Lucky07

If you're in or travelling to the Dutchess/Ulster county area in upstate NY this weekend, there is a fun charity ride on Sunday in Kingston.

There are short family routes and up to a 50 mile out and back. Check it out: www.bikeforcancer.com.

I did the 50 miler last year and it was great. Nice rolling terrain, quiet roads, amazing scenery.

Registration is inexpensive & ride support is decent.

Lucky07

My ride report:

After a forecast of rain earlier in the week, it turned out to be a beautiful day. Sunny, in the 70's, no wind. A perfect day for riding.

I met up with Islander2260 & we headed over to the start. We registered, got our ride numbers & lined up for the 8:30 kick off.

There seemed to be about 50-60 riders on the Fifty Mile Route. A tiny, but extremely loud cannon signalled the start of the the ride.

We took off in a fast group that split after a few miles, A few guys went off the front & we stuck with about 6-7 guys. The pace kept to a steady 20-22mph for the first 10 miles or so.

Our paceline group was pretty sketchy though. One guy was all over the road & took off a few times during his pull, only to be reeled back in after a few minutes. Another guy didn't want to pull at all & kept wigging out every time he found himself in the front. Despite this we stayed together for the first 25 miles or so.

The scenery was beautiful. Rolling hills and farmlands through Hurley and New Paltz. The route was well marked and most turns featured volunteers pointing in the right direction and controlling car traffic. Excellent job by the ride organizers.

After one of my pulls, we hit a long uphill section. At the top of the climb, I reached for my water bottle, knocked it loose & turned to see it rolling back down the hill. Gah! I stopped & went back to get the bottle. Of course by the time I got back up the hill, the group had dropped me. I sprinted to get back, but they were out of sight in seconds. I kept up my pace, hoping I'd catch them at a turn or a rest stop, but they blasted ahead.

I rode solo for another 5 miles or so, before hooking up with another group. I thought the first group was sketchy, but the 2nd group was almost total chaos. Riders going off the front on their turns, guys passing, and then falling back within seconds, guys all over the road, riding too far apart, etc. It was insane. Somehow, we managed to keep up a decent pace, which was miraculous considering all of the crazy individual riding styles.

Around the 40 mile mark my right hamstring started to tighten. I tried to relax, but it gradually got worse. Luckily the pace eased a bit around them & my leg loosened up a bit. It was still tight, but not unbearable.

The group stopped at the final rest stop & I decided to keep going. I rode off with one other guy & we kept up the pace for the rest of the ride.

Finished up the ride in 2:36 with a 19.6 mph average. Decent time for me.

Met up with Islander. He had rolled in with one of the lead groups ahead of me. My wife & kids showed up a few minutes after. They were disappointed they missed the finish, but they consolled themselves with cookies & fruit at the snack table.

All in all an excellent ride. Well organized, great route and amazing weather. Definitely check out that ride if you're in the dutchess/ulster area of upstate NY. It's well worth it.