Note: Rodney and I will reschedule this ride at a more auspicious and less cluttered day, in May or June.

To celebrate the life of Jesse F. Brown, we do this training ride in his honor -- and memory. A veteran of the Vietnam conflict, a retired NYPD officer, and a cycling enthusiast who was active in numerous bicycling groups -- the League of American Wheelmen, the Yonkers Bicycle Club, the New York Cycle Club, and, of course, our own Five Borough Bicycle Club, to name only a few, he was part teacher, part mechanic, part  tour guide, and a knowledgeable dining aficionado. His support and passion for bicycling in general will be sorely missed, along with his unwavering -- and unquestioning -- volunteerism. So we plan to ride and then dine, and ride again, after lunch, in his afterglow.

As for the ride: It will be a steady-pace ride with a stop at our favorite halfway point,  New Bridge Landing, a Revolutionary-era swing bridge across the tidal Hackensack River where George Washington slept after a hasty retreat from New York. We'll lunch in Westwood, where some of us can dine at the Rolling Pin Cafe (usually crowded), or Pompilio's for family-style pizza or It's Greek to Me, for a Greco-Feta version. Plan for a fairly long and relaxing lunch (to reminiscent), and, as Jesse would want, eat hearty: Our return to NYC is via Old Piermont Highway and a finale across the dreaded Palisades. (Get those geezer gears greased up!) And for those less inclined for the inclines on the return can take the train back to the city from Westwood.

We meet at 10 AM at GW Bus Terminal, 178 & Fort Washington.

Here's a map, cue, and elevation.