The Best Ride: Perfect Fall Color in NY
Fall may be cyclocross season, but come late October TBD has a well established tradition of hunting for the best fall foliage New York has to offer. Two weeks ago this tradition had us wandering the beautiful gravel roads surrounding Katonah. But that ride was a touch early for peak colors. So this past weekend we headed back to Westchester and were rewarded with some of the best color imaginable.
The morning actually started in a cold fog, with the team squeezing into a coffee shop for one last bit of warmth. But shortly after we set off the cloud cover broke and gave way to brilliant blue skies with temperatures quickly pushing sixty degrees. It was perfect conditions for riding, and it was all set against a beautiful backdrop of yellows and reds.
A stretch of super chunky gravel near the mid-way point led to some hilarious discussion of route planning responsibilities and the “spirit of gravel.” But the spirit of gravel had a sense of karma and delivered the day’s route planner a flat tire (that thankfully sealed up nicely thanks to Yosef’s trusty Dynaplug).
In the end I wouldn’t change a thing about this ride. There is always a bit of luck with getting fall color to line up with crystal clear sunshine. But on this day the conditions were absolutely ideal, making for one of my favorite rides of the year.
Here’s hoping we have one more weekend of glorious fall color before winter unofficially arrives in NYC.
The full route and photo gallery is included below, head over to Instagram for video of some of our favorite moments.
The Route, by ACME Bicycles Katonah
As usual, once we decided to head up to Katonah our first call was to Colin at ACME Bicycles Katonah for a route recommendation. He sent us the gravel mix ride that we tweaked slightly to the course embedded below. Totaling a hair under 50 miles, this route touches on many of the most popular Westchester gravel roads, with a moderate amount of climbing.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) a surprising number of these gravel roads have been paved over in the past year. The resulting tarmac is exceedingly smooth, but hopefully this recent paving doesn’t signal the death knell for the remaining gravel surrounding Katonah.
If you’re looking for a bit longer route, this Journal entry includes the 56 miler that we completed a few weeks prior while our Katonah Ride Guide has some other paved and gravel route recommendations.
Route Tips
There is an early refueling stop at mile 14 at The Market at Union Hall. It’s early in the ride, but it is one of our favorite venues when heading north out of Katonah.
The stretch through Mountain Lakes Park was beautiful, but very rough (miles 22-25). It is easily bypassed by taking a right on Titicus Road (instead of a left), left on Grant Road (at the fork) and left on Hawley Road.
There is a second refueling option exiting Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Take a right on 121 and 5th Division Deli is 2 minutes off the route. They do close at 2PM on Sundays according to Google Maps so plan accordingly.
The third refueling stop is in Bedford around mile 39.5. Village Green Deli is just one block off the route, in downtown Bedford. They are closed on Sundays but there is an Exxon Gas Station two blocks further down Pound Ridge Road if you need liquid replenishment in a pinch.
As usual, we ended at ACME Bicycle in Katonah but refer back to our Katonah Ride Guide for all of our Katonah food recommendations if you need a pit stop before getting back on the bike/on the train/in the car.
Post ride some of us headed to Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard which is 10 minutes north of Katonah by car. It was absolutely mobbed and cost $15/person to get in, but the pizza and cider doughnuts were an excellent post ride meal and we came home with several bags of apples. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I would absolutely do it again.
The Photographs, by Matt
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
