This is a simple ride with no particular theme. We won't be crossing the Hudson River and we won't be stopping at, or riding through, any cool places. This is simply about enjoying yourself on a bike and being out there, far from the city noise. We'll ride a loop from Poughkeepsie out to Rhinebeck and back to Poughkeepsie. Rhinebeck is a nice little town and we'll stop at Gigi Trattoria Italian restaurant for lunch.

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The ride is on. Looks like it's going to be hot and sunny day day so bring at least two water bottles, sunglasses and sunblock. See ya at Grand Central!
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This ride "replaces" the Three States Ride.

This ride is 55 miles long, on roads with some traffic, mostly light, and with a total elevation gain of around 2400 feet. This is a moderate ride which means we'll be going at 12-15 mph and there are no killer hills, just some normal hills:) We’ll stop often to compress and catch a breath and we will use the point, drop and sweep system. Large part of the route runs along quiet country roads and it's rather rural with lots and lots of green stuff. So you can say the theme of this ride is Black, Green and Blue ;)

We’ll take the train out of Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m. and WE'LL GET BACK WHEN WE'LL GET BACK, DON'T MAKE ANY PLANS FOR THAT EVENING!. The train ride is 2 hours long. We should be able to get on the 5:54 p.m. train back which means we'll be at Grand central at 7:40 p.m. So yeah, a long day.

Please meet us at the station no later than 7:30 a.m. We’ll meet in the Main Concourse area on the left side (if you're coming from Lexington Avenue direction, i.e. facing West), by the closed ticket booths. Please don't be late! This is a popular train for cyclists so we'd like to get on the train early to make sure we grab good spots for our bikes. If you arrive late and we're not there any more, just go directly to the track, you can learn the track number from the large displays above the ticket boots. Look for 7:43 a.m. train to Poughkeepsie.

Please bring:

- helmet
- lightweight bike lock
- two spare bike tubes
- pump
- two bottles of water or hydration pack
- snacks
- cell phone
- lunch money

TRAIN FARES AND TICKETS

Purchase the tickets at Grand Central Station; they cost more if purchased from a conductor on-board of the train. Also: buy a round-trip since we'll be starting and ending at Poughkeepsie train station.

Round-trip to Poughkeepsie: $34.0 (off peak), $22.50 (seniors)
Bike Permit: $5 (good for life). If you're planning to buy the permit in the morning please have an application ready to save the time: http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrbikepermit.htm. Go to booth #27 to buy the permit.

RIDE CANCELLATION POLICY

Check this 5BBC ride page or the 5BBC Event Facebook page after 9 p.m. the night before to see if the ride is on! A cancellation notice will be posted on both at 9 p.m. on the night before the ride. We will NOT meet if the ride is canceled! If it’s raining in the morning the ride is also canceled! DO NOT SHOW UP FOR THE RIDE without checking the status first! If the ride is cancelled the leaders WILL NOT go to the meeting point.

If in doubt email bikerides@a-world.net or call or text Adam DZ at 718-757-4102 in the morning after 6 a.m.

If you have registered for the ride on the 5BBC website you will receive a confirmation or cancellation email around 9 p.m. on Friday.

MAPS AND CUE SHEETS

Ride With GPS route, you can download TCX and GPX files from here:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5491458/
Do not download the cue sheet from Ride With GPS, use the link below instead.

I encourage you to use a GPS on this ride as many intersections are unmarked so cue sheets are not very useful.

Cue Sheet:
http://a-world.net/bikerides/poughkeepsie-rhinebeck-loop/