My Coffeeneuring Roundup: Seventh Heaven Edition

Q: Which came first, autumn or coffeeneuring? A: I'm not 100% certain, but it's getting harder and harder to remember what life was like before Mary G. launched her global Coffeeneuring Challenge seven years ago. I'm a proud member of the founding coffeeneuring generation and wouldn't miss a season for the world.  I mean, coffee, bicycles, photography . . .  what's not to love? There's even a patch involved!

Ride 1 (October 25)
2 Beans - New York City
14 Miles
Black Coffee

While in NYC for a few school visits in late October, I made sure to check out the citywide Ai Wei Wei sculpture installation and filled up my travel mug with some black coffee from 2 Beans to enjoy a little coffeeneuring along the way.

Ride 2 (October 27)
Mudd Puddle Roasters and Cafe - New Paltz, NY
15 Miles
Espresso

I teamed up with my pal Peter to enjoy a brisk fall ride through New Paltz one morning with a stop at everyone's favorite muddle puddle for a shot of espresso to start the day off right.

Ride 3 (October 28)
Village Market and Eatery - Gardiner, NY
40 Miles
Black Coffee

When your friend Jasmine tells you that she bought a new bicycle, you have no choice but to go out for a ride (and have a cup of coffee) with her to celebrate.

Ride 4 (November 3)
North River Roasters and Coffee House - Poughkeepsie, NY
14 Miles
Latte

I've been meaning to get over to check out the new North River Roasters and Coffee House our friends launched at the old Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory for some time and I was not disappointed. If you're ever in Poughkeepsie, this is a great place to while away some time.

Ride 5 (November 9)
Mohonk Mountain House - New Paltz, NY
17 Miles
Mohonk Tea

Every year at this time, I have back-to-back conferences at one of the finest hotels on the East Coast. Not only is the Mohonk Mountain House a historic treasure, but it's surrounded by countless miles of carriage trails with views for hundreds of miles in all directions. After a 17-mile loop during a break, I sat by the lake to enjoy a hot cup of their signature Mohonk tea.

Ride 6 (November 11)
Coffee Shop Without Walls
Slabsides - West Park, NY
8 Miles
French Roast

Looking for some inspiration on a big writing project, I filled up my Trek SOHO travel mug and rode up the hill to Slabsides, naturalist John Burroughs' rustic cabin in the woods.

Ride 7 (November 19)
Coffee Shop Without Walls
Walkway Over the Hudson - Highland, NY
22 Miles
French Roast

My final coffeeneuring entry comes on the last day of this year's challenge. I filled my travel mug with French roast and took off to meet up with Christopher M. at the finish of one of my permanent routes to clock his 10,000th RUSA kilometer in 2017.

My Coffeeneuring Round-Up (2015)

Autumn is a lovely time to be alive in the Hudson Valley and this year was no exception. In fact, it's been one of the most spectacular years anyone seems to remember. Mild temperatures, dry weather and gorgeous foliage have all contributed to create pretty much ideal riding conditions. While work and family demands kept me off the bike more than I would have liked, I was still able to get out for some remarkable riding and the Coffeeneuring Challenge helped me to make this happen for a fifth year in a row.

Coffeeneuring helps us celebrate and enjoy not only the coming of fall, but also the restful transition between the intensity of summer riding and the buildup to base-training for the cycling season ahead. No wonder this global phenomenon is so popular!

Ride 1 (October 17)
The Mudd Puddle - New Paltz, New York
3 miles
Double espresso

An important autumn ritual involves bike maintenance at the end of a busy season of riding. I stopped at the Mudd Puddle, one of my favorite cafes in New Paltz, on my way to the Bicycle Depot to have them investigate some shifting trouble I was experiencing. Turns out I needed a whole new drive train. Maybe I should have had something stronger than a double espresso. Ack!

Ride 2 (October 18)
Fika - New York City
8 miles
Black coffee and a blueberry muffin

While I had to work in NYC on this particular Sunday, I made sure to stop off for a coffee and a muffin on my way downtown from Grand Central. I was finally able to justify an annual CitiBike membership now that the network has spread above 59th Street and riding in NYC never gets old. It may have been the most expensive cup of coffee in this series, but it sure hit the spot.

Ride 3 (October 24)
Minnewaska State Park - New Paltz, New York
25 miles
Hot chocolate and chocolate covered macaroons

My daughter arrived home for a week-long college break just as the leaves reached peak form. I took the opportunity to swap my road tires for a pair of Clement 35mm cyclocross tires and we hit the gorgeous carriage trails in Minnewaska State Park to enjoy the season in all its glory. Since there were no coffee shops for miles around, we decided to fill a Thermos with hot chocolate and brought along some gourmet chocolate macaroons for nourishment.

Ride 4 (October 25)
The Apple Bin - Esopus, New York
14 miles
Black coffee and an apple cider donut.

One of the several short rides I was able to fit in this fall brought me to the local Apple Bin farm stand where I was able to enjoy a hot cup of black coffee and a fresh apple cider donut, one of their seasonal specialities.

Ride 5 (October 31)
The Bakery - New Paltz, New York
51 miles
Black coffee and a classic black and white

On my longest ride in the series, I arranged to meet up with my friend Doug, a fellow PBP ancien, to explore the carriage trails in Mohonk Preserve while discussing our travels to Paris in August. On the way home, I stopped at The Bakery in the village of New Paltz for a hot cup of coffee and a classic black and white cookie just in time to see the award-winning pumpkins in the annual Halloween pumpkin contest.

Ride 6 (November 14)
Slabsides - West Park, New York
4 miles
Black coffee

I spent the penultimate day of the challenge blowing thousands of leaves off my lawn with a rented leaf blower. As a result, there was no time for riding until sundown when I grabbed my bike, a light and some coffee and headed for the top of the ridge behind my house to the site of John Burroughs' rustic Slabsides cabin to watch the sun set.

Ride 7 (November 15)
Shaupeneak Ridge - Esopus, New York
10 miles
Black coffee

I spent the final day of the challenge on some important seasonal house chores, but I was also able to get in one final ride up Shaupeneak Ridge as the sun fell low in the sky. Thank goodness for the Coffeeshop Without Walls rule or I would not have made it this year! Thanks too, MG, for all of your Coffeeneuring leadership. Onward to 2016!

My Caffeinated Commute

With the recent thaw here in the Hudson Valley, I have resumed my regular bicycle commute to work. Commuting to work by bike is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to add miles to your weekly training. As I have gotten further and further into ultra-distance riding, finding the time to log miles has been a challenge, especially as a parent of two school-aged children. Luckily, I live 15 miles from work which is just about an ideal distance for a bicycle commute. It’s not so close that it barely seems worth suiting up and it’s not so far that it takes 2-3 hours just to get there. I also have a shower and locker at my disposal which makes even a wet, sweaty and dirty commute stress-free. Rolling into my office fresh from a crisp ride and a warm shower never fails to put me in a good mood.

The one drawback so far has been the lack of coffee on the ride in. I drink one cup before heading out, but it’s that second cup I drink when I drive into work that really lays down a good foundation for the day ahead. This is why my favorite cycling purchase of 2009 so far has got to be my Trek Soho Coffee Mug. At 18 oz., this insulated, stainless steel mug carries a healthy serving of piping hot Joe that I can sip or chug along the way. It fits snugly into a standard bottle cage and the safety lid is relatively easy to operate with one hand. It is not quite as easy to use as a standard water bottle, but seems not to splash or leak. Just be sure to dust off the stray road salt before drinking. The insulation is adequate and the joy of sipping hot coffee while waiting for a green light in 28-degree weather is priceless. The Soho mug is standard on the Trek Soho commuter bike but it can also be pruchased separately for $14.95. My pals at the Bicycle Depot were more than happy to order me one and may have a few more in stock now; give them a call. If the Trek model is not for you, consult the Bicycle Coffee Systems website for countless other options.

The other challenge I face on the commute into work is the Mid-Hudson Bridge itself whose pedestrian “walkway” is only open from dawn to dusk and rarely ever shoveled. The three-lane roadway is absolutely off limits to cyclists and the pedestrian path limitations make it somewhat more of a challenge in the winter months than I might hope. In fact, I’ve been forced to hop with my bike over the railing on more than one occasion to simply get home in the evening after the gates have been locked. There must be a better way.

Thankfully, the non-profit “Walkway Over the Hudson” project is working to convert an impressive retired freight train line that spans the Hudson just north of the Mid-Hudson Bridge into a pedestrian path. Before the economy entered its present freefall, the plans were to open the span to pedestrians in the fall of 2009 to coincide with the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s fateful trip up the river that now bears his name. With a little luck, and some generous donations, they hopefully won’t be too far off schedule. Donations can be made through their website.

To maximize my training, decompress from a day at work (and because the shoulder on the northbound side of my road is a dangerous mess) I usually add miles onto my return trip in the evening. The additional miles place me on back roads which are much safer after dark. My B + M IXON IQ headlamp is more than adequate to light up the road during the winter months and I also wear my reflective RUSA Sam Browne belt and ankle bands for good measure. With only two round-trips per week, I add a 70-mile base to my training. The fresh air, wildlife and bucolic vistas only add to the experience.