Fellow Cyclists: Rail Trail Rides, where 90-100% of the ride is on a dedicated off-road trail, have long been a staple of the Club’s group riding program. The North and South County Trails, Dutchess County Trail, Harlem Valley Trail, Farmington Canal Trail, to name a few, have all been utilized for Club and individual Member rides.
The growing popularity of these trails is easy to understand. Rail trails are generally quite safe, with no vehicular traffic, few crowds, good surfaces and flat terrain. The scenery is often an added bonus----in many cases, rail lines were pushed through under-developed areas and sometimes over old trestle bridges. Hence, many of today’s rail trails go through areas of great natural beauty e.g. Walkway over the Hudson, Maybrook Trail (Pond & Lake, Great Swamp, Trestle Bridge).
This increasing interest in Rail Trail riding has generated commensurate activity in improvements and addition of new trails. Just over the border in New York the 750 mile Empire State Trail has been officially completed, including the beautiful Maybrook Trail originating in Brewster and going over to Hopewell Junction and the Hudson Valley, connecting with several other trails and opening up broad new areas for cycling.
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail was recently extended all the way from Wassaic, NY to Copake, and closer to home one can now ride seamlessly on Rail Trails from the Goldens Bridge/Somers area down to Van Cortlandt Park in northern New York City. Closer still there is continuing progress on the Norwalk Valley Trail, which will eventually connect Norwalk and Danbury.
In recognition of these developments, the Club is stepping up its focus on Rail Trail riding, scheduling trail rides at least weekly through June, recruiting some of the Club’s more experienced cyclists to lead these rides, and opening up most of the Rail Trail rides to not only Members but also selectively to Guests and non-Members.
Our plan is to schedule a Rail Trail ride every week, usually on Wednesday, at least through June, after which we will decide on an appropriate Summer schedule. Most rides will be in the 25-50 mile range, but with several longer ones planned, including a Century Ride in June.
The rides will be posted, as usual, on the Club website http://rbsc.wildapricot.org/ and will require online signup.
SO…..check the Club’s website for upcoming rides and then register and join us this Spring for some safe, enjoyable and picturesque Rail Trail riding with a great group of folks. Bring a guest if you like, and please do pass this information on to your cycling friends.
Any questions or comments, feel free to contact Joe Boland at jnboland@optonline.net (mobile: 914-450-0473).