Overview: We park at the BREWSTER MetroNorth station and ride the bike trail to NYC, 60+ miles. Once in Manhattan we ride some bike path, some (busy!) city streets, some Central Park, ending at Grand Central Station. We take MetroNorth back to Brewster station. Depending on pace, stops and mechanicals, we can usually catch a return train about 4pm.
Pace: 13-15 mph. This is a flat ride so pace is slightly faster than for our typical ride. The ride is not difficult, but it is long so riders should be prepared for a long day in the saddle. We will have 2 main groups; one B+ pace, one B- pace. We will split into smaller pods downtown to make it easier to navigate the city streets.
Meet at Brewster Train station at 8:45, ready for 9:00am departure (sharp!). Parking is free on weekends. Best bet for parking are the metered spots just before you reach the station. If you miss those, you'll have to ride up the hill to the start point. We'll congregate in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church just across from the station. Please don't park in their lot since they use the parking themselves.
Route: Brewster to NYC through Central Park
Bring snacks and plenty of water, plus extra tubes, CO2, pump, patch kit, sunblock, ID, etc.
$10 fee will cover lunch at 7 Brothers Diner at Mile 42 in Yonkers. Note that this was a new lunch stop last year, 9 miles further on our route. There is a small path that goes directly from the bike path to the diner, but it's not marked exactly on the cue sheet so watch carefully.
MetroNorth changed their rules so you no longer need a bike pass in order to bring your bike on the train. Bikes are allowed only weekends.
You may want to bring a bungee cord to tie your bike to the overhead rack or keep it stable on the train. You can also use your bike helmet strap.
Note that not all train cars open at Brewster station so make sure you're in the right ones on the return.
