Prospect Park loop. Horses, raccoons, what else?
 

Lived in BK for a few years, near the park, but only used to hang out in the park. Never really saw the loop much until I started cycling a few months ago.

It’s a great loop and there’s certainly a nice mix of riders. But I’ve also got to see some interesting sights in the short time. Like the other day, 4 people on horseback crossed the lane at the bottom of the hill. They just basically said, “well, we’re crossing so you better stop unless you want to smack into a horse”, lol.

Then today, 3 baby raccoons decided to cross in front of me, was like, whoa.

I imagine people cycling the loop for a while have seen some pretty cool, funny, strange stuff over the years. So, just curious about any particularly amusing stories anyone would care to share.

It's nice to ride through it at night when you can hear the crickets. They make quite a lot of noise and it drowns out the city noise, and by then all of the people are gone. It helps to know every bump in the road at night so you don't have to watch the road. I'm in the park all the time, almost every ride starts with a ride through the park, and when I'm short on time I'll just do laps and get a better workout than I would on the streets.

We had a raccoon in our tree that came down, went up onto the porch and then went for the food on the porch table. I had to use a garden hose on the "jet" setting to scare it off. They are big and nasty.

I love Prospect Park. I know the Central Park path gets a ton of love, as it should, but man Prospect Park is awesome, too. This should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Anyone in Brooklyn should really take some time and ride when the leaves are at the height of their autumn colors. Central Park, too, of course. The leaves are starting to change here, but not near peak yet.

Prospect Park is better than CP in that it just isn't as crowded. You can do 3 or 4 laps without ever touching the brakes, at least during the week. It is never that empty in CP, even on a crappy day.

Central Park is tough sometimes during the day, but I love going during off hours, when its not nearly as crowded. Also, I have found that even during peak hours, I generally only need to ride a little slower. I haven't had to stop a lot for crowds in CP, but that's probably because I slow down a lot during peak hours or at the height of tourist season.

Would you guys say the hill in PP is good for a beginner as far as training for hills in general compared to other loops/rides?

I know it’s not the toughest but for me, just starting out, it kicks my butt. I started on the easiest gear (with the middle front gear) and over 3 months got to the 4rth and 5th easiest gears and I am really huffing and puffing at the top. It’s great when you finally crest and can slam into higher gears and take off.

I really have no clue what Im doing but having fun, definitely improving, and feel lucky I get to ride in PP.

I usually take the hill in my big ring on the 3rd easiest gear in a spin. Alternatively I throw the chain to a hard gear and mash up the hill standing. I almost never go to a small ring, even on my commuter bike. I think the maximum grade is 4.2%, not nothing but not a steep hill either. For a beginner it is good to get started but it won't prepare you for anything bigger. River Road (actually Henry Hudson Drive on the map) has the hill at the end in Alpine NJ. That is a hard hill that is repeatable if you feel like doing it again after the first time, I never do!

I was training for a climb of Mt Haleakala in Maui a few years ago and did some repeats on it, except that getting back to the bottom took too long as there isn't an easy loop around. Central Park is easier to repeat that way since the cutoff at the top of the hill brings you directly back to the bottom. I won't ride wrong way in either park, it drives me crazy when I see someone doing it. Haleakala is an average 5.2% for comparison, and that I took entirely in the small ring and large 2 or 3 cogs. By the time I quit (I didn't make it) I was wishing for another 3 or 4 cogs!

Look for an older guy on a black Kuota Kredo and that's me. You don't see too many Kuotas around anymore, not that you ever saw many in the first place. I'm not sure they are still being imported.

I envy you guys who are fine with hills. LMAO I am a weakling when it comes to climbs. I can tolerate the smaller ones, like NYC bridges and such. Once in a while I even force myself to ride under the GW Bridge so I have to do the climb from the water level path to street level, and then, for extra fun I continue up by going west on, I think West 178th Street. But I also know that to cyclists who are good with uphills, that "climb" is a baby hill. lol

I’ve been riding up that PP hill for years and hate it more every year, it’s either getting steeper or I’m getting older. I like to think it’s the former.

Winter 2002-2003 (I think), was relentlessly cold and snowy. I remember a slushy snowfall and then a persistent cold snap, road shoulders snowed in and the local trails covered with ice. A few guys made home-brewed studded MTB tires with sheet metal screws. And a few others, with a few screws loose, me included, got so stir crazy we met up one Sunday in a dank, mostly empty and since demolished commuter parking garage to do laps. It was good to see the boys, catch up on things, tell jokes and break each others chops for around 30 miles IIRC.

This garage was built with a "hump" to accommodate the ramps required to get cars from one level to another. I think it was at one end but can't remember for sure. Say it was 15 feet. We stayed on 1 level and kept going around. It sticks in my head that it was 12 laps to each of our approximately 30 miles. Doing the math, that's 5400 feet of climbing. IIRC Mont Ventoux is 3800 feet base to summit.

But at least there were no acorns.

I believe this was the Hicksville LIRR parking garage or some such ?. Jeff C was on that ?, I remember the conversation. Somewhere there’s a YouTube of a CLIMB member on his mt. bike, studded tires and all, doing laps around his frozen above ground swimming pool.

I used to ride PP all the time, it’s 2.2 miles from my job, I could do a few laps at lunch. Haven’t done that in a while.

Yes, aka the old Hicksville Velodrome. I do believe Jeff partook in the madness. I don't know if the new structure is bike friendly.

Laps on a frozen pool.....epic. I do have a pair of Nokians.......

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7d06909c4.jpeg
Thanks, zacster!

See, this is just what I was looking for. I’ve been using only the middle ring. But, after reading your post, today I figured I try the big ring for my whole ride and with the 3rd easiest gear on the hill for a frame of reference.

Not sure if it was just because it was something new but overall I really liked the big ring and felt a stronger, more fluid, connection to the bike and it was good to experiment a little. And that combo on the hill I liked, it was like the middle ring with the 4rth easiest gear. I’m not near “spinning” with it, lol, but I’ll keep grinding away.

Turned out to be a really beautiful day and a great ride. I’ll look for you and if you see this bike, there’s not many, with the dork disc and wheel reflectors still on it, that’s me.

You'll definitely push for more power in the big ring. I find the few times I go on my small ring I immediately slack off. I used the small ring the other day when I was doing a grand Brooklyn loop that took me through Highland Park and from the entrance on Force Tube Rd, it is an uphill of 8%, the highest grade I've ever encountered in Brooklyn. I've done it in the big ring before during the NYC Century when I was riding with someone on a single speed and felt like if she can do it, I can do it, so I did. But solo I wasn't looking to kill myself.

My loop is 40.5 miles from my house and back, never leaves Brooklyn, and doesn't repeat anywhere. I could add another 5-10 miles if I include Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook. They were excluded by my original design because I was only looking to do 40 miles that day, but I'm going to add them eventually. Most of the riding is on bike lanes, but not all, a lot on the Belt Parkway path from Owls Head to Bensonhurst, the new lane to Cropsey, through Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay and back on the belt to Erskine. It then cuts through East New York, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Williamsburg again and home.

Park was mobbed today and the bike loop as well. I guess it’s understandable that with corona, people especially want to be outside and look for things to do.

Was a minor accident right behind me. All lanes packed across coming down the hill to the lake, just gotta take speed down and watch for the people swerving around “enjoying” themselves; )

I see skunks every once in a while.
Possums are a regular sight.
Those little bats in the summer.

Have you guys noticed any difference in the weekday vs weekend traffic on the loop since the pandemic started? I'm a bit further from the park and haven't been sure if it's still worth it to wait to go on week days to avoid the crowd.

At first the park was packed during the first weeks of the pandemic but that has settled down. It is still more crowded than it was during the week in the fall, but not so crowded that it should dissuade you from going. I went on a Sunday a few weeks ago and that was crowded but I was in there yesterday and it was fine.

Ha! What’s up, zacster? I was there yesterday too at 5pm. I I was very surprised at how few people were there. I think it’s been about two weeks since I’ve gone since it’s been so hot and humid.
i’m hoping it stays like this it was a little chaotic there for a while.

I was in there around that time too. Pretty empty.

I’ve been riding at Prospect Park the past few weeks (different weekdays and weekends during daylight) and never found it too crowded. Was at Central Park this past Sunday and didn’t feel it was crowded either.

Fun rides and that hill is a kicker but the downhill portion is well worth the effort up!

I commute NJ to midtown across the GWB and usually enter and exit the Riverwalk by the overpass in the 150's to climb to Ft Washington Ave. Last Wednesday I continued under the bridge and exited by 181 St. OMG part of that path out of the park was steep. "Washington Heights" it is.

I was doing a ride with my daughter a few weeks ago and originally drew it out on RWGPS to take the greenway down from Dyckman St and that same exit. But then I though better of it because she'd never make it up 181st. We took Broadway the whole way instead. It is uphill but much more gradual.