# I just signed up fr the "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" Poughkeepsie, NY June 29th



## chriscc63

*Just signed up for "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" June 29th Poughkeepsie, NY*

I just signed up for "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" in Poughkeepsie, NY on June 29th. Anybody else going?

Its a nice and hilly ride and last year it was fun except it poured rain the last few miles of the ride and washed out the after party.

I am hoping this year will be better weather. I plan on doing the 75 mile only cause its hilly and my biking buddy is always out of shape so he probably won't be able to hack the century. Here is a clip from my ride there last year.






Anywho, if you need to sign up? See link below

Discover Hudson Valley Ride | Bike New York


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## mtrac

This looks nice. Might be time to try for a century. Thanks.


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## NJBiker72

I signed up for this a few years ago then had a crash in May and was out of commission. 

Don't think it fits mg schedule but it does look like a nice ride.


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## mtrac

Can someone give me an idea of the hills on the century? I know there is about 7,700 feet of climbing. Thanks.


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## chriscc63

Here is a link to the route map showing the elevation climbs
Route | Bike New York
Its pretty clear of every up and down. There seems to be a painful looking hill about the 50 and 70 mile mark. As wimpy as I am, I was able to tackle the 75 mile last year by just taking the hills a little slower and in the "proper" gear.
I am taking metro north up. Hope to see you there.


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## stoked

This looks like a great ride without calling it a GF and charging $200 plus for it. If the weather is good I might sign up morning of the ride.


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## chriscc63

stoked said:


> This looks like a great ride without calling it a GF and charging $200 plus for itLOL. If the weather is good I might sign up morning of the ride.


No, sign up beforehand. You must commit. commit commit commit.


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## mtrac

chriscc63 said:


> Here is a link to the route map showing the elevation climbs
> Route | Bike New York
> Its pretty clear of every up and down. There seems to be a painful looking hill about the 50 and 70 mile mark. As wimpy as I am, I was able to tackle the 75 mile last year by just taking the hills a little slower and in the "proper" gear.


I'm going to sign up for a century and hope for the best.


Event Info said:


> This ride will feature nine rest stops, a 1.4 mile time trial and approximately 7677ft of rolling hills for your riding pleasure.


I rode 82 miles today, including climbing to Lake Welch, and my total elevation gain was only 5,052 feet.


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## NJBiker72

*Re: I just signed up fr the "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" Poughkeepsie, NY June 29th*



mtrac said:


> I'm going to sign up for a century and hope for the best.I rode 82 miles today, including climbing to Lake Welch, and my total elevation gain was only 5,052 feet.


How do they do a time trial mid century? Missed that in the ride description.


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## robdamanii

I used to live in the area. 

Wasn't terribly impressed by their routing last year when I saw it after the fact, but what can you do? It's designed for Manhattanites.

If you want a really GOOD ride in the HV, inquire with the Mid Hudson Bike Club - they run weekly rides out of a variety of places and would be glad to show you the best of the area.


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## NJBiker72

*Re: I just signed up fr the "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" Poughkeepsie, NY June 29th*



robdamanii said:


> I used to live in the area.
> 
> Wasn't terribly impressed by their routing last year when I saw it after the fact, but what can you do? It's designed for Manhattanites.
> 
> If you want a really GOOD ride in the HV, inquire with the Mid Hudson Bike Club - they run weekly rides out of a variety of places and would be glad to show you the best of the area.


My brother in law is in that area and we always talk about getting out for a ride. Tough though to add 3 hours of driving into a day where you ride 5 hours and then get back for a million kid activities. But it does sound like a nice place to ride.


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## chriscc63

mtrac said:


> I'm going to sign up for a century and hope for the best.I rode 82 miles today, including climbing to Lake Welch, and my total elevation gain was only 5,052 feet.


Good job MTRAC:
I did 74 miles Sunday myself on the south/North county trail. 82 is better and you had hills. That's what my rides are lacking, challenging hills, and there are plenty on the H.V ride. In my youtube clip at the first real hill (1.40 min.) I stopped to show all the novice riders walking it up, poor buggers.:frown2: we were less than 5 miles into ride.


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## chriscc63

*Mid Hudson Bike Club*



robdamanii said:


> I used to live in the area.
> 
> Wasn't terribly impressed by their routing last year when I saw it after the fact, but what can you do? It's designed for Manhattanites.
> 
> If you want a really GOOD ride in the HV, inquire with the Mid Hudson Bike Club - they run weekly rides out of a variety of places and would be glad to show you the best of the area.


Robdamanii: the route wasn't so bad. Im sure it could have been better, but still it not so bad. Understand these rides are designed to give everyone, more specifically out of towners a taste of all the good areas in the county. This is mostly for tourism. 

The Mid Hudson bike club sounds Very interesting. Maybe you could post a few rides for us here. I wouldn't mind being a day tripper and explore side roads of HV. I easily jump on the metro north in Bronx and 50 min I'm in Poughkeepsie. I spent all my summers in Pinebush and know New Paltz very well.


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## chriscc63

NJBiker72 said:


> How do they do a time trial mid century? Missed that in the ride description.


NJBiker: If I remember correctly we had chips and there was sign "stating timed trial begins here" and the finish line was video recorded as well as with the chip sensor. Then I went on line , type in your bib number and they had a video clip of you crossing with time. cute.


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## NJBiker72

chriscc63 said:


> NJBiker: If I remember correctly we had chips and there was sign "stating timed trial begins here" and the finish line was video recorded as well as with the chip sensor. Then I went on line , type in your bib number and they had a video clip of you crossing with time. cute.


Sounds similar to the timed climbs in a lot of Gran Fondos plus the camera. Would be tough to prevent teams from working together though.


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## 9W9W

2:47 to 3:00 is the best footage you took that day!


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## stoked

chriscc63 said:


> No, sign up beforehand. You must commit. commit commit commit.


I am not afraid of the distance or the climbs. I've done 119 miles 10 days ago with 9K vertical up. However, I refuse to ride that kind of distance in the rain. I got caught in rain and rode back home 25 miles in it few weeks ago and hated every minute of it.


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## NJBiker72

*Re: I just signed up fr the "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" Poughkeepsie, NY June 29th*



stoked said:


> I am not afraid of the distance or the climbs. I've done 119 miles 10 days ago with 9K vertical up. However, I refuse to ride that kind of distance in the rain. I got caught in rain and rode back home 25 miles in it few weeks ago and hated every minute of it.


There is something to be said for last minute sign ups. I did GFNY last year in pouring rain. Of course even last minute the forecast was for an occasional shower. 

Hurricane Irene cancelled what was supposed to be my first century.


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## chriscc63

9W9W said:


> 2:47 to 3:00 is the best footage you took that day!


Yea your right, My camera work sucks, I guess except for when there are hot babes . And they blew right by us leaving us in the dust.
My little flip camera has no stabilizer in it and all my videos have this herky jerky :mad2: I hate that. I am working on a wrist mount for the camera so I just have to hold steady wrist:thumbsup:.


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## 9W9W

chriscc63 said:


> Yea your right, My camera work sucks, I guess except for when there are hot babes . And they blew right by us leaving us in the dust.
> My little flip camera has no stabilizer in it and all my videos have this herky jerky :mad2: I hate that. I am working on a wrist mount for the camera so I just have to hold steady wrist:thumbsup:.


I suspect if you had a go-pro you'd naturally have more footage resembling 2:47-3:00. 

After seeing your video I've decided to bringing mah woman up there to ride one of these sunny weekends. Great viwes and footage. Thanks.

I can reciprocate with this pro tip: Ithaca, Finger Lakes, NY. Great wine, amazing food, bikes (and drivers who respect the culture), sunsets and tens of miles of ribbony roads.


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## chriscc63

NJBiker72 said:


> There is something to be said for last minute sign ups. I did GFNY last year in pouring rain. Of course even last minute the forecast was for an occasional shower.
> 
> Hurricane Irene cancelled what was supposed to be my first century.


Good job Stoked (119m @ 9K) Im impressed.
I'm just bustin chops with the commit thing. I have tried to sign up at events in past and a few times they were full or since I didn't sign up in advance I didn't put in on my calendar, didn't allocate the time and I got lazy and just didn't go.

Im the first one to get cold in the rain (thin blood) so I know how much it SUCKS to ride in rain. I'm with you on that.


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## mtrac

OK, I'm officially in. See everyone in June.


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## chriscc63

Great to have you aboard for this ride mtrac. 
:thumbsup:


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## mtrac

Have never done an organized ride. Is a cue sheet holder useful? Will have more questions as the date approaches.


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## NJBiker72

*Re: I just signed up fr the "Discover Hudson Valley Ride" Poughkeepsie, NY June 29th*




mtrac said:


> Have never done an organized ride. Is a cue sheet holder useful? Will have more questions as the date approaches.


Could be. Bought one. Never used it. Depends how well marked the roads are and how big the group. 

If it is well marked, you are in a group (either friends or people along the way) and/or there are volunteers at intersections, then they are useless. Otoh, I have gone off the front on one poorly marked ride I was doing on my own, got to a bridge that was out and realized no one followed me up and down that monster hill.


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## chriscc63

NJBiker72 said:


> Could be. Bought one. Never used it. Depends how well marked the roads are and how big the group.
> 
> If it is well marked, you are in a group (either friends or people along the way) and/or there are volunteers at intersections, then they are useless. Otoh, I have gone off the front on one poorly marked ride I was doing on my own, got to a bridge that was out and realized no one followed me up and down that monster hill.


Q-sheet holder is use-full, but I just use a binder clip I stole from the office and clip it onto the cable housing.

Last year the roads were rather well marked, with that said we did make a wrong turn 2 miles into the ride, just over the bridge because there was no mark at this one intersection. But that was the only instance of question. Just stay with the crowd, look for the ground markers and it should be ok. IMHO.

Last year I took Metro north but I'm thinking of driving, I am in the Bronx.


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## mtrac

Today was "interesting."

One of my bottle cages fell apart shortly into the ride. A good Samaritan retrieved the bottle and I stuck it in my jersey pocket
The binder clip method of securing the cue sheet is a work in progress. Lost the sheet not long after the bottle. It didn't matter at first because I was riding with a group, but ...
I got separated from the other riders after a rest stop. Missed a turn and ended up going about four miles out of my way. Called up RidewithGPS to figure out where the turn was and doubled back, turning it into a 110 mile day. Certainly popped my century cherry
Stava's elevation total is about 1,000 feet less than the organizer stated. Nevertheless, many riders I saw struggled with the bigger hills. I think one factor is I lost a lot of time and ended up falling in with slower riders
Someone had the rotten idea to include a lengthy stretch of gravel in the route
The organizers did a very good job, overall. I carried way too much food and water with me
I had a good time, but I'm not sure I'd be up for it next year


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## NJBiker72

Congratulations. Sounds like a fun time. Missed turns, minor mishaps happen. No big deal. Oh and gravel can be fun. Try some of the routes down here in NJ and PA.


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## chriscc63

First lets say we had a gorgeous day and the smell of horse dung and every kind of road kill imaginable was refreshing and as Mtrac states it was Very well organized, supported and a great after party atmosphere, yay t-shirts. Good thing I lathered up with sun screen because, as you remember, it was hot and sun was intense and I know I drank over a gallon of fluid.

So many people got lost or made wrong turns, me included. I didn't even use the cue sheet but instead relied on the ground markings. We missed a few turns because we were enjoying the scenery and the excruciating thigh muscle pain on all those grueling hills. Luckly we quickly realized it and were able to get back on track with out going miles out of the way. Mtrac, I saw so many nice new water bottles along the first part of the ride and should have picked them up but couldn't because I was in a pack because then I would have just been a garbage collector. Everyone struggled with all the hills and I almost had to walk one myself. 

I was so full from all the rest stop food each time but the water, Gatorade and believe it or not, the beef jerky was our lifesaver. I really felt the jerky protean replacement did it for me and got me thru this ride after the 50 mile mark. When I do my century rides on my own I have this rule to eat one granola bar every hour, but I will be switching or alternating with some jerky .

We ended up doing the 75 mile route I did not really encounter any gravel sections. My friend kept saying he was practicing on this hill in central park but after this ride that hill seems merely a pimple. I was witness to one 2 bike accident, two older guys head over heals and one bike damaged beyond repair. luckily only one guy only had badly scrapped knuckles, some road rash and damaged pride. Believe me it could have been tons worse considering how fast we were all going. support picked him up. One lazy fat biache had support drive her back from the 55 mile rest stop back (10-15 miles) cause she was "a little tired".

I could not believe how many women cyclist there were in this sport in general and how many mature people did the 75 mile portion.

I had a good time and have the pain to prove it. I Will be doing this again next year.


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## eugenetsang

Sounds like an awesome time. Last year, I rode the "Ride the Hudson River Valley" or something similar. i wonder if its the same route/organizer? We started in Red Hook, NY at some college. From there we went north, made circles around a few towns. I believe it was Germantown? Ended the ride back at the college where had started. Had a complementary meal with the students at the school. 

It was kind of odd while dressed up in lycra dining with the "kids" at their own domain. Nonetheless, I had an OK time. Wasn't WOWed about it, since all the scenery were pretty much the same. Farmland after farmland. No where to stop to grab a quick bite... Didn't see any stores, until we crossed over the bridge over to the Jersey side of NY... Where we saw a gas station and loaded up on snacks.... After around 70 miles... my buddy and i decided to cut the ride short. Our intended goal was the full 100... But at this point, it was pointless. The route took us in circles. Nothing really exciting to see.. Figured we pack up early and made our 2+ hour drive back to NYC


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## Social Climber

eugenetsang said:


> Sounds like an awesome time. Last year, I rode the "Ride the Hudson River Valley" or something similar. i wonder if its the same route/organizer? We started in Red Hook, NY at some college. From there we went north, made circles around a few towns. I believe it was Germantown? Ended the ride back at the college where had started. Had a complementary meal with the students at the school.
> 
> It was kind of odd while dressed up in lycra dining with the "kids" at their own domain. Nonetheless, I had an OK time. Wasn't WOWed about it, since all the scenery were pretty much the same. Farmland after farmland. No where to stop to grab a quick bite... Didn't see any stores, until we crossed over the bridge over to the Jersey side of NY... Where we saw a gas station and loaded up on snacks.... After around 70 miles... my buddy and i decided to cut the ride short. Our intended goal was the full 100... But at this point, it was pointless. The route took us in circles. Nothing really exciting to see.. Figured we pack up early and made our 2+ hour drive back to NYC


Sounds more like the "Bike the River Valley Ride." I rode that one last year. It started at Bard College in Anandale [insert reference to the Steely Dan song here]. Nice ride, different organizer. Personally I could have done without the trip into Kingston but I guess they wanted to get us across the bridge for the views.


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## chriscc63

Social Climber said:


> Sounds more like the "Bike the River Valley Ride." I rode that one last year. It started at Bard College in Anandale [insert reference to the Steely Dan song here]. Nice ride, different organizer. Personally I could have done without the trip into Kingston but I guess they wanted to get us across the bridge for the views.


I wonder if its the golden apple ride by the Westchester cycle club (WCC).

Either way, I still enjoyed the ride because of the "farm after farm" view. I say this because I came from the city so this is a great change of scenery. I like these views, that's just me.

I understand if your were a little let down with the support given on your ride. I consider myself lucky to have had good support with the Discover Hudson Val. ride. Support really does make the ride much more enjoyable. Its motivation to see others in pain at these rest stops with you and the replenishment of liquids, protein, etc.


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## Social Climber

chriscc63 said:


> I wonder if its the golden apple ride by the Westchester cycle club (WCC).
> 
> Either way, I still enjoyed the ride because of the "farm after farm" view. I say this because I came from the city so this is a great change of scenery. I like these views, that's just me.
> 
> I understand if your were a little let down with the support given on your ride. I consider myself lucky to have had good support with the Discover Hudson Val. ride. Support really does make the ride much more enjoyable. Its motivation to see others in pain at these rest stops with you and the replenishment of liquids, protein, etc.


Golden Apple is further south, in Westchester County. I had no issues with support on the Bike the River Valley ride. I thought it was OK. Having lunch in a college cafeteria afterwards was a bit unusual (usually I would expect a picnic lunch), but there was plenty of variety and the quality was good.


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## eugenetsang

Social Climber said:


> Golden Apple is further south, in Westchester County. I had no issues with support on the Bike the River Valley ride. I thought it was OK. Having lunch in a college cafeteria afterwards was a bit unusual (usually I would expect a picnic lunch), but there was plenty of variety and the quality was good.




Glad that I wasn't the only one that felt out of place while dining with the students haha. 

As for "support"... I don't think there were any on that ride? I remember hitting one checkpoint where kids with a garden hose were replenishing riders bottles. Nothing along the rides like MS, ADA, or gran fondo.... Unless I missed all the support?

But anways upstate NY has lots of scenic views. Totally worth the drive and ride with the gang or family in the Fall. But definitely won't be riding 70+ miles though. Unless I'm doing a training ride or something, which I probably never will haha


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