Team Arrow Dynamics Takes on the 2016 New Jersey Arrow

When I first heard that NJ Randonneurs was sponsoring its first ever "arrow" event, I knew I had to assemble a team. Like an ACP "fleche," (fleche is actually the French word for arrow), this event would require that teams of 3-5 cyclists ride together for a minimum of 360 kilometers in 24 hours over a course of their own design to a predetermined finish location. All teams would start at 10:00 am on July 9 and finish at 10:00 am on July 10. The rest was up to us. Luckily, I was able to pull together a team of seasoned randonneurs with whom I've very much enjoyed riding over the years.

One of the first challenges of an arrow is that the team (through the team captain) is responsible for designing the route it will follow from a starting location of its own choice to the finish. Like "arrows" homing in on a target, the idea is that each team arrives at the precise same place and the precise same time, yet having come from a very different starting point. While I've ridden in several fleche events, this would be my first time serving as team captain. In addition, NJ Rando elected to host this event as a fundraiser so there would be money to raise as well.

Route design proved to be about as challenging as I expected it to be, which is to say significant. The catch is that unlike standard brevets, which typically follow circuitous routes, we would be riding in a linear (point-to-point) fashion with the added challenge of getting 200 miles back to the cars and belongings we left at the start. With two riders on the team from New England, I knew that we should try to start as far north as possible. Another challenge I faced was mapping the unfamiliar roads in the southern third of the route after crossing out of New York and into New Jersey. I discovered that my first attempt was a disaster when I drove the southern section and realized that there were no safe shoulders on a considerable stretch of road. As a result, I reached out to Joe K., the NJ Rando RBA, and he shared a RUSA-Approved permanent route with us that solved our problems perfectly leaving a gap of only several miles between our familiar northern route and the finish.

I had originally wanted to start in the Berkshires, which would have enabled us to cross four states in our journey, but there was no realistic public transport option further north than the MetroNorth commuter line so we selected the Wassaic station on the Connecticut border as a compromise. This looked as though it would work out just fine until several days before the event when a friend (riding on a different team) sent me an email with news that there was construction on the Wassaic line all weekend that put shuttle buses into service, which could not accommodate bicycles. After some mad scrambling, hectic rerouting, and patience from the organizers, we drafted a plan to start at the Walkway Over the Hudson just north of the Poughkeepsie train station instead. Only the first 33 miles of the route would need to change. We would pick up the original route in the village of Clermont in southern Columbia County, where we would turn south to follow some lovely roads parallel to the Hudson River taking in several historic estates along the way.

The forecast for the weekend was both favorable and unfavorable. The incessant heat was scheduled to break and when we clipped in temperatures were in the upper 60s (whereas they had been hovering in the 90s for days). The downside of this change was that we would encounter unstable weather with showers pretty much inevitably at some point in the day and/or night. Luckily, we only encountered two real rain storms and neither was as bad as we feared. Luckier still, the most serious storm took place just a few yards from a convenience store as we were cycling through some pretty remote countryside. While we stayed a bit longer than five minutes (see photo above), it did not take too much time out of our budget. Wet, gritty roads often lead to tire trouble and this event was no exception. As a team, we tallied four flats in 24 hours and while this slowed us down quite a bit, it did not present any challenges we could not handle.

A critical component of route design on events such as this involves identifying suitable 24-hour establishments where teams can find food, water, and a place to catch a few hours of shut-eye. Our first two checkpoints were outstanding. Tivoli, NY provided both a lovely bakery and a general store where each of us was able to procure a baguette sandwich (some with ham, some with salmon) that had the effect of connecting me instantly with the food of Brittany I enjoyed so much at PBP last summer. Our next checkpoint was located in New Paltz at The Main Course, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. The following checkpoint, at a McDonald's in Port Jervis, was more of a necessary evil, but the staff was welcoming and the furniture comfortable. Trouble came around 3:00 am when we arrived at a 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts with a plan to sleep for 60-90 minutes before sunrise. Little did we know that only the DRIVE-THRU window was open for 24 hours and we would need to push on in search of a safe, dry place to catch a few winks.

Luckily, we would soon be entering towns from my childhood and I was confident that we'd find something suitable before too long. As we rolled into Peapack-Gladstone and passed the school from which I graduated, I remembered a covered gazebo in the park at the town's center. Not only was it dark, but it was quiet, dry and empty when we arrived at 3:45 am. Setting my alarm for 4:45 am, we could get an hour's rest and still be off before the sun rose and no one would be any the wiser. Dawn brought new energy to our legs and bodies as it always does and we pedaled our way to the penultimate checkpoint where all of the other teams would meet before the final push to the finish.

The fundraising aspect of the event added excitement and purpose. While I normally ride for the selfish pleasures that spending hours on my bike affords, on this event, we would be riding to raise money for Hunterdon Youth Services, a wonderful community organization that sponsors programs for young men in need of a helping hand. What started out as a modest effort to raise a few dollars resulted in the collection of far more money than I would have anticipated. As a result of the generosity of friends, family, and fellow riders, we raised $1000 shattering my initial goal of $500.  

As one of my teammates reflected after the ride, "for years I declined to participate in fleches because I couldn't figure out the reason for an all-night ride where you had to spend 24 hours doing it, subject to a bunch of arbitrary constraints. It sounded to me like mandated, unnecessary suffering. On this Arrow, though, I finally got it--it's about team building, and spending 24 hours with a great group of guys. The cycling is mainly a pretext for the group experience." I could not have said it better myself.

My Lucky Day: No Snow as Far as the Eye Can See

As the latest Snowpocalype devastated our southern neighbors, we were blissfully spared her wrath. So while my Facebook feed filled with images of shovelers up to their waists in snow, I took to the roads to enjoy a brisk afternoon along the icy Hudson River. It's a bit late in the month to be riding a permanent route that I'm hoping to apply towards a P-12 award, so my nerves were percolating this week as the forecast for a snowstorm of Biblical proportions intensified. Having missed a P-12 award last year (presented by RUSA to riders who complete at least one permanent route between 100K and 200K each month for twelve consecutive months), I am determined to finish what I began this past October.

The sky was a lovely crystalline blue this afternoon and the ambient temperature hovered around freezing. With a slight 5-10 mph wind out of the northwest, any extra work was front-loaded into the first half of the ride as I made my way north to Red Hook. Along the way, I stopped at a waterfront park managed by Scenic Hudson, our local Hudson River preservation champions who had recently created a small teaching area right at the water's edge. The sign above is a helpful reminder of where we stand relative to our neighbors and my proximity to the river allowed me to see not only the historic lighthouse off in the distance, but also the various ice formations arriving at long last from the north.

The roads were generally quiet today, but there was some pedestrian activity at the Bard campus with students returning from winter break and in Rhinebeck, which always seems to enjoy a festive atmosphere. As I followed the riverside roads south of the village, though, I was often the only one in sight for long stretches, which suited me just fine. Perhaps the storms to our south kept the tourists and weekend warriors closer to home today. Even the Walkway Over the Hudson was quieter than usual for a Sunday in January. As a result, there were not many witnesses to see the magnificent ship being pushed northward by a strong tug as it made its way beneath the span on which I stood. While I completed the route successfully, in February I'll be sure to plan my P-12 ride in the first half of the month assuming the weather cooperates.

Just Under the Wire (or The Walkway Over the Hudson 100K Rewind)

As anyone in the Northeast will tell you, it's been cold, really, really cold this winter. Not only has it been uncharacteristically cold, but it's also snowed more than average and since we've not experienced a single thaw, most of that snow is still right where it fell. A few weeks ago, I read this interesting article about the work that ice breaking ships are doing to keep the Hudson River clear for shipping. Did you know that 70% of the home heating oil in the Northeast travels up the Hudson River? I didn't. I thought about this, though, on my recent attempt at the Walkway Over the Hudson 100K permanent as I looked down from the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge at the long trail left behind on the river signifying that life goes on despite the deep freeze.

Last weekend was not my first attempt at the Walkway 100K during the month of February, but it would be my last. I had set out the week before during what I thought was a suitable lull in the snowfall. I left my house on Saturday morning after the temperatures climbed to 17F from below zero at dawn. The forecast called for snow at 3:00 pm so I thought I would have just enough time to complete the loop before things got dicey. Sadly, this was one of those days when the local weather team underestimates the speed of a storm and so I found myself pedaling into a slippery whiteout 30 miles from home as I neared the turnaround.

So Old George would have likely soldiered on into the storm, but getting hit by a car on a brevet will teach a body a few things about second chances. As a result, I decided that successfully completing a P-12 was not quite as important as living to tell the story, so I reluctantly called my wife and asked her to pick me up. Imagine, if you will, how delighted she was to get the call. Torn between the joy that comes from realizing that your husband has developed some common sense and the irritation that comes from being asked to leave a warm couch by a cozy fire to drive into a snow storm, my wife came to my rescue. In the meantime, I needed to find a safe place to wait for my wife to arrive in the 18F weather. I spotted a school building on the horizon and pedaled over to seek shelter out of the wind. Being a Saturday, the school was sealed tight, but I found an unlocked van nearby and climbed inside to wait. I called my wife to talk her through a white-knuckle drive past emergency vehicles and spun-out cars when what should I hear but the worker in whose truck I was sitting return to pick up a few tools. Needless to say, this gentleman was not pleasantly surprised to see a lycra-clad stranger sitting in his truck. Luckily, I was able to talk him out of hitting me, but I soon found myself standing on the sidewalk again in the cold wind. What normally takes 30 minutes had taken my wife over an hour to cover since traffic had slowed to a crawl. After giving the matter some thought, the electrician invited me into the building to wait.

One of the reasons I was so intent on completing this 100K permanent on the second to last weekend in February is because without it, my quest for the P-12 would be dead in the water and I was off to Boston during the final week of the month to attend a conference leaving only February 28 to get the job done. So after failing in my first attempt, I was stuck shoe-horning the ride in at the last minute. As luck would have it, though, we experienced a thaw last Saturday with temperatures rising into the mid-20s. While still well below freezing, I was able to extract a small stream of water from my frozen bottles all the way to the turnaround and there was no fresh snow on the roads. The sun, now approaching a nearly spring-like position in the sky even gave the illusion that this winter wonderland may some day give way to green pastures.

In order to ride in the warmest part of the day, I delayed my start until 12:45 pm. I realized during the ride, though, that this late start left a question mark looming as to how I would recross the Hudson at the finish. The Walkway Over the Hudson, for which this permanent is named, is generally a lovely way to return home from a long ride, but the gate schedule is somewhat more mysterious and unpredictable than I would like. Would the it close at 5:00 pm or at sundown which was scheduled to arrive at 5:49 pm? How would this team of chilly park rangers interpret "dusk," which is advertised as the formal closing time of this narrowest of state parks. The alternative to crossing the river at this latitude is the Mid-Hudson Bridge that includes a pedestrian walkway, but one that is not reliably plowed during the winter months. The thought of a DNF on this ride and a call to my wife for a rescue terrified me in equal measure. Luckily, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, I approached the Walkway to find the gate open and slipped through to pedal across the crusty, snow-covered span to my awaiting car.

Up next: the Westfield Early Spring 200K. One day this winter must end. 

Linking East & West: Coffeeneuring Day 4

Several years ago, the amazing Walkway Over the Hudson was unveiled and since then it has become a wonderful local resource as well as a significant tourist destination. The Walkway is the tallest and longest pedestrian bridge in the world and it's well worth a visit whenever you find yourself in the area. It was not until this fall, however, that the two preexisting rail trails on either side of the river were completely and permanently linked together to form a full 18-mile linear park that connects Dutchess and Ulster Counties.

I decided to mark this auspicious occasion with an end-to-end ride with a short break in the middle to enjoy some hot coffee and a seasonal treat. The Dutchess Rail Trail begins at the old Hopewell Junction train station so this is where I began my east-west journey after dropping my daughter off at a local high school to take her SAT II exams. The air was crisp and the skies were blue with a few colorful leaves still hanging onto the trees along the way.

The completion of this linear park required a few bridges and the purchase of a few miles of land from CSX. The next stage planned to enhance the bicycle infrastructure in the area involves building a massive elevator to connect the Walkway with the Metro North train station in Poughkeepsie 220 feet below. After crossing the Walkway, I found a nearby Dunkin Donuts and after enjoying a coffee and a pumpkin donut, I rejoined the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and rode the 10 miles to the trail's end in Highland. Rejoining local roads, I was home in no time.

Location: Highland, NY
Venue: Dunkin' Donuts
Coffee: Regular
Carbs: Pumpkin donut
Mileage: 30

Spring has Finally Sprung!

Spring has finally arrived in the Hudson Valley and I could not be happier. This year, March entered like a lion and pretty much left like a lion as well with temperatures hovering below freezing on both ends of the month. April is another story, however. This past week we've enjoyed temperatures in the 50s and low 60s as crocuses pop their heads through the earth and spring peepers sing in chorus from every pond and waterhole. The combination of warmer weather, longer days and spring lifeforms freshens my love for riding as a source of pleasure and not just transportation and exercise.

With the longer days, I've been able to steal away for short rides after work before dinner and this alone brings joy to my week. Luckily, there are a range of options right out my door so a 90-minute ride can feel like entering a different world. With even less time, I can manage a great workout with hill repeats as I did last Thursday. One way or the other, I'm committed to getting this soft and flabby body back into peak form over the next several months.

Today, my pal Peter and I decided to ride a 50-mile Hudson River Double Cross as way to welcome in spring. We met up on the road just south of Kingston and found our way over to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge where we were nearly blown over by the high southerly winds as we watched the mighty tug boats guiding barges toward Manhattan. After returning to solid ground, we hung a quick right and followed the Hudson south along River Road. Neither of us had ever ridden south of Rhinecliff on these quiet country lanes and we were dumbfounded by the beauty we found along the way all the way through Staatsburg to Hyde Park where we rejoined State Highway 9. We passed no fewer than half a dozen gorgeous Hudson River mansions along the way, which gave me the idea for a RUSA permanent devoted specifically to viewing the historic mansions in this region.

After skirting the City of Poughkeepsie on Route 9G, we met up with the Walkway Over the Hudson for our second river crossing. We successfully dodged all of the other pedestrians enjoying the spring weather in everyone's favorite regional state park.  Just a few miles up the rail trail from the river, Peter and I parted company to complete our last legs of the journey to our separate towns alone.

These have been a mighty busy few weeks for me as I've recently accepted a new job that will begin in July. More soon on how my new job will not only bring me incredible professional satisfaction, but also enhance my riding in direct and dramatic ways.

A Little Father-Son Bicycle Commute Makes my Day!

When your 12-year old son asks to ride the 14 miles into school with you one morning, you don't ask questions. It's not that he doesn't like riding so much as he doesn't go out of his way to do it, especially in lieu of sleeping in the back seat of the car. This week is different, though. On May 6, my son and I will be riding together in the 42-mile NYC Five Boro Bike Tour for the third year and I think he's feeling a bit behind in his "training."

The trouble with today's ride was not the distance or the unseasonably cold temperatures. No, the trouble with today's ride is that I decided to try a new route to cut out some city streets in favor of an additional 6-miles of rail trail and things didn't quite go as planned. It turns out that the alternate route contained more hills and traffic than the one I was seeking to avoid. In addition, despite researching directions, we got off track and added a few extra bonus miles to our commute. As a result, we arrived 10 minutes late to morning assembly and I bounded into the theater sans shower wearing my full training kit.  Needless to say, I made an impression. 

My second day out: getting ready for the road.

After a week away in the Connecticut woods with our entire middle school, I finally got the chance today (after catching up on my sleep) to get out for a spin on the local rail trail. This time I rode a solo end-to-end lap which had me dodging pedestrians on the Walkway (see photo above) and "climbing" a slight grade into a headwind which just about took my breath away. My lung capacity is so diminished at the moment, it's an embarrassment. Note to self: complete at least 3 or 4 cardio workouts each week to push my endurance into a zone that feels a bit more familiar. Since my shoulder felt somewhat achy the day following my last ride, I thought I'd keep it short today. I'm pleased that my shoulder doesn't hurt while riding, but continue to be amazed by how weak my triceps, biceps, forearms and hands are at this point. I'll definitely need to strengthen all types of muscles as I build back to brevet strength by mid-season. With two weeks until Block Island Training Camp begins, I'm praying for nice weather.

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.