Having just bought a gravel bike this year, it felt like a bold move to try to do what was going to be a gravel century.  But the offer was tempting - riding the OCA through Westchester, making it to a state that ISN’T New Jersey in a long ride (hard to do when all NYC riding tends to start from the GW Bridge), with a pit stop in Katonah to see a freshly opened Brooklyn bike studio, and winding up in a beach town in Connecticut for free food and (NA) beer?  Who could say no?

When TBD posted about it, I offered the idea up to Elizabeth and Jasmine, two teammates from Ostroy-NYC Velo and fellow gravel riding beginners. We had been told the OCA is essentially the best route for new gravel riders, and I was met with immediate yes’s all around!  And so it was decided, we would take the long route.  We’d go from our respective boroughs, and make it to Athletic Brewing Company before close (6pm).

We decided on the iconic Grant’s Tomb meetup, and made our way PAST the GW bridge - a nice feeling as you see dozens of cyclists heading there not much later than 7:30am.  This gave us a ride through the most northern part of Manhattan - going way past Harlem and the Heights and into Inwood.  From there, Van Cortlandt - where I noted that myself and Elizabeth had officially made it to four out of the five boroughs (Jasmine started in Manhattan and would only experience two boroughs).

Van Cortlandt is such a fun change of scenery from 9W, and as a group, we are only experienced at riding west of the Hudson.  Then we approached the OCA.  What I loved about the OCA is how well marked it is from the roads.  What I don’t love about the OCA is all the roads.  Every few hundred meters of trail is cut by roads, and it felt like a lot of stop and go and unclipping (caveat: we have no skills at curb hopping).  But the trail itself is beautiful, going from really narrow single lane paths to big wide gravel roads, with lush green trees and brush lining the entire path. It’s a variety of riding that I’m still getting used to but loving more and more every time!

We took note of food/bio-break stop recommendations on the route (courtesy of TBD) - and decided our first ~big~ food stop would be in Tarrytown, what I would deem “the other side” of the Cuomo bridge.  TBD’s Ride with GPS file alerted us to the existence of Bagel Emporium, which, come on, who doesn’t want bagels? It was a perfect mid-morning stop - sandwiches, coffee, and cookies were had.  Reflecting on our pace thus far, we weren’t entirely sure we’d reach Athletic before closing, but were committed to finishing the route regardless. After fueling with necessary carbs, we were back on the road, where we found ourselves on wider gravel again - right along the Croton Reservoir. I’m a sucker for bridges, and there are beautiful red bridges across the reservoir that we had the absolute pleasure of riding over.  

At this point, we weren’t entirely sure how far Katonah would be, as that was a pertinent stop on the route to go to Acme Bicycle Co, lunch, etc.  So we kept checking in on the route, and as soon as we pulled into the town area, “oh, it’s right there”, easy. Fantastic central location for a bike shop! Upon arrival, Andy let us know the larger group had only left about 20 minutes earlier (yay, we’re not that far behind). We chatted with Andy for a while, ate the leftover donuts, grabbed some pizza down the street and were back at it with the clock ticking.

At some point (around midway), gravel turned into road, and we saw golf courses and country clubs galore. We had entered Connecticut. Specifically, the Wolf-on-Wall-Street-Jordan-Belfort-Lives-Here part of Connecticut. Lawns were trimmed in perfect checkerboard pattern, gardens were beautiful, guest houses were large, and houses were either mansions or small hotels. With 30 miles to go, we stopped on the side of the road briefly to eat our snacks, cognizant of our dwindling water supply. 

Our next and final stop brought us to a Starbucks 20 miles from our destination. After filling up our water bottles, we were back at it - with renewed vigour to reach Athletic Brewing Company with time to relax and eat. Luckily for us, the remainder of the route was flat and paved, and mostly along the beach, so we made decent time despite our knobby tires. As we approached the route finish with less than 500 feet to go, we were dropped in an industrial park full of expansive lots. I may have joked we biked a century to nowhere, but no fear! In the era of smartphones, we were only a Google Maps search and a minute bike ride away from the entrance of Athletic Brewing Company and a food truck. We were just a tad too slow (probably more than a tad) to catch the TBD crew, but it was great meeting the folks at Athletic Brewing Company and trying out their refreshing brews! 

With that, we finished off a successful day with miles in our legs, food and drink in our bellies, a train ride back to Grand Central, and free jerseys for riding the longest distance that day (100+ miles)! Many thanks to TBD, Acme Bicycle Co, and Athletic Brewing Company for coordinating such a fantastic day of fun - can’t wait to stop by again!

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