# Bergen County's 9W is a world-class cycling destination



## NYC_CAAD

Bergen County's 9W is a world-class cycling destination

Saturday, May 12, 2012 
BY SACHI FUJIMORI
STAFF WRITER
The Record



> Hundreds of spandex-clad New Yorkers, their colorful jerseys representing tribal affiliation — NY Velocity, Team Lipstick, Asphalt Green — roll into Fort Lee each weekend when the weather warms. They join throngs of New Jersey cyclists all pedaling toward the same destination: 9W, the U.S. highway that is among the nation's most traveled cycling routes.
> Cyclists ride through U.S. Route 9W in Tenafly, NJ.
> ELIZABETH LARA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
> Cyclists ride through U.S. Route 9W in Tenafly, NJ.
> 
> Starting near the George Washington Bridge and extending through Alpine into Piermont, Nyack and Bear Mountain State Park in New York State, the route has cultural cachet that reaches well beyond Bergen County. A Brooklyn-based cycling photo magazine with international circulation is named after it, and next Sunday, some 5,000 riders will traverse its rolling hills for Gran Fondo New York, a high-profile Italian-style cycling event.
> Points of interest along the 9W loop from Fort Lee to Nyack, N.Y.:
> 
> 1. George Washington Bridge : On bike, there is only one way off the island of Manhattan into New Jersey: a narrow fence opening on the bridge’s pedestrian walkway that opens onto Fort Lee’s Hudson Terrace. On busy weekends, there is a bottleneck here.
> 
> 2. Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Fort Lee: A popular meeting point for a cappuccino before heading out to 9W.
> 
> 3. There are various options for getting to 9W; most bikers proceed north on Hudson Terrace 2 miles to East Palisade Avenue .
> 
> Some avoid 9W altogether at this point and take Henry Hudson Drive.
> 
> 4. Bunbury’s Coffee Shop, 460 Piermont Ave., Piermont, N.Y.: On weekends, the bike racks are filled and cyclists sip coffee on the benches outside the store.
> 
> 5. Runcible Spoon, 37 N. Broadway, Nyack, N.Y.: A popular turnaround point about 20 miles from the George Washington Bridge.
> 
> 6. “The State Line Hill”: The last major incline before you re-enter New Jersey. Cyclists often race up this snaking stretch, about 0.6 miles in distance, to the state-line sign.
> 
> "I've been riding on 9W for 30 years, and it's becoming the most popular bike route in the country," said Capt. Tim Ford of the Fort Lee Police Department. "You see some of the nicest bikes in the world; people who live in Manhattan and don't have cars like to spend money on their wheels."
> 
> Its sojourners speak with reverence about the route's attributes: the wide shoulders good for riding in pace lines; the tree-lined stretches, heart-pumping hills and café pit stops along the way that are as much a part of the 9W experience as racing the last incline to the state line. "It's the best road around here to ride," said Mario Kranjac, a lawyer from Englewood Cliffs.
> 
> Kranjac's longtime cycling friend Estukazu Taniguchi, of Manhattan, feels equally at home on the Bergen County road. "It's my weekend home — my training ground and playground," said Taniguchi, who races with the team FGX. "I can almost ride it with my eyes closed."
> 
> The New Jersey Department of Transportation is taking note of 9W's cycling boom. A recent study conducted on nine miles of the road passing through Tenafly and Alpine found that bicyclists accounted for up to 47 percent of the traffic on weekends. One Saturday last October, 1,006 bikers heading south toward the bridge passed the intersection of Sylvan (9W) and East Clinton avenues.
> 
> Superstar cyclist Lance Armstrong has helped raise the profile of biking in the U.S. in recent years. But beyond his star power, the sport hits a certain sweet spot for middle-aged weekend warriors that running and golf just can't match. Like surfing, it has a distinctive aesthetic; cyclists can wear spandex in public and still look good. Cycling offers as much of an adrenaline rush as running, with moments of quiet beauty, too. On a recent Saturday morning, a trio of team cyclists slowed their pace to cheer on a mother goose and her baby toddling across the road, narrowly escaping a car.
> 
> Cycling's global culture transcends race, class and nationality. "You get the guy making minimum wage and presidents and CEOs of companies riding together. They all meld together when they're on bikes. No one knows what you're making. It's a different state of mind," said Nelson Gutierrez, owner of Fort Lee's Strictly Bicycles.
> 
> To witness the sport's explosion in recent years, drop by his shop on a Saturday morning. He gambled three years ago by borrowing $2 million and relocating his shop to Hudson Terrace, directly on the path of bikers exiting the bridge. With a cappuccino bar and two levels of top-of-the-line gear, his store has become a bustling rendezvous point for cyclists embarking on the 9W ride.
> 
> Cycling's popularity is growing for several reasons. As baby boomers age, they're looking for a lower-impact workout that keeps them super-fit. "It really keeps you in shape. Everyone I know who is aging looks 10 years younger than their age. And there's a lot of camaraderie," said Jennifer Benepe, a bike safety advocate and owner of a cycling apparel business in Fort Lee.
> 
> Another major factor is the explosion of triathlon competitors. Athletes who are looking for the next challenge after marathons are flocking to swim-bike-run events. This August, the first Ironman Competition in New York and New Jersey will take place, including a 112-mile bike loop through Bergen and Rockland counties on the Palisades Parkway, which will shut down for the race.
> 
> The thrill for 9W devotees like Fort Lee's Ford is that you never know who you're going to end up riding with. One cold November day, he stopped at a Piermont coffee shop, planning to rest for a bit before he pedaled back home. His plans were changed when a friend ran into him and said cycling star George Hincapie was in the shop, and he'd better hurry up if he wanted to ride with the group back to New Jersey. Ford rode all the way home with a pack of Wall Street executives and the USA cycling team member. "It was great. I went home and called all my buddies to tell them I just rode with George."
> 
> Email: [email protected]



Bergen County's 9W is a world-class cycling destination - NorthJersey.com


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## NYC_CAAD

*Points of interest along the 9W loop from Fort Lee to Nyack, N.Y.:*



> 1. George Washington Bridge : On bike, there is only one way off the island of Manhattan into New Jersey: a narrow fence opening on the bridge’s pedestrian walkway that opens onto Fort Lee’s Hudson Terrace. On busy weekends, there is a bottleneck here.
> 
> 2. Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Fort Lee: A popular meeting point for a cappuccino before heading out to 9W.
> 
> 3. There are various options for getting to 9W; most bikers proceed north on Hudson Terrace 2 miles to East Palisade Avenue .
> 
> Some avoid 9W altogether at this point and take Henry Hudson Drive.
> 
> 4. Bunbury’s Coffee Shop, 460 Piermont Ave., Piermont, N.Y.: On weekends, the bike racks are filled and cyclists sip coffee on the benches outside the store.
> 
> 5. Runcible Spoon, 37 N. Broadway, Nyack, N.Y.: A popular turnaround point about 20 miles from the George Washington Bridge.
> 
> 6. “The State Line Hill”: The last major incline before you re-enter New Jersey. Cyclists often race up this snaking stretch, about 0.6 miles in distance, to the state-line sign.


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## RJP Diver

GREAT - now everyone will know about it!


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## AlanE

I can understand the popularity of this road among the city dwellers, but calling it a "world class cycling destination" might be more than just a bit of an exageration.


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## rkdvsm

Read the comments on the website link provided. People hate us =(


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## Vayinafash

Too many cars for me. For NYC riders, hop on Metro North - lots of great riding in Westchester on less crowded roads.


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## Banks246

Do you need a permit to bring your bike on Metro North?


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## stoked

rkdvsm said:


> Read the comments on the website link provided. People hate us =(


Saw the comments. The posters complaining about cyclist making it difficult to drive in narrow roads near Piermont forget to mention about residents parking on east side of the road before and after Piermont and taking up a a width of an SUV especially by 2 churches when the service is in session.


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## Vayinafash

Metro North RR requires a permit - look on line or go to Grand Central - I think it is pretty cheap. In Westchester you look up Westchester Cycle Club to learn roads.


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## NJBiker72

Vayinafash said:


> Too many cars for me. For NYC riders, hop on Metro North - lots of great riding in Westchester on less crowded roads.


Or njtransit. Go out to far hills or even summit and ride west.


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## AlanE

NJBiker72 said:


> Or njtransit. Go out to far hills or even summit and ride west.


Oh great, that's just what we need, a bunch of spandex-clad city folk clogging up our beautiful unspoiled country roads. 

Stick to 9W - it's a world class cycling destination, didn't you know?


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## RJP Diver

NJBiker72 said:


> Or njtransit. Go out to far hills or even summit and ride west.





AlanE said:


> Oh great, that's just what we need, a bunch of spandex-clad city folk clogging up our beautiful unspoiled country roads.


"These are not the rides you're looking for..."


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## NJBiker72

AlanE said:


> Oh great, that's just what we need, a bunch of spandex-clad city folk clogging up our beautiful unspoiled country roads.
> 
> Stick to 9W - it's a world class cycling destination, didn't you know?


Just trying to pitch NJ as something other than swamps, warehouses and the Sopranos.

On the other hand the Great Swamp is a nice ride close to NYC. I saw more cyclists there than cars on Saturday morning.


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## rkdvsm

stoked said:


> Saw the comments. The posters complaining about cyclist making it difficult to drive in narrow roads near Piermont forget to mention about residents parking on east side of the road before and after Piermont and taking up a a width of an SUV especially by 2 churches when the service is in session.


You know I was thinking the same thing. Whether we are there are not, drivers still have to get around those parked cars. These complaints are usually made by non-cyclists.


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## AlanE

NJBiker72 said:


> Just trying to pitch NJ as something other than swamps, warehouses and the Sopranos.
> 
> On the other hand the Great Swamp is a nice ride close to NYC. I saw more cyclists there than cars on Saturday morning.


I just wanted to dispute the notion that roads which are popular with other cyclists are necessarily great places to ride. I mean saying that 9W is a world class cycling destination because it's over-run with riders from the city is like saying that Coney Island is a world class beach.

On the other hand, yesterday we did a 65 mile ride in PA out by the water gap on beautiful undulating smooth ribbons of asphalt, almost no traffic, with a few challenging climbs and breathtaking views. I remember thinking that it doesn't get much better. And during the entire ride we saw exactly one other cyclist.


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## jmoryl

Don't you know? Anything popular with Manhattanites automatically becomes "world-class".


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## RJP Diver

AlanE said:


> And during the entire ride we saw exactly one other cyclist.


Did they wave?


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## RkFast

AlanE said:


> I just wanted to dispute the notion that roads which are popular with other cyclists are necessarily great places to ride. I mean saying that 9W is a world class cycling destination because it's over-run with riders from the city is like saying that Coney Island is a world class beach.


Great coffee shops with tons of riders hanging out in front...a fantastic scene at Strictly...lots of riders out enjoying themselves alone or in groups up and down the road from the Bridge up to Bear and back. Good asphalt. Some nice climbs. The show and go at the Runcible or stopping for some fresh fruit at the Orchards mid-ride. The extended descent diving into the turns going down Bear or breaking your legs to crest Buckberg.

Youre right.....What a horrid image.


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## RkFast

jmoryl said:


> Don't you know? Anything popular with Manhattanites automatically becomes "world-class".


If you were paying triple what you should for pretty much everything, youd feel that way, too.


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## Vibe

Gregg Hatten · Owner/Engineer at EggHead Recording
...and...they think they're athletes!


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## easyridernyc

RJP Diver said:


> GREAT - now everyone will know about it!


i'm sayin


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## Mergetrio

I'm a Newb here. I'm a resident of Englewood Cliffs, NJ (5 min from GW bridge) and have witnessed the precipitous increase of bikers on 9W for the past 8 years. I've driven by countless number of bikers on 9W, and often wondered about the safety of the bikers.

Anyway, I'm seriously thinking of getting back into biking after a long hiatus (almost 19 years) from biking. I used to live in Manhattan in the early 90's and rode my Cannondale 3.0 mountain bike in the central park. I'm hoping to get it tuned up, and also get a road bike!

I'm getting excited to get back on two wheels, get some great information, and join in on the discussions here!


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