Papa Tom

I have a day off this Monday and I'm thinking about sneaking in another "epic" ride. Don't jump down my throat...notice I put "epic" in quotes. For me, anything beyond my commute to work is epic these days.

Having ridden the entire northern coast of Long Island (Manhattan to Orient Point), the entire southern coast of Connecticut (Pt. Chester, NY to Westerly, RI) and most of the southern coast of Long Island (Brooklyn to Westhampton Beach), I am still haunted by the shame of never having done the ritual ride to Montauk Point. At this point, I will never get around to riding from my home in Syosset to Montauk, but I'm willing to give myself a pat on the back for doing, say, Riverhead to Montauk Point. And then I'll add a Montauk-The End decal to my frame and never talk about it again.

So it looks like the elevation change toward the eastern end of this 45-mile ride is pretty severe. I haven't been out there in years and I really don't remember the hills, but I always hear people talking about them. Keeping in mind that I am riding a 1996 steel mountain bike with 26" X 2.35" Schwalbe Big Apple tires and I am completely exhausted from setting up concerts in direct sun every day all summer long, do yooz guys think I'm going to fall apart if I try this ride on Monday? Also, I haven't been on the bike since I returned from my 40-mile Connecticut ride on July 25th.

Steve B.

It gets hilly once you hit Hither Hills. You have a choice at that point of staying on Rt 27 or taking Old Montauk Hwy. which is rolling. It's then hilly again east of Montauk village.

Nothing is any worse then the north shore hills you ride currently, it's just a bunch of hills at the end of a flat ride is all.

No great ideas on a route. The LIE service road is the easiest and in truth, the best route east to about Horse Block Rd. It's better then the alternatives except heading to the south shore and riding the Ride to Montauk route. That's probably available on RideWithGPS or somewhere.

dendawg

The hills are really not that severe or long. You could start from Sag Harbor and make it around 50-60 miles round trip.

Papa Tom

I just looked back and saw that it was Hampton Bays that I rode to a few years ago, not Westhampton Beach. So now, the ground left to cover on the south shore is just about 41 miles from there to Montauk Point.

Meanwhile, I'm off today, also. It's an absolutely gorgeous day, but the last thing I feel like doing is getting on the bike. I think, after working outdoors in the muck and humidity for all of July, I'm really longing to stay clean and dry whenever I have a day off. I hope I can drag my butt out there on Monday.

FBinNY 

IME having ridden NYC to Montauk dozens of times, there are a few small rolling "hills" or large bumps in the road on old 27 east of the Shinnecock canal. (the Hamptons). However the only thing that qualifies as a climb of any kind is the short stretch through the aptly named Hither Hills just west of Montauk village.

The reality is that if there's an easterly or southeasterly wind of any kind of strength, the seemingly endless stretch between Amagansett and Hither Hills will be far tougher than the climb which follows.

Hopefully you have the blue MTA pass which will allow you to take the train home to Hicksville, and ride up to Syosset.

Papa Tom

Yeah, I've got an LIRR pass. This wouldn't be a round trip, regardless of the hills.

Update, Thursday PM: OK, I just found out the options for trains are really limited returning from Montauk on Monday. There's one in the 2pm hour, but the next one isn't until after 10:30 at night. Looks like this dream is squashed once again, unless I can come up with another alternative.

I just checked out a bunch of old stand-by rides and a couple of new ideas, but everything involves either rush-hour travel or other deal-breakers. I'm thinking now about maybe just finally doing the Kissena Corridor or riding Pt Jeff to Greenport again. I dunno. Something tells me I'm going to end up in front of this freaking computer on Monday, riding vicariously through all you guys who just get on the saddle and go.

Steve B.

I don't think the Montauk train goes to Hicksville. I believe it stay's on the Babylon branch the entire way to the city.

The LIRR on-line schedule shows a change in Jamaica with a near 3-1/2 hr. journey to get to Hicksville from Montauk.

Last weekday train out of Montauk is 2:51 as BTW.

FBinNY 

seems you're right. Here's a route map


I think hat the last time I rode the LIRR was when I chartered trains for the return trip on the annual Montauk ride. The return was routed through Mineola. This might have been the usual route at the time, or jut something they did with us. But that was then (almost 40 years ago) and this is now.

Steve B.

I couldn't actually find any info. that tells you if the Montauk train does, or does not go thru Hicksville. The map doesn't really show it. The on-line schedule states a change in Jamaica, thus the assumption is train goes to Babylon and stays on the Bablyon branch to Jamaica, which makes sense as I see these trains all the time. You then have to backtrack to Hicksville, seemingly.

FBinNY 

It's pretty moot. I only checked after your post as a reality check on my memory of something 30-40 years back. The OP won't be taking the train anyway, and anyone who might should be checking schedules rather than assuming anything.

dendawg

Returning using the Hampton Jitney is a possibility. They do charge an extra $15 for a bicycle which has to be stowed in the luggage compartment

kaos joe

You are correct, the 2:51 stays on the Babylon branch all the way. My cycling neophyte friend and I took it in June when he completed his first century. Train crew was very accommodating even though there were lots of bikes on the train. We made it in plenty of time from Massapequa Park in spite of a LOOOONG sit down lunch in Southampton. My wife & I have been wanting to do that ride but the LIRR pass states "no tandems".

BTW, my cycling neophyte friend is no longer a neophyte. He pedaled into Denver Wednesday and is resuming his ride to the Pacific today.