# Tenafly to 9W (minimize steep gradiants)



## boogermin (Aug 30, 2012)

Hi there. New to Bergen County. Tenafly is nice and all, but lots of hills of varying steepness. Some days I just don't have the legs or the desire to do much climbing. For those days, does anyone know how to get to 9W while avoiding steep climbs or long sustained climbs like East Palisades Ave?

Thanks.


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

This is my beef with riding in Rockland. Love it for the hills but its very hard to find a flat place to do a recovery ride. I climbed 9,000 feet yesterday and couldn't get myself motivated to climb even 1,000 today, so wound up laying in bed and postponing the ride to Monday. 

interested to hear what people come up with on your route question.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

The least steep option I'm aware of is to go north on County Road/Piermont road/Rte 340 (all the same road, different names) to Sparkill, NY then up to 9W from there. You can then go South on 9W back to Tenafly. 

Until you're familiar with them, the turns in Sparkill are a little confusing. From 340 (the name of the road once it crosses into NY), bear left at the fork with Highland (just past the firehouse). Bear right after the pond onto Valentine. At the T, go left, then at the light go right up to 9W. Then you can go south on 9W. 

On 9W there are 2 significant climbs (depending on how you count them), there's the climb up to Lamont/Dougherty from just past Oak Tree Rd, then there's the climb from the Palisades Pkwy exit 4 up to the top where the big cell tower is. Neither climb is very steep. After that it is fairly flat to E. Clinton, and you can go down the hill back to Tenafly, or continue S. on 9W.

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with Bergen, other than the 9W/County Rd corridor and NE Bergen bounded by Saddle River Rd to the west and Washington Ave/Wearimus to the south.

For recovery rides, I do the Rivervale Rd/Herriot Ave/Tappan Rd/Old Tappan Road loop, which you can reach from Piermont Rd by turning left (west) on Broadway from Piermont Rd in Norwood. Tenafly to Norwood on County Rd/Piermont Rd, once around the loop and then back to Tenafly on Piermont/County should give you about a 2 hr, fairly flat route for recovery.


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## mtrac (Sep 23, 2013)

If you have a destination in mind, try Google Maps with bicycle routing. I've had some success with it.


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## boogermin (Aug 30, 2012)

Quite helpful, all. Thank you. Forum is quite kind. I was waiting for a "harden the f#@k up" post... Ha.




D&MsDad said:


> The least steep option I'm aware of is to go north on County Road/Piermont road/Rte 340 (all the same road, different names) to Sparkill, NY then up to 9W from there. You can then go South on 9W back to Tenafly.
> 
> Until you're familiar with them, the turns in Sparkill are a little confusing. From 340 (the name of the road once it crosses into NY), bear left at the fork with Highland (just past the firehouse). Bear right after the pond onto Valentine. At the T, go left, then at the light go right up to 9W. Then you can go south on 9W.
> 
> ...


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

boogermin said:


> Quite helpful, all. Thank you. Forum is quite kind. I was waiting for a "harden the f#@k up" post... Ha.



When I'm climbing from Tenafly/Englewood up to 9W, I tend to hide my suffering by using the little roads through the McMansions (Piermont Rd/Huyler Ave/Engle/E. Hudson/Elkwood/Lydecker/Speer/Highview/Lewelen/Douglas/Woodland/Chestnut/Summit) rather than subject myself to ridicule on Clinton or E. Palisades. Not less steep, but more private.


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

D&MsDad said:


> From 340 (the name of the road once it crosses into NY), bear left at the fork with Highland (just past the firehouse). Bear right after the pond onto Valentine. At the T, go left, then at the light go right up to 9W. Then you can go south on 9W.


If he just bears _right_ at the fork with Highland (just past the firehouse) that takes him directly up to 9W South!


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

Bob Ross said:


> If he just bears _right_ at the fork with Highland (just past the firehouse) that takes him directly up to 9W South!


True, but he was asking for a route that minimized the gradient. There's a bit of a climb from the fork to 9W, and it's much more gradual if you go straight, then up to 9W via Valentine/Piermont/Highland.

If he wanted to go directly from Tenafly to 9W he could just go up E. Clinton, but that's not what he asked.

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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

D&MsDad said:


> True, but he was asking for a route that minimized the gradient. There's a bit of a climb from the fork to 9W, and it's much more gradual if you go straight, then up to 9W via Valentine/Piermont/Highland.


Ah, fair point. Given how short either of those two "climbs" are up to 9W it didn't occur to me that the gradient would be an issue there.


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

Bob Ross said:


> Given how short either of those two "climbs" are up to 9W it didn't occur to me that the gradient would be an issue there.


btw, I rode Highland up to 9W this morning and I'm not convinced the gradient is any less steep than taking the right on Valentine up to 9W. 

Also, making that right from Highland onto 9W South is illegal, in case that matters to any cyclists here.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

Ah, sorry, I didn't know that. I always go up Highland from Valentine at the fork, myself, so I knew neither of those things. 

From the light on Orangeburg rd the climb up to 9W looks easier than the climb up from the fork, but then they all look easier from the bottom...


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