Harlem Valley Rail Weekend is a self-contained 5BBC weekend bicycle trip to Dutchess and Columbia Counties, NY, and Bash Bish Falls State Park, Massachusetts. Our ride leaders are Jim Zisfein <jzisfein@gmail.com> and Doug Von Hoppe.

On Saturday, July 25, 2015, we will meet at Grand Central Terminal at 7:15AM and take Metro North Railroad to Harlem Valley-Wingdale. (If you would prefer to get on at 125th St. or Fordham Rd., that can be arranged, but please tell the ride leaders in advance.) We then ride our bikes to Copake Falls, a distance of approximately 50 miles on the acclaimed Harlem Valley Rail Trail and low-traffic country roads. In the Copake Falls area there will be optional activities including a short hike to Bash Bish Falls, a visit to a museum of the industrial history of the region, a bicycle ride up a steep mountain road to a spectacular vantage point, and a refreshing swim in a pond formed from an abandoned iron ore mine. Dinner will be at the historic Taconic Wayside Inn. Our overnight accommodations are at a highly rated nearby motel.

On Sunday, we will ride the 11 miles from Copake to Millerton, NY. This is the start point of the fully supported Harlem Valley Rail Ride (HVRR) “the summer’s most beautiful ride” with distances of 45-100 miles through the Taconic and Berkshire mountain ranges and (of course) the magnificent Harlem Valley. When you finish the HVRR you will have time to enjoy the festival and cool off in the Millerton pool. Then, your weekend ride leaders will escort you on the 11 mile trail to Wassaic where you catch the train home.

What this will cost

This inexpensive ride is priced a la carte. The base price for the weekend trip is $120, which covers your accommodations and also pays for some of the leaders’ expenses. Your additional expenses will include round-trip train fare ($35), meals (approx. $65 if you join us for Sunday dinner, $45 otherwise), and registration for HVRR (price is normally $80; 5BBC weekenders get a reduced rate of $65).

How to register and pay

1. To register for the weekend trip, click here. Email jzisfein@gmail.com if you have any difficulty registering.

2. After you register for the weekend trip, pay online here ($120 plus a small service fee). Email jzisfein@gmail.com if you have any difficulty paying

3. Finally, register for HVRR. Price is normally $80, but is reduced to $65 for 5BBC weekenders. Email jzisfein@gmail.com to get your discount code for HVRR.

4. Your other expenses (train fare, food) are pay-as-you-go. If you don't already have an MTA bike pass, you buy that ($5 for lifetime pass) when you buy your train ticket.

How to prepare

Our group riding will not be strenuous by bicycle touring standards. The hills are fairly gentle (except for that optional mountain in Bash Bish Falls State Park), and the pace will be 12-14 mph. As for the HVRR, it's up to you which route you take and how fast you ride. One of the 100-mile routes has 6925 ft. of climb, but the 45-mile route (the route Jim will ride) has only 1678 ft. Please remember that in addition to whatever you ride on the HVRR, you will have an additional 22 miles on Sunday: 11 in the morning getting from the lodge to Millerton, and at the end of the day another 11 from Millerton to the train station.

We're going to the mountains, but you don't need to bring a mountain bike. Most of the roads we'll be traveling are better than the roads in NYC. The bike you're comfortable with on long distance rides – road bike, hybrid, or touring bike – is the bike to bring on Harlem Valley Rail Weekend.

Make sure your bike is ready. Do the 5BBC 2-minute bike check (or have a shop check your bike for roadworthiness). Recheck tire pressure the day before the ride. Remember to bring basic bike repair equipment (at minimum: 2 spare tubes, patch kit, pump, and tire levers) and a water bottle (2 bottles if the forecast is for a hot weekend). Clothing and supplies are best carried in panniers or a rack trunk, although a backpack will suffice. Bring what you need, but don't overpack. Whether it's on your bike or your back, you will be schlepping it for 50 miles on Saturday and 22 miles on Sunday. While you’re riding the HVRR, however, you can check your stuff at the bag corral.

The ride is “rain or shine”. There are no refunds from 5BBC, and I don’t expect any from HVRR. Please check the weather forecast before heading out. What clothing to bring will be partly dictated by the forecast, but remember that the weather in the Taconic Mountains might be different than the weather in the city. Pockets of rain can form in the mountains when the forecast is for clear from NYC to Albany.

Unless conditions are extreme, a reasonable selection of clothing (what you wear plus what you pack) would be:

• 2 bike jerseys
• 2 bike shorts, padded
• swimsuit for swim in Ore Pit pond, towel is optional (dry off with a bike jersey instead)
• soft-soled shoes for walking if your bike shoes are the hard soled clop clop type
• "nice clothing" for Saturday dinner is unnecessary, Taconic Wayside Inn doesn't have a dress code
• rain gear – we suggest a waterproof raincoat
• helmet – not optional – without it, no ride, no refund

Don't forget your medications, personal care items, sunscreen, mobile phone with camera, and money. How much money? Train fare can be charged on your credit card. Your food expense is estimated at $65. However, in a worst-case scenario of major mechanical failure or injury, you might need cabfare for up to a 30-mile ride to the nearest train station. We suggest you bring a minimum of $150.

We think you will enjoy this trip. Bash Bish Falls is a gem. Although nobody will confuse it with Niagara or Upper Yosemite Falls, it's in a beautiful setting and so close to home. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is one of New York State's best greenways. Much of our riding, both on the group ride and the HVRR, will be on scenic and low-traffic country roads – bicycling like it oughta be. You will finish this ride wanting more of it, which you can get whenever you want just by taking a Metro North train..