

Ah, right. I neglected to mention that. I took the Staten Island Ferry back to (as you aptly put it) civilisation. Taking a ferry kind of wrecks the purity of the ride. But it's the only way to complete the circle.


Oh! Well then I perfectly understand your use of it. Despite all my complaints about it, I will probably hit it once or twice more before the season is out.


Stairs? What stairs? There aren't any stairs on that small bike/pedestrian bridge.


Yeah, there are actually three sets of stairs on the Queens segment of the Triborough Bridge. Pretty dang annoying.

Also the very steep climb onto the Bronx portion of that bridge from Randall's Island will slow you down.

Speaking of steep climbs: how did you handle the exit from the Hudson River Greenway just north of the George Washington Bridge? Did you encounter the killer climb there? Or was I thinking of the exit from Inwood Hill Park farther north?


Thanks! I was 207 pounds in April of 2011. As I am just under 5 foot 6, that's way too much. By the end of that summer I was around 140; and I have (pretty much) stayed there since. In the summer I am at 140; in the winter, when I ride much less, it's more like 145. But I now wear the same size pants as I wore in high school almost 35 years ago; so that's a good feeling. And I owe it all to biking -- as well as to a change of diet in which I have completely cut out sweets and breads, and in which I avoid any excess sugar or salt, eating mainly raw vegetables.

ChiroVette

Like I said, when I try that ride, and I will once the construction is done, I will try to connive my way onto an uncrowded bus to go over the Verrazanno. More actual riding and less ferry to go over one measly bridge. Hey something just occurred to me: If I remember correctly, isn't the Bayone Bridge incredibly high? I could be remembering wrong, but lol my mind is picturing that as one seriously hellacious climb!

Yeah you almost have to allot at least some of your rides to that stunning landscape, even if its just a few every season or so.

I thought I remember stairs, but maybe not. I think I had to get off the bike because the entrance was one of those criss-crossing back and forth steep hills that are s thin and the turn so sharp you can't get any kind of momentum. Maybe that's what I was thinking?

Yeah and that climb onto the Queens leg, before the stairs, was pretty nightmarish, too!

Yes, it certainly did.

It was insane. I was like "Later for this!" and just walked the bike most of the way or at least some of the way. I'll tell you what was really freaking bad lol: The climb for the first few blocks going East from the park. Oh my God was that horrible!

Awesome!

FIVE ONE SIX

well, i haven't ridden a century to Montauk in 5 or 6 years, but i know the beginning of all of those routes is Montauk Highway so it should be fine. as far as west of Babylon goes, i rode on Montauk Highway my first time riding out to Babylon to see a friend and it wasn't that bad riding east to go to Babylon but it was definitely bad riding west to get back to Massapequa, i wouldn't do that again. me personally, if i had to ride to Montauk now, i would just take Hoffman (route 12) all the way down to Deer Park Avenue, then make a right and take that to Montauk Highway. the only bit of advice, the beginning of route 12 is a bad section of Amityville then Copiague, so i wouldn't run in somewhere to get a bottle of water until you at least hit Babylon...

me personally, i used to ride with MPBC A group and the LIBC A group in 2006 and 2007, so i know dozens of routes from the Bethpage Library parking lot (where the MPBC starts) and Westbury High School (where the LIBC starts) so since i moved in March i've just been trying to find a safe route to get to each. and there are ways to vary them too, like the Home to Oyster Bay and back Home LIBC Style - A bike ride in East Massapequa, NY route is really a longer variation of the other Oyster Bay one, and that includes going up Moores and Hoffman and Old Country and going down Stillwell...

GlennR

Take Railroad Ave to Oak and Old Sunrise.... it runs on the south side of the LIRR.

GlennR

Riding up to Oyster Bay tomorrow morning to watch the Tobay Triathlon.

FIVE ONE SIX

that's the exact road i was talking about, route 12, i just call it Hoffman cause that's one of many the names it goes by on the way from Massapequa to Deer Park. then, you just have to make the right at the end onto Deer Park Avenue, then make the left onto Montauk Highway...

GlennR

He can continue out on Union until where Montauk Highway (27A) and Sunrise (27) touch.

Papa Tom

What kind of tires are you riding? If they've got any kind of meat on them, you can take a pretty cool alternative to Berry Hill Road down to Oyster Bay. This involves a residential street (all downhill) called White Oak Tree Road, which branches off Syosset-Cold Spring Road.

Take White Oak Tree to the end, then enter the woods (Fox Hollow Preserve) for a short distance until you come out in a neighborhood. Take the road (continuation of White Oak Tree) to the right, cross 25A, and continue on Cove Road all the way into Oyster Bay.

This is much less crowded than Berry Hill Road, and it also passes by the Teddy Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary. The uphill climb on White Oak Tree shouldn't be that bad on the return trip, as it seems you are in shape. Just remember that the ride through the woods is pretty much made for a mountain bike, so don't try to do it with slicks or straight-on road tires.

Have fun!

GlennR

I have Conti 4000S II.

I took Berry Hill and forked off onto McCouns Lane to East Main.

My son is on Team Runner's Edge and LITC so I know most of the people running the event. I was asked if I could help out and was assigned the turn around at the 1/2 way point of the run, which was at the entrance to Planting Fields. I didn't plan on standing in cycling shoes for 2 hours but I did. It was up hill to the turn around and everyone was happy to make it. I cheered them on and everyone gave me a smile. It was a great day.

I did get some grief from drivers that wanted to go down the road, but the road was closed. One got on his phone as he drove away. 2 minutes later a Old Brookville police SUV came up the road and put a saw horse out and 2 cones. He said "now it's official, the road is close". Gave me his card and said if anyone give me trouble to call and he'd be right back.

After the last runner passed, I headed back to the park for the festivities..... lots of fun. The town was a mess with roads closed and irate drivers that couldn't get to Bayville.

I took Betty Hill back to Syosset... its a long incline and kept my heart rate up for the entire ride to 25A. Then a east cruise back to Massapequa.

It was a long day on my feet, but it was fun and I was happy to give back for those that helped when my son raced.

Dodgson

Thanks for all the help, guys! I went out on my first ride yesterday morning- just short of a metric century. I combined some of your advice with some of the Ride to Montauk route and was pretty happy with it, at least east of Massapequa. The roads until then were absolutely terrible and there were too many traffic lights, although I guess there's no way to avoid that. Taking the LIRR to the Massapequa station would probably be worth a consideration next time.

Thanks for all the help, guys! I went out on my first ride yesterday morning- just short of a metric century. I combined some of your advice with some of the Ride to Montauk route and was pretty happy with it, at least east of Massapequa. The roads until then were absolutely terrible and there were too many traffic lights, although I guess there's no way to avoid that. Taking the LIRR to the Massapequa station would probably be worth a consideration next time.

I screwed up the picture but here's an attempt at showing my route (I blocked the starting point somewhat for a little privacy): https://i.imgur.com/cOZkjQB.png

GlennR

Did the Tobay ride. I was disappointed when I got to Tobay to see litter. There were a number of wrappers from gels and power bars, so I picked them up and tossed them in the trash can next to the restroom door.

It would be nice if they put a can on the "outside" of the security gate, but that's still no excuse to be a "litter-pig".

Papa Tom

Great. So maybe now they will shut us out of the beach altogether. We're our own worst enemies, aren't we?

FIVE ONE SIX

+1

kaos joe

Dodgson,

Show up at 830am any weekend at the parking lot of Bethpage Public Library, or 830am Tuesdays/Thursdays at Borella Field on Plainview Rd. You will meet groups of riders with an absolutely encyclopedic knowledge of cycling friendly roads in eastern Nassau and western Suffolk. Believe me, you will learn a lot of excellent routes. I've been riding these roads for 30 years and am still seeing new places.

FIVE ONE SIX

a little fyi, these are both B+/A- rides, just to give you an idea as far as the pace goes. the weekend rides that leave the Library parking lot are anywhere from B to Open/Race pace, with usually one group of riders for each pace, and the C group leaves the Massapequa Park train station parking lot. kaos joe should have mentioned that, being as though those are all MPBC rides...

GlennR

I belong to MPBC and attend some of the weekend rides. I plan on being there tomorrow for a B ride. Just wish they left earlier. I rather be on the road at 7:30 than 8:30. Less traffic, less heat and get home sooner.

Papa Tom

Rode the Belt Parkway from Canarsie Pier to Bay Parkway today, just to check out the Neptune/Cropsey Avenue connection between the two sections.

My first impression was "What the hell happened to Canarsie Pier?" The last time I left out of this place, there was a restaurant/catering hall, snack bar, clean bathrooms, and lots of happy people. Apparently, all this was washed away during Sandy in 2012. Now the parking lot is empty except for a ravioli truck and a Mr. Softee. The bathrooms and the line of porta potties outside them are all nauseatingly filthy and without toilet paper. And there seemed to be lots of glassy-eyed men wandering around with nowhere to go. In the 1970's, when I was hanging out with former New York Dolls guitarist, Johnny Thunders, my bandmates and I used to have to drive him to Canarsie Pier late at night so he could score his heroin fix. I wonder if it's turning back to a junkie haven?

Anyway, I always start my ride at Canarsie Pier because the path east of here looks broken up and boring. The few times I biked the section by the garbage dump, it was covered in sand or cracked or otherwise crappy to ride. And parking at the shopping center off Erskine Avenue involves some tricky road riding to get to the bikeway. So off I went from Canarsie Pier toward Sheepshead Bay and all that other good stuff.

The first bridge after the Pier seems to have been rebuilt since my last ride in the mid 2000's. I hope they eventually fix them all this way, as some are notoriously decrepit. Some of the pavement at the beginning is buckling, too, especially around the riding academy. And that parkway sure is noisy as hell.

I noticed a heavy headwind as I headed west. I don't remember this from previous rides and I really wasn't in the mood to work so hard. As I passed Flatbush Avenue, I thought about detouring over the Gil Hodges Bridge into the Rockaways and aborting my battle with the wind. I've wanted to explore that whole area around the airport, as well as Breezy Point and Jacob Riis Beach, a little more thoroughly for a while. When I saw all that construction at the Flatbush Avenue crossing, I became curious, though, and I kept on going. What's that all about, anyway?

Next, the washed out section at Plum Beach is really a shame. I remember seeing lots of families riding with their kids to this beach in the summertime. Although, it's somewhat passable on an adult-sized bike with an experienced rider on it, I can see where parents don't want to take the chance with their kids. The whole beach, down to the boarded-up snack bar, is a sad sight. I hope we get this back some day.

So, OK, the highlight of my trip started here. I have a sentimental connection to Sheepshead Bay in that, toward the beginning of my musical career, I used to earn my bread and butter playing lots of weddings and bar mitzvahs in the catering halls and temples around this area. In between gigs, the band and I would hang out at Randazzo's Clam Bar, the El Greco Diner, and other places, getting toasted and flirting with the beautiful Brooklyn girls. Today, the strip along Emmons Avenue is livelier than ever, with one outdoor restaurant after the other. I had some amazing flashbacks pedaling along this road and past all the now defunct catering halls and nightclubs of the 80's. It didn't matter that the ride up to this point had been a disappointment. This was worth it.

After the bustle of Emmons Avenue died down, I continued on to Neptune Avenue and really enjoyed watching the cultures change with each neighborhood. Living out here on Long Island, you really don't get this stuff. I had a bug to turn off onto Ocean Parkway to check out Coney Island, but I decided to save it for the ride back.

Ultimately, the "new" connection I mapped out for connecting the east part of the Belt Bikeway with the west turned out to kind of suck. I only did it so I could stop sending people down a sidewalk, against traffic, for the last leg. But Cropsey Avenue is in bad physical shape and the traffic on the south side of the Belt Parkway is horrendous. I'm glad I have 45 years of experience on a bike and can control the thing like it's part of my body. Otherwise, I'd probably have come home in a box today. The connection did work, though, and before I knew it, I was at Bay Parkway in the Toys R Us parking lot, where the western end of the bikeway begins.

Today was horribly muggy and smelly in Brooklyn, so by this point, I was regretting that I hadn't ridden to a beach somewhere. I stopped by the water to change the battery in my mp3 player, looked ahead at the massive crowds and bumpy pavement on the western bikeway, and decided then and there that I was going to turn around and head back.

I did stop at Coney Island, as planned, and I'm really glad I did. I took my bike on the boardwalk and walked it a good distance, past all the outdoor food stands, rides, and other attractions. I had ridden the boardwalk off season last year and it was empty. Now it was packed with not only locals, but tourists from all over the world. Salsa music was blasting from boom boxes and kids were screaming from the rollercoasters above. It was totally cool, except I was a sweaty, unshaven mess and people were looking at me like I had just crawled out of a garbage dumpster.

Back in Sheepshead Bay, I stopped at a pizzeria with an outdoor patio, parked my bike, and grabbed a seat. Hmm, Brooklyn pizza isn't ALWAYS as good as its reputation...and dining outside is not that awesome when the temps are in the 80's and the humidity is off the charts. But I didn't want to subject the customers inside to the stench of my sweaty shorts and t-shirt. Lunch over, back to the bikeway.

With a nice tailwind heading back, I really flew. This time, I briefly detoured at Flatbush and got as far as Floyd Bennett Field. It was really hot now, and it was getting toward the time my wife would be finished tutoring for the day and would be waiting for me to get home so we could hit Teddy Roosevelt Beach. Traffic on the Belt still looked good for Labor Day, so I decided not to push my luck and I headed back to Canarsie. My car was still there, and now the place was filled with smiling families, their tents, and their barbecues. Better vibe than earlier. This is when the dude and girl in the ravioli truck told me about Sandy having washed away the buildings that used to be in the parking lot.

So now I have some updating to do on my website. The Belt Bikeway is one that I've ridden more recently than a lot of others, so I'd imagine THOSE have all changed drastically. For now, this is my story about the Belt Bikeway and I'm sticking to it.

Steve B.

As Tom wrote:

My first impression was "What the hell happened to Canarsie Pier?"

One word - Sandy. The pier was inundated, as was most of this area and the Parks Dept. hasn't fixed it yet. Note that the Parks folks have been written about in the NY Times as to how they are completely inept at designing and getting projects completed. They have no funding is the bottom line and that includes funding to pay people to design and supervise projects.

Anyway, I always start my ride at Canarsie Pier because the path east of here looks broken up and boring.

It's not. It's actually in better shape to the east of the pier to Howard Beach then the sections to the west. This is a result of the Belt bridge reconstructions over the past 4 years. It's a better ride east to Howard Beach IMO.

The first bridge after the Pier seems to have been rebuilt since my last ride in the mid 2000's. I hope they eventually fix them all this way, as some are notoriously decrepit. Some of the pavement at the beginning is buckling, too, especially around the riding academy. And that parkway sure is noisy as hell.

The section near the riding academy was renovated maybe 15 years ago but they never raised it and as a low area, gets flooded with every storm and heavy rain. Thus the path surface sucks and gets worse each year.

This area is scheduled to be replaced/renovated when they replace the Mill Basin drawbridge. The plan is a new fixed height bridge located just to the north of the current drawbridge, complete with new path. Thus this entire path section, pretty much from Flatbush to a good bit east of the riding stable, will get relocated as new path. Maybe they'll raise the path, which I suspect as they have done this in some area's along the entire new section of the Belt to Pennsylvania Ave.

They are already building the new bridge over Gerritsen Inlet, so expect a new bridge here as well, with a protected path (I.E. a barrier and decent width bike lane isolated from the highway)

As I passed Flatbush Avenue, I thought about detouring over the Gil Hodges Bridge into the Rockaways and aborting my battle with the wind. I've wanted to explore that whole area around the airport, as well as Breezy Point and Jacob Riis Beach, a little more thoroughly for a while.

The "new" path along the east side of Flatbush down to the bridge and south of the Belt, is also getting really rundown. Potholes, narrowing of lane width due to overgrown grass, signage covered in graffiti, etc... In short, the city does zero maintenance other then cutting the grass (and leaving the grass clippings all over the path), though in fairness, this might be a National Park maintained path and they obviously have poor funding as well.


When I saw all that construction at the Flatbush Avenue crossing, I became curious, though, and I kept on going. What's that all about, anyway?

New natural gas pipeline being run from NJ, onto and under the beach at Jacob Riis, under the inlet, up Flatbush to somewhere around Ave. U. The area is a construction nightmare and hard to navigate on a bike. I went down Flatbush in a car yesterday, to the Rock's, there were countless cyclists lost on the west side of Flatbush (south of the Belt) attempting to ride the old and poorly maintained sidewalk/path, having missed the need to cross over to the "new" east side path. Seems a lot or orange netting is missing. I hope they get this figured out before the NYC Century, else it'll be a cluster f__K.

Next, the washed out section at Plum Beach is really a shame.

Yup. In theory, the Army Engineers will rebuild the beach then the city will re-build the path. At least a year or two away.

The Gil Hodges - Flatbush - Ave. X path system is my bike commute, with the occasional detour over to Canarsie to the path and then thru Howard Beach to the Rockaway's, then east to Nassau. Thus I've experienced all the trials and tribulations of the assorted paths and construction projects over the past 20 years and it's mostly gotten worse, though there are signs of eventual improvements. ***** is, they get new stuff built and then the stuff they built new 10-15 years ago and never maintained, is a mess.

So it goes in NYC

Good ride report Tom, I wish I had known you were heading there, I would have joined you.

Billy1111

yes agree with steve b that east of canarsie pier, its in great condition....This is my home ride, it isnt as spiffy as the LI trails but I dont mind mind it so much. During the week there isnt much traffic on it which is nice...That wind, that wind is almost everyday and it makes me sick...maybe it will make me a better rider but I just for once would like to go on a nice wind free ride someday.....I guess that just doesnt happen

Papa Tom

>>>>I just for once would like to go on a nice wind free ride someday.....I guess that just doesn't happen<<<

Actually, out here, we have a bikeway that runs to Jones Beach on the south shore. Most of the time, there's a headwind when you're heading south, and it's the kind that discourages a lot of riders. But there are times you can catch it right and not have a headwind either way.

Stay positive, my friend! You WILL luck out someday and get your wind-free ride!

GlennR

Jones Beach is north/south and the ride to Tobay is east/west. So you're gonna have a headwind, tailwind and crosswind during the ride.

Steve B.

The trick to riding JB is to pay attention after the last bridge.

If you have a headwind all the way south from Cedar Creek, then it's a south or SE wind.

After you cross the last bridge, the path heads SW before entering the parking lot. If the wind gets stronger, the winds are SW and you will be fighting that all the way back from Tobay and that becomes your decision point.

I actually have found the Belt path east of Flatbush to be more exposed with less vegetation to block the wind. It's also a little bit further from Howard Beach to Flatbush then the JB path, so you fight the wind longer.

One oddity I deal with on the commute when riding Shore Front Parkway from B116 to B67 is the Dolan Apartments wind phenomenon. I often see a NW wind here with the wind hitting the 12 story buildings and pushing off the buildings into your face. Thus a NW wind becomes a NE wind !. You ride a bit, get blasted, then it stops, then the next building, get blasted, then nothing etc... for a dozen buildings.

GlennR

Depending on the time of day I've had the wind change direction and have had a headwind both ways.

Steve B.

Oh Yeah, all the time in the summer on the south shore. Head north in the AM on a nice day into a headwind, by 10:30 on the way back south, the sea breeze is blowing.