Any New York City cyclocrossers?
 

I'm looking for NYC-area cyclocrossers to ride and train with. I raced road and mountain many, many years ago, and I just rejoined the sport. I've always enjoyed 'cross from a distance, but now armed with a 'cross bike and Riverside park outside my door, I wanna give it a go. I'm a newbie who needs to be shown the ropes of training and possibly be taken to my first race. I've heard of racing at Kissena. Are there any other races/clinincs in the area?

PM me if interested. Thanks!

well, i am moving to nyc next week, and i was sort of wondering the same thing. i have heard about kissena (the club), and even considered joining because i'm not sure i'll have a car, and it would be nice to meet other people, caravan to races, etc.

i am 110% un-psyched about moving to nyc, but i really have no idea what to expect, so i'm trying to keep an open mind. i'm a dedicated racer (mtb and cx) and the thought of training in nyc just seems impossible unless i'm inside all the time. but again, i really dont know what the possibilites are. i have lived in colorado for 5 years, michigan, and upstate ny, so i am used to big, wide open spaces. i really hope my training/racing does not suffer once i move to nyc. i know that there is a huge roadie community there, and lots of bike culture, so maybe its just a matter of meeting the right ppl. most of my crosser friends are in the boston, portland, seattle, DC area and wouldn't dream of living in nyc.

but there were 2 UCI races on long island last weekend, and there are some races in NJ, and an UCI race in NJ on Nov. 6 that is close enough to nyc that you can just take a train.

sorry i didn't really answer your question...but i'd love to hear from any nyc-based crossers myself. is there anybody out there?!?!?

PS. maybe this is a bit more helpful....

there's a 'cross series in Verona NJ. check out montclairbikery.com. i guess you could take the train from NYC out to montclair and then bike 15-20 minutes to the course. that series runs through Oct. in November, another series starts in Sussex County NJ.

The Highland Park Cyclocross race is November 6th (UCI Cat 1) and completely accessible from NYC by train....

Take the train into New Brunswick and the course is a 7 minute ride from the station.

http://www.midatlanticcross.info/2005.htm

Take a look at last weekend's UCI races on Long Island, and you'll get a good sense of what NYC clubs and teams are travelling to races.

Day one:
http://www.bikereg.com/News/Results...Southampton.asp

Day Two:
http://www.bikereg.com/News/Results...Southampton.asp

Hey XCCX,

Thanks for replying. I hear you about moving to NYC. I'm a rock climber and I'd prefer to be living by some nice crags, but my work life and social life led me to this concrete jungle. Time management here is hard to do, but Melido Herito, a pro-cyclist sponsered by Toga bicycle shop works here 40 hours a week and still manages to be a kick-ass racer. New York is full of top-notch athletes who manage to keep themselves going by creating rather weird schedules to accomidate addictive sports like climbing and cycling. Your bigger challenge will be keeping a car here since parking is a nightmare and insurance costs will probablly have you sacrificing Dura-Ace for Ultegra.

Otherwise, good luck in your move to the city and PM me when you get set up and are ready to do some riding.

the gunks aren't that far!

Dunno nothing about cyclocrossing, but there's hills in NJ just over the GWB and flats in LI and both can be ridden to. There's a rock climbing wall near Lincoln Center too.

what's up with Riverside Park? is it cool to ride off the paths there? Do people do that?

I'm gonna check out what "cyclocrossable" off-roading there is over the GWB eventually. As for climbing walls, the one near Lincoln Center sucks; poor route setting, questionable safety, and hands down the dirtiest gym ever (it doubles as a makeshift homeless shelter). PM me if you want to find out about good climbing walls in the area.

And to answer FraAngelico, Riverside Park is questionable as far as deviating from the paved bike paths. I've heard that cyclocrossers train there, usually in the mornings. Generally, you can't speed there as you might get a summons, if you don't first plow into a skater, jogger, powerwalker, or dog. I doubt, though, that it is not as patroled during the late fall and winter when snow and mud take over, the non-bikers dissapear, and urban miscreants like me shod the rims of my CX bike with knobbies. In reality, there aren't too many unpaved paths, just some dirt-paths worn into the grass alongside the paths between 97th street and the low-100s. You can improvise a psuedo-cross course by incorporating the many staircases, though.

crossers do practice in riverside...check this out: http://www.crca.net/coaching/

scroll down to october.

Thanks for the link, but arrrgghhh, they all fall on Jewish holidays this year. Grrr. Not to dismiss the holidays, it's one thing to miss school or work for a religious observance, but cyclocross? Boy this is hard. I can still ride on Sundays, but hopefully, those clinics will extend into November. I am gonna try for the one this Wednesday though, since Yom Kippur doesn't start until six in the evening.

There are a number of grassy "open" parks only 15 mins from the NJ side of the GWB. I even bet that there's something around Fort Lee HS. And there is a public park just 1 minute from the bridge; along Hudson Terrace, a 1/4 mile North of the bridge on the western side of the road. I think i once saw a cute girl sunbathing there too!

I used to do it at Kissena years ago with Al Toefield. NYVelo bike shop on 2nd Ave and 4thStreet in Manhattan is the spot to check out , they are the cyclocross center of NYC. The owner races also.

I ride horse trails when I get the chance to do them. it wet ,muddy and stinks like hell but fun .

S/F,
CEYA!

NYC is one of the finest cities in the country for cycling. Roadie culture is huge, Central Park and Prospect Park are happy training grounds, long rides to the country are a short hop over the GWB into Jersey, we've got a good velodrome and loads of disparate cool groups of riders. All the 'cross you want is within 1-3 hours drive all season long.

xccx, PM me if you are interested in racing - there's not much time left!