patentcad

While it's probably not possible to achieve the latter (without hill repeats), the Hudson River to top of Perkins Drive (Bear Mtn) climb is 4 miles and 1200 vertical feet, so that's a reasonable climb within 50 miles of the city. There are no real mountains south of the Catskills or Gunks, there are some awfully big hills. I do a circuit on Rt. 17A between Tuxedo and Warwick that has several 1.5 -2+ mile climbs that are great hill training.

echappist

Won't comment on the city itself & i definitely prefer Philly or Boston to NYC. But as long as you are in the city, you have near instant access to bailouts should something go wrong. Case in point. Broke my chain going up the hill on 165th street toward Ft. Washington Ave. Walked 4 blocks to the 168th street subway stop & 20 minutes later, i'm home. Had i kmown that i only needed a powerlink instead of a complete chain that was sitting at home, i would have taken the C down to 116th & get my bike fixed. This also means that i can hop on the 2/3 after riding hard at Prospect Park. A car might be more convenient, but you can't take a 20min nap while driving.

Uni-Vibe

What's a downer is that NYC has strict gun control laws for the masses. When you're riding, the dookie-heads know you're unarmed, and you know they might be armed and know you're unarmed . . . .

Better to ride in a Free state.

njkayaker

At the terminal in Staten Island...

(It's about 5 miles from the tip of Manhattan to the south edge of CP.)

I've done 4100 in a 53 mile ride in NJ (near Clinton/Round Valley Reservoir).

Grumpy McTrumpy

p&r

roadiejorge 

kimconyc

Out-and-back Bear Mtn. from Central Park is around 5,000 ft. of climbing for 100 miles of riding. That's pretty lame.

Don't get me wrong, I love the route, but please don't tell me that's climbing...

queerpunk

sucks for training, great for racing.

BrooKona

NYC may not be the best for biking but the diversity & excitement beats any other city. Mountain biking really sucks if you live in the city, I used to drive 35 miles each way to Ringwood for some decent challenging trails.

On the plus side, on a nice weather day in Central park, you can get whiplash checking out all the cute girls in bikinis by Sheeps Meadow.

BIking up to GWB out to 9W is fun. There's some good rides in Western NJ by Hunterdon county

SourDieseL

lol @ 10,000' of climbing - i drive 5 hrs north to VT to get any snowboarding in, there's definitely not 10k worth of altitude anywhere near manhattan.

exRunner

What is the appeal of non-competitive climbing anyway? If I want to trudge along at 7 mph for hours at MHR I can go trail running. Biking is for going fast and having fun. CP to Bear and back is just the right mix, IMHO. (actually we start at the Palasades Park, so it is only 70 miles total)

Uni-Vibe

Climbing is good exercise. Descents teach you how to handle your bike. In S.E. TX we have no opportunities to learn how to handle fast descents.

exRunner

Which is a circular argument. The only reason to do a fast descent is after the climb. Don't climb, no need to descend.

VA_Esquire

Virginia sucks all around unless you go up into the mountains ( https://cvilleracing.com/files/images...t_map_0001.png ) the only good thing about living in Lynchburg, VA and going to Liberty University. Oh and I knew a few people who cycled who would carry a gun.

kimconyc

I will never be fast. At least I have fun though, sometimes...

TRaffic Jammer

When I visited NYC this summer I had a great time with the wife and kids. Next time I'm bringin' bikes. Track for Queens and roadie for CP Loop. We rented a place at 89th and Amsterdam for a couple weeks. Considering how $$$$ real estate is there it's not terribly surprising the bikes one sees in central park on the loop, it's merely reflective of the population in the immediate area. I LOVED driving Manhattan, I got to drive like I normally ride my bike, it was great fun... once you knew where you were going. God and the food, yum. Looking forward to the next trip.

The Bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountaaaaaaaain, to see what he could see.

OR

"Because it's there"

As for fast descents, if I lived in the right areas, there are some sick sick descents. I'd climb them, no doubt, but some days I'd so be calling a buddy to drop me off at the top. Road based DH. No need to expend all your energy getting to the top. Yeeeehaw, let's break the speed limit!!!! hahahaha passing cars on the backside of a mountain, damned good fun.

DScott

ftfy

Climbing is fun, in a sick, this-hurts-alot kind of way. Long slogs followed by long, fast descents are le bombe.

exRunner

Some of you guys would have been stands out in my old job - pain for the sake of pain. Thankfully I grew out of that about the time I hit 40.

DScott

Climbing sucks, and I suck at it, but at least it's interesting and takes you to cool places. If I lived where it was pretty much all flat, or could only climb without descending, I'd probably give up riding and take up professional eating, like Rich in P.

Uni-Vibe

No, suppose you do all your training in SE TX, then someday you're in the hills/mountains, everyone around you is experienced in hi-speed descents and turns . . .. and there you are, looking like a newbie or worse.

clausen

There's no turning in Texas?

exRunner

Texas is big enough that you don't have to turn.

As for the post before that, go back to "don't cimb, no need to descend." If the argument was "I have to climb because I love to go fast down hill" then at least that makes sense. But to say I climb so I can practice high speed descents just in case I go somewhere and have to climb and don't want to look like a beginner descending is rather silly.

As a famous SF Cop once said "A man has to know his limits."

njkayaker

I won't! That's why I go to VT!

I'm actually surprised at how hilly NW NJ is (but you have to get there from NY). The route I was describing didn't have any huge hills but it did come fairly close to the 10,000ft per 100 miles you mentioned.

It isn't really a circular argument. Flat is boring!

While worrying about "looking like a beginner" is silly, being able to deal with hills competently does expand your cycling opportunities. Certainly, people can do what they like but where I ride it's not flat.

patentcad

If you don't like climbing on your bicycle, get a recumbent and move to Iowa.

patentcad

Warn them first.