mikey_

Hey there,

Does anyone have any information on regular group rides (or ideas on how to find regular group rides) around Queens, Bklyn, or Long Island?

Thanks very much!
Mikey

Steve B.

Long Island Bicycle Club leaves from Westbury High School weekends at 8:30AM, possibly later when cold weather sets in.

Massapequa Park Bicycle Club leaves from Massapequa LIRR train station, Sat's at 8:30 for the C - B and A rides. The AA and Opens leave from Bethpage Library lot (Powell Ave) at 8:30. Then all groups leave from Bethpage on Sunday 8:30. They also have Tues and Thurs AM rides from Boreas Field in Plainview. They have a ride calendar on their site.

The websites list the details.

Then there's Huntignton Bike Club, Suffolk Bike Riders Association, both mostly road and CLIMB, the Mt. Bike club

https://www.bicyclelongisland.org/

zepphead80

Hey mikey...

I live in Brooklyn and have been cycling in the city mostly solo for about four years now (largely commuting but doing some other rides too). I recently started looking for other people to ride/socialize with because I'm tired of riding alone, so if you're in the area maybe we can get something going. Where do you live?

NYC can be a tough place to group ride if you're not a bunch of racers doing loops around the park. I want to pull together riders from different backgrounds who want to do decently long rides (30, 40 miles or more) without any clickish attitude: messengers, commuters, racers, fixed-gear riders, etc.

Let me know what you think.

Pat

mikey_

hi pat,

thanks for the comment.

one of my usual rides is around jamaica bay. i start in howard beach and ride across to rockaway, down towards riis park, across the marine park bridge, then do the belt parkway bike path back to howard beach. that is about 19 miles. i recently did that twice for the first time and it took me 2.30 (39 miles about 15 mph). i'd like to think that i could push it a bit harder.

i'd be happy to meet up for that ride, perhaps this weekend (it's supposed to rain all week).

and steve b.

thanks for the info on the LI rides. i have left on a ride from westbury hs once before. i will have to check out those links. thanks again!

1nterceptor

https://www.5bbc.org/rides.shtml

LONG BEACH
9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, Queens, 50 miles flat
This is a traffic haters' ride to Long Beach, Long Island. We avoid all major roads and take side streets and quiet avenues to reach our destination. Bring or buy lunch. Rain at start cancels.

EAST ISLAND
9:30 AM Cunningham Park, Queens, 45 miles with a few hills
Visit East Island, also known as Morgan Island, on Long Island's famous North Shore. If the weather cooperates, we will eat lunch on Prybil Beach. Bring or buy lunch. Rain at start cancels.

A LITTLE BROOKLYN, A LITTLE BASEBALL
9:30 AM, Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 35 mostly flat miles, moderate pace.
Don't just sit in the bleachers! Take a meandering pre-post-season ride with a number of short stops, as we explore a small slice of Brooklyn's baseball history. See where prospects grew and players lived. For the non-baseball fan, we will have interesting Brooklyn streets and sights. Bring or buy lunch & snacks.

QUEENS TREASURES
10:00 AM, Cunningham Park, Queens, 30 miles
More a tour than a ride through Queens, hitting some of the borough's unusual or forgotten places. Many stops. Bring money for lunch. We plan to visit the Botanical Gardens, a 2,000 year-old Roman column, a Kung Fu temple, the Lemon Ice King of Corona and more. Back around 4 PM.

JAMAICA BAY LOOP
9:00AM, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. 40 flat and windy miles
Here's a lovely fall ride around Jamaica Bay. Travel on bike paths and greenways over bridges with great views of the bay and ocean. After picking up lunch, we'll head over to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for a picnic and some exploration of the Refuge's trails and sights. Afterwards, we'll ride through Broad Channel and the Rockaways before heading back to Brooklyn. Bring a lightweight lock, lunch money and pump up those tires! Rain at start cancels.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://times-up.org/calendar/calendar.php

Prospect Park Moonlight Ride
9:00 pm
Grand Army Plaza, the northern entrance of Prospect Park where Flatbush Ave., Eastern Pkwy, Union St. and Prospect Park West all intersect.

FattyArbuckle

Has the construction on the Belt affected the bike path that much?

@1nterceptor:
I was actually looking to do that Long Beach ride next weekend. Would you know what their avg speed is for that kind of ride?

mikey_

So, the construction has affected the Belt bike path. At least to the east of the Marine Park Bridge, the bike path is still all there and continuous. But, there are quite a few places with deep sand. You can still ride through it, but if you needed to do anything other than coast through, you might be in trouble. Sometimes there is standing water, but not too bad. And you need to look out for the signs because the path shifts in places. There are also a fair amount of entering/exiting construction vehicles to watch out for.

Steve B.

Current Belt Path status as of 9/2011

- Just west of Plumb Beach (1/2 mile east of Knapp St). the path is non-existent due to storm damage over a 2 year period. The sand detour into the beach parking lot is rideable on a mt. bike, but not on a 23mm tired road bike. The walk is approx. 150ft.

- 1/2 mile east of the Mill Basin draw bridge, the path is in the construction zone. As part of the Belt construction the contractor is required to retain the bike path. It is often a 6ft wide paved path, filled with sand and debris, wedged between 2 jersey barriers and chain link fence. The construction goes as far as Pennsylvania Ave. Riding this stretch sucks, IMO.

SB

1nterceptor

I work nights so I have a hard time getting up early for group rides
I've never been on a ride with this club. If you look at their link for the day trips,
you'll notice that some of them say 12-14mph pace or moderate pace(? speed),
the ones with a smiley face are for new rider pace(again ? speed).

https://www.5bbc.org/rides.shtml

https://www.5bbc.org/aboutrides.shtml

lennyparis

There is an informal group that leaves from the Port Washington Post Office
Usually Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 8am
Speed is pretty fast though
Depending on route we average low to high 18mph

DEADRE

Hi Pat,

I'll join u on your ride! Let me know, I live in Bushwick Brooklyn, maximum distance I can do is 125 miles. I can direct / show you rides through Long Island up to Wildwood Park and as for NJ up to Bear Mountain.

DEADRE

Mikey,

If you want to do group rides join the Triangle ride, they have an 8 or 8:30 ride.
the 8 ride is about 20 miles an hour and the 8:30 is the 20ish miles per hour ride.
However when you join this ride, you need to keep up, because the name of the game is to see who can hold on till you get dropped. If you hold on till the end they you meet back at the Triangle. You should experience this because 9W has nothing like this.

Here is the link: https://www.trianglecyclists.com/

If you are curious about this let me know, will swing by the 8 ride and if you get better will do the 8:30.