snow_echo_NY

hey Long Islanders, i'm a nyc-er but i'm out on long island for visiting family and for kiteboarding on occasion. i cycle-commute in NYC and want to coordinate a ride on LI

this is what i came up with. a lot of you ride up and down massapequa, bethpage, oyster bay and i'm just west of that, in glen cove and visit locust valley and oyster bay a lot. and i figure i should ask you guys.

this is my map:
https://tinyurl.com/qx9bve6

starts out in oyster bay and passes by the two arboretums and the water.
then head south on berry hill road, to woodbury way, cold spring rd, syosset woodbury rd -
would a visit to stillwell woods park be nice?

then S woods road, woodbury rd
left on sunnyside blvd ext, to north service road to
E bethpage rd thru bethpage state park ( i saw some of you recommend round swamp road. is it worth it to go east and then down that way? )

then down to massapequa preserve, down thru seaford down to wantagh park, then head down to jones. what do you think about going to wantagh and then jones? too much traffic? or do-able?

would there be any part you would re-route?

just trying to figure out what would be optimal. thanks!

GlennR

I do a similar route but leave from Massapequa and head north to cold Spring Harbor, then down to Tobay and finally back to Massapequa.

Depending on the day of the week and time of day, I usually take streets and avoid the Bethpage MUP. Too much traffic from casual walkers, cyclists and kids.

---------------------------------

Getting slammed at work and had a really stressful week. Finally got out for a 25 mile ride. About 7 miles out my back finally felt looser and by the end I was way more relaxed.

I really need to find the time to ride to relieve stress and adjust me mental outlook.

Steve B.

Agree with oldnslw, I skip the BP MUP due to too much pedestrian traffic, dogs, baby carriages, etc...

One alternative on Syosett-Woodbury Rd. is to skip Sunnyside and take Mannetto Hill over the Northern Parkway, then onto Central Park to Gerhard. At the southern end, take Haypath to Plainview, which becomes Broadway. Under the SOB, thru Bethpage, a turn on Central and onto Stewart. Past Hempsead Tpk and onto Union which becomes (W.) Seamans Neck Rd. Continue south, under the SOB and back on (E.) Seamans Neck Rd to Clark/Demott. back under the SOB and a turn onto Park. Then west to Beach, take it south to Merrick Rd. and into Cedar Creek Park.

These roads are pretty traffic free, or at least not very busy, even during rush hour, typically wide and/or with shoulders.

GlennR

Exactly.... I ride that route often.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.8...5746!3e1?hl=en

NumbersGuy

Got in a nice 40 mile ride this morning, Bohemia down to Oakdale, then out to Brookhaven, then up north and back through Holbrook and Ronkonkoma and back to Bohemia. Got home just after 9 before it got too hot. Averaged just under 17mph. Starting to get my legs back, just need to drop another 15 lbs or so to be back to my normal riding weight.

Papa Tom

Ferrying over to New London tomorrow (Sun 7/12) and taking a circuitous route to Mystic CT, then on to Stonington CT and Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island. Couldn't afford a room in Misquamicut, so I'll be headed back to Mystic for the night.

Next week, I'm doing either Syosset (home) to Pt. Jeff Ferry then on to Milford CT, OR Port Chester NY to Milford to meet an old friend for his 80th birthday. I can't decide which route to take.

Update: July 13 - Just back from CT and RI. Great ride, as always, with a little bit of backroad riding and a little bit of mountain biking through Bluff's Point and Haley Farms State Parks. Heck, there's even a section of riding on a boardwalk!

I'm still amazed at how far to the left drivers think they need to move to pass a cyclist. Car after car on the two-lane roads traveled pulled all the way into the oncoming lane to avoid me as I traveled to the far right of the very wide shoulders, leaving about 15-20 feet between me and their passenger-side doors. I kept thinking someone was going to get hit head-on, and then it almost happened. Thank goodness it only got as far as a stunned oncoming driver leaning on his horn and yelling out the window at the offending motorist. When we both stopped at a traffic light a short distance up the road, I gently thanked the driver through his open passenger-side window and advised "You can just stay right where you are in the lane. I've got plenty of clearance." To which he responded "F-you...get on the G-damned sidewalk!"

Tpcorr

I had, for me, a very high mileage week. 189 miles, 60 with my son on Wednesday, and the rest stretched out over 3 rides with the SBRA. It seems I can go faster when I'm not riding solo.

Tom

Steve B.

Im certain you were thinking "it's Connecticut, they're really nice in Connecticut", when it's just the same old stupid drivers everywhere !.

Glad you had a good trip. I'm always jealous when you pull these quickies off !

Papa Tom

...And I'm always jealous that the rest of you guys seem to find time to pull off ten cool rides for every ONE of mine. I'm doing my backroads route from Syosset to the Port Jeff Ferry next Sunday, then a few more miles in CT to see an old friend in Milford. After that, my most eventful rides for a while will probably be to work.

Ferdinand NYC

It was a great week for me, also. I did 264 miles, which is my fourth highest total ever. Well, it's the fourth highest since I started keeping records three years ago. But that's only a year after I started riding seriously.

----MI--DATE--------------
--------------------------
-1. 403 2014 Aug 31-Sep 6
-2. 379 2013 Jul 14-20
-3. 302 2015 May 24-30
-4. 264 2015 Jul 5-11
-5. 259 2014 Jul 20-26
-6. 251 2012 Jul 1-7
-7. 251 2013 Jun 23-39
-8. 245 2013 Jun 30-Jul 6
-9. 244 2014 Jun 22-28
10. 240 2014 Jul 6-12

And I started this week pretty well, with 38 miles on Sunday and a big 71-mile day on Monday.

Papa Tom

This is just a thought. When I started this thread, I was hoping Long Island riders would post some of their favorite routes and maybe introduce the rest of us to a bunch of new roads and/or places to see by bicycle. I'm afraid that too many posts about mileage and speed might scare away cyclists (like me!) who are less "performance" driven and more focused on traveling to cool places on two wheels. Does anybody else think that posts in this thread should include more details of routes, secret shortcuts, and/or maybe interesting or bizarre things we see along the ride?

Ferdinand NYC

Ah. Well, sorry for my part in that. It's just that keeping track of the amount of miles is a huge part of my motivation. Admittedly, this motivation is more important in the winter, when my will to ride is at its ebb, than in the summer, when I cannot wait to get out there. Still, the more I think about that, the more I will ride. And the more I ride, the better my physical condition is.

Anyway, I have seen some interesting things. I visited Paterson, NJ last week, and saw the historic waterfall that inspired Alexander Hamilton to found the first industrial town in in U.S. history there. I also saw the Lou Costello statue and the Larry Doby mural; and I enjoyed being in another nifty New Jersey city.

And this week I took the South County Trail (the Old Putnam Railroad Trail) from the Bronx up to Elmsford in Westchester County. Not much to see on the trail, though it was nice not to have to stop. I took Broadway back down, passing all kinds of ostentatious residences before returning to the friendly confines of my beloved City.

Regarding Long Island, I found that I could cut through Eisenhower Park, and essentially continue on Stewart Avenue from one side of the park to the other.

I love seeing all these things; and my desire to rack up the miles in no way diminishes my enjoyment of them. I hope that the talk of mileage won't dissuade anyone else from sharing his/her observations.

Papa Tom

Ferdinand: Please don't take my comment personally. Your post just happened to fall right before mine. I've been a little "down" on this thread for a while because I had hoped it would open up some new rides for me and for others. Perhaps there just aren't enough new rides on Long Island to discuss, which is why this discussion often turns to how fast or how many times we have ridden the same old routes and bike paths.

Anyway, thanks for posting your experiences in Patterson, The Bronx, and Eisenhower Park. When I decide to ride only the southern portion of the Westchester County Trails, I usually stop in Elmsford, take a left onto Rt. 19 and then a left onto Rt 9, where I connect with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail for the ride home.

Ferdinand NYC

(You mean Route 119.)

It was my intention to take the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail down from Elmsford. But when I got to its beginning at Sheldon Ave., I saw that it was grass. So that made me give up on it.

Then today I read that that path is not paved at all, and that it has a dirt surface for most of its length. If this is true, I think I did better staying on Broadway.

Tpcorr

Here is a route I found online that my son and I are riding today, if the rain holds off. We'll be leaving from our home, which is a 10 mile ride from the starting point.

Bellport-Water Mill - A bike ride in Brookhaven, NY

Tom

Steve B.

A bike with a 32mm tire will handle the trail. There's grass, gravel and dirt, roots, curbs, etc... it's not really a bike path, more a walking path that allows bikes.

GlennR

So i'd be better off on this than my road bike....

Papa Tom

How did this ride go? I've been familiar with the hamlet/village of Watermill for some time and I've always been curious to know what it's like. Is this a route and a destination you'd recommend?

Steve B.

Yes. It's doable on a racer with 23mm's but not as enjoyable. I use my tourer with 35mm cross tires and it's perfect.

You don't really hammer on this trail as there are a fair amount of hikers and it's very popular with runners, so you find yourself going slow at times. As well sections thru the grass have only one narrow dirt route forcing you onto the side of the "path" if passing folks. Wider tires are good for that.

As Tom uses it, it's a good trail for a loop, using part of the South County Trail, linking on streets in Yonkers and Elmsford.

kaos joe

I've done the Croton several times, on a road touring bike with 32mm tires and on a mountain bike with full 2 inch knobbies. I prefer the mtb because it allows me to keep my head up and pay less attention to the rocks etc on the trail and more to the surroundings.

Tpcorr

The weather report scared us off. It never rained though. We're going to try it on Sunday.

Tom

Papa Tom

I haven't ridden the Croton in a number of years. When I did ride it the last few times, it was only the southern portion. The north was much more rugged back then, and I guess it's probably only doable on a mountain bike by now. A lot of the south, from what I remember, amounts to no more than a very thin line of dirt worn into the grass. I've done it on knobbies and I've done it on my 26" X 1.5" slicks. More enjoyable on the knobbies, but not a problem with the slicks. But that was at least 5 years ago.

Have fun. I'm off to the Port Jeff Ferry, then across the Sound on Sunday. It's supposed to be hhhhhhot!

GlennR

Having a really stressful week at work. By 3:00pm my back was tight and my brain was fried. So i took a break and did a 32 mile ride. Around the 6th mile my back loosened up. By the end my mind was clear.

The weather was awesome... nice and cool.

GlennR

50 miles, Massapequa - Plainview -Tobay - Massapequa

The wind was 16mph out of the south so the ride down from Cedar Creek to Jones was difficult, but the ride back was @ 23.5mph.

As I was crossing the southern most and widest bridge, there were 2 ladies riding at a very "casual" speed. Suddenly a gust of wind pushed the lady on the left into the lady on the right and both into the guard rail. The both went down in slow motion, since they were going less than 10mph and had a "soft" landing. I stopped to see if they were OK and they were. Neither was wearing a helmet and I pointed out they were lucky they didn't hit their heads. I suggested they stop at Brands and get one.

They were LUCKY this time.

Papa Tom

Not to go off on a tangent here, but I just had a really sh-tty night at work. I don't want to get into it, but I was yelling at everybody and I'm sure they were cursing me under their breaths. It was just one of those nights you go home feeling awful.

Given how exhausted I am and how painfully hot it's supposed to be tomorrow (Sunday 7/19), I was actually considering canceling my ride to Pt. Jeff and on to Milford, CT. But I've got so much stress and resentment to work out right now, I've decided to get on the bike at the crack of dawn and just go. It's times like these that I am happiest to have returned to cycling as an adult. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to visiting all those 7-Elevens along 25a tomorrow. I hope you all find time to ride, as well.