The Taconic 150: October
Mark your calendars for the 2nd Taconic 150, a ride of 150 (or so) kilometers in the Taconic mountain range north of the city. The ride starts at 10:30am on Saturday, October 8 at the Metro North train station in Wassaic, NY.
The Taconic Range stretches from Northeastern Dutchess County in NY to Southern Vermont, rising from the Hudson Highlands less than 80 miles north of Manhattan. The Taconic 150 tours the southern section of the Taconic Range, starting in the Upstate NY town of Wassaic in Dutchess County before rolling through Southeastern Columbia County, crossing the bordering into Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and returning back to Wassaic.
The ride starts and finishes in Wassaic, the upstate terminus of Metro North’s Harlem River line, and is a 90 minute drive from the East Village. Cars will be leaving NYC Velo(at 64 2nd Avenue) at 8:30am Saturday morning (October 8th) for those needing a ride to Wassaic (please RSVP to info@nycvelo.com by October 4th if you will need a ride).
For riders interested in spending Friday night in or around Wassaic, we will post details on area accommodations soon. Info on Metro North’s train schedule can be found here. The ride includes a selection of challenging paved and unpaved upstate roads, taking a break from the NYC cycling scene’s status quo, yet is easily accessible from the city.
The route has been designed to take advantage of not only the area’s varied terrain (including majestic waterfalls), but the rural small towns that pepper the countryside (ideal for refueling stops). The route is laid out in a figure 8, so riders with other obligations (or protesting legs) can trim their effort as needed.
NYC Velo will provide support at the start and finish of the ride with spare tubes, snacks, and basic tools (many thanks to our friends at Pedro’s). Thanks to the fine folks at Stumptown Coffee, riders of the Taconic 150 will be able to supplement their pre-ride preparations with a bottle of the roaster’s new cold-brewed coffee, brewed and bottled in their Red Hook, Brooklyn facility.
