This 70 miles/3,387ft elevation gain ride is how the love child of Staten Island and Connecticut would look like: some gritty heavy industries to posh mansions and winding roads.    

We start in Metuchen, NJ, a small romantic suburban town, cycle over Victory Bridge to Madison Park via South Amboy. We ride on roads with wide shoulders in heavy traffic through industrial areas.  The route drastically changes to beautiful country roads with a few short but steep climbs into Colt Neck where we have lunch. Our lunch stop is Delicious Orchards which has some amazing pies.  20 more miles along New Jersey country and suburban roads before we return for the final stretch back to industrial neighborhoods.  

Lunch is at 34 miles at Delicious Orchards Market (http://www.deliciousorchardsnjonline.com/departments/bakery/pies/) where we can get some of the best pies in New Jersey. Around 55 mile we stop at a Starbucks. Bring plenty of snacks and minimum of 2 water bottles.  

We meet at Penn Station (32 Street/8 Avenue) at 7:55 am to catch the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to Metuchen at 8:14 am.  

• Roundtrip ticket from NY Penn to Metuchen. You can buy it in advance or via the NJ transit application onboard. (http://www.njtransit.com/var/var_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=NJTAppTo)
• Bring bungee cords to secure your bike on the train.
• 2x spare tubes
• Cash for lunch.
• Snacks.
• Small bike lock.

This is an advanced ride. Be comfortable to ride on busier roads, and to take left hand turns as a group (or individual) on three lane roads. Road bikes ONLY. Average speed is 15-17mph (on flat).  

RidewithGPS link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14483746