On to Old New Paltz: Coffeeneuring Day 6

New Paltz is a Hudson Valley gem. Founded in 1678 by French Huguenots, the village still hosts a rich collection of colonial stone houses and churches. Home to a state university campus and nestled into the side of the remarkable Shawangunk Ridge, New Paltz has something for just about everyone. The climbing, hiking and cycling are all world class and the food and shopping aren't bad either. When in town, be sure to stop by the Bicycle Depot for all of your cycling needs.

Location: New Paltz, NY
Venue: The Mudd Puddle
Coffee: Espresso
Carbs: Chocolate chip cookies
Mileage: 22

Coffeeneuring at the Night of 100 Pumpkins: Ride 5

Each year in the village of New Paltz, The Bakery, a small locally-owned coffee shop hosts a Halloween extravaganza known as the "Night of 100 Pumpkins." Children and adults alike contribute original pumpkin designs that are judged in a wide range of categories. This year, due to Hurricane Sandy, the event was postponed until this evening. After the sun sets, the candles are lit and the drumming begins as Bakery employees distribute free baked treats and hot apple cider. I decided to pop over to New Paltz this afternoon to get a peak at the entries and satisfy the requirements of my fifth Coffeeneur Challenge ride of the season. I enjoyed a hot cup of french roast coffee and a seasonal pumpkin-oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Below are a few of my favorite contest entries.

Ride 5 by the numbers: 25 miles, 1.5 hours, 1 cup of coffee, 1 pumpkin-oatmeal chocolate chip cookie

When Randonneuring Leads to Coffeeneuring: Ride 1.

A warm cup of joe and a classic black and white at the Mudd Puddle.

Fall is in the air; the leaves are changing colors, a long sleeve jersey feels just right - it must be time for the annual Coffeeneuring Challenge. Created last year by the inimitable MG over at the Chasing Mailboxes blog, the challenge is to ride to seven coffee shops over the course of six weekends. I had hoped to complete my October R-12 ride today, but with my son's bar mitzvah later in the month and a large work project looming, I opted to inaugurate my coffeeneuring season with a quick run to New Paltz. The Mudd Puddle is one of my favorite cafes and their freshly roasted coffee and tasty black and white cookies never disappoint.

The restored church at the Huguenot graveyard in New Paltz.

Ride 1 by the numbers: 24 miles, 1.5 hours, 1 black and white cookie, 1 coffee.

Mission Accomplished!: The Coffeeneuring Challenge: Cup #7

Ride to seven coffee shops in four weeks. It was a challenge this die-hard rando-coffee freak could not pass up and I'm pleased to say that I made it and just in the nick of time. 

With temperatures hovering around the freezing mark this morning and an unprecedented October snow storm on the way, I got up early, dung some winter gear (wool hat, toe covers, full-finger gloves, winter tights, etc.) out of the deep recesses of my cycling drawer, drank a quick cup of hot coffee and I was off.  

My house sits right on the edge of some of the world's most incredible cycling. The Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains are reachable in minutes. The only trouble is, I need to cross the freight line that runs up the east side of the Hudson River from NYC to Albany to get there and, every now and then, I need to wait for a mile-long train to pass before getting on my way. Today was one of those days.

My destination this morning was New Paltz, site of my first coffeeneuring ride, to pay a visit to The Bakery - one of my favorite Hudson Valley coffee shops. When I arrived, the owner (a friend of mine who also serves on the board of the Walkway Over the Hudson) was busy working with his staff to prepare for the annual "Night of 100 Pumpkins" which thrills community members of all ages with a pumpkin contest and party on Halloween night.

After a quick cup of coffee and a scone I was back on the road to make it home before the first snow flakes fell. With climate change wreaking havoc on the local weather, I think it's time to buy some studded snow tires if I'm ever going to complete this R-12 goal of mine this year. Peter White Cycles seems to have a pretty good selection.

Thanks MG, for establishing a great challenge. It sure was a lot of fun!

24 miles, black coffee and a blueberry scone, done!

"When in Rome . . . " The Coffeeneuring Challenge: Cup #5

When in Rome, drink tea like a Roman . . . or something like that. Today, my Coffeeneuring Challenge ride had nothing to do with coffee and everything to do with a beautiful late afternoon ride to the Village Tearoom in New Paltz. After a disappointing trip to northern Dutchess County to scout a route for a winter 200K permanent, I capped off the day with a nice solo ride, a personal pot of chai and a crispy ginger cookie. All of these hit the spot.

26 miles, personal pot of chai with honey and steamed milk + a ginger cookie.

Rapha's Take on the Gentlemen's Race

Rapha Gentlemen's Race - New Paltz, NY from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Here's Rapha's take on the fabulous Gentlemen's Race they put on in New Paltz last month. The five minute film is a hoot and the images on their website make the world look just a bit more beautiful and weird than it ususally does in only the way an expert photographer (or photo editor) can. Keep your eye's peeled for our signature green Bicycle Depot jerseys. It was truly a day to remember and it will probably be some time before I race in an event that sports its own film and camera crews. It was an honor to participate, a thrill to take second place and a hell of a lot of fun to ride.

Each of the teams was asked to send in a ride report. You can read them all at this link. Here's ours:

It all began on one of our regular Saturday morning rides in mid-April. When Mike shared the news that Rapha planned to stage a Gentlemen’s Race in New Paltz, it sounded too good to be true. A 200K race in our backyard with strong riders from across the East Coast? As the local boys (ex-locals for some), we knew these roads like the backs of our hands, but it was the first time that this team of six would ride together.

The climb up 44/55 went by fairly painlessly, and so too the rollers up to the base of Sugarloaf (some locals have dubbed it Pinch-a-loaf). Up until this point we were having a good time sitting on Danny’s wheel; chatting and screwing around a bit, but for better or worse we all knew what was in store. The hardest climb of the day broke a couple of us more than the others but the food and water at the summit was a big bonus.

The top of the Frost Valley climb prompted the now famous, “wounded animal” quote about the sounds one of our riders was making, but the descent off the backside was just dessert. In hindsight, stopping at the deli was probably a bit of a waste of time since the next good chunk went by very quickly as did just about everything until the base of Mohonk.

The final climb showed us for what we were: A mismatched bunch of locals who thought this race sounded like fun…almost six hours earlier. The 90 degree heat wore on us and though some of us climbed with no signs of fatigue, others fought back tossing Hostess Fruit Pie (apple) all over the road. Still, we all made it with some semblance of grace and were inspired to get this thing over with. We half expected one of the stronger teams to come rushing past us in the final trudge up Route 299, but it was not to be.

As the horses started to smell the barn, the skies opened up and we got some well-earned relief from the heat. With the rain, headaches disappeared, sore backs and legs felt new again - riding was truly fun for the first time in a while and with only Empire Cycling in front of us, it looked like the beer was staying in New Paltz this year.