NYC Road Biking – Lapping Central Park
Rides | 198 | February 22, 2010 at 10:06 amOver the past couple of days, I got the chance to head up to New York City for some downtime with my wife and her family. During the course of the stay, I think we hit up every single site seeing/locals only spots in NYC. Over the course of the trip, I kept on wondering…where the hell to New York City dwellers put in the miles?! In my suburb of Atlanta, I can head straight out of my driveway and put in a century on old farm roads if I want to and the idea of playing in NYC traffic and stop lights doesn’t sound like my idea of serious mileage. When we headed up to Central Park…I got my answer.
Lapping Central Park – NYC Road Biking
Central Park in New York City has about a 6 mile loop within its borders that consists of 3 hills (that I know of). The double lane access makes for perfect lapping for NYC residents to get in spin time without having to worry about traffic lights, taxis and other city distractions. While I am sure there are regular group rides that assemble pelotons on the streets of Central Park, most of the riders are out on their own taking in the sites of central park and getting in the miles.
What I Noticed On The Central Park Loop
The riders on the Central Park loop are incredibly diverse. You get everything from the hard core roadie looking for long miles to grandma enjoying a day out in the park. It was really kind of cool to see the diverse group of riders…and even more cool to see the guys on fixed gears completely ripping it up.
The diverse crowd also makes it a little bit more difficult for the serious riders to navigate the slower ones. This brought down the average speed of the roadies to make sure that 30 mph collisions are not a norm.
There must be a serious Cervélo dealer somewhere close by as most of high end rides were some model out of that lineup.
I was talking about the riders with my wife’s uncle (we were walking around not riding) and he was telling me about a certain area where the poser roadies hangout and stand next to their high end rides without actually riding them. By the time we got there…there wasn’t anyone standing around to take a picture of…I guess it was too cold outside.
I thought this was hilarious as some things never change no matter where you travel. There will always be those that have more money than talent and the riders that are on complete crap that will rip your legs off. Its not the bike…its the rider…no matter where you are riding.
Overall, it was really cool to see the diverse crowd all getting involved on a cold day in NYC. It really reminded me how many different riding types are involved in road riding and how we can all enjoy the sport at our own speed. Some riders like to pack on triple digit miles while others use it as a source to get in better shape. Central Park is one of those places where riders of all types get together to enjoy the sport. It was an uplifting experience as a cyclist and someday soon…I am going to return to put in my own miles on the Central Park loop.
Do you want to become a faster rider?
Becoming faster on the road requires some sort of program or focus if you want to beat your buddy at the next sprint. Luckily for us, the crew over at My Cycling has put together an incredible workout and ride program that will get you over that speed hump and at the front of the pack or first over the sprint line. This affordable and extremely comprehensive program is exactly what you are looking for to bring the speed out of your legs and against pavement whether you are a recreational rider or racer.
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Central Park is a great place to ride, but and even better place to race. If you’d been there 2 weeks later and gotten up before dawn you could have seen the first of the dozens of races that take place in the park every year.
The start/finish is located at the top of Cat’s Paw Hill (so named for the big-cat statue at the roadside) near the Met museum. This time of year the race rolls out in darkness at 6 a.m., but the reward is being home and dry by 9 at the latest with 24-36 miles of hardcore racing in your legs.
I suppose you’re right that there are 3 hills of note, but the terrain is rarely ever totally flat. The harlem hill at the top of the park looks tough, but the pack usually stays together since it’s not that long and you hit it after a screaming downhill. The real test comes on the west side of the loop when the pack hits the rollers and the second hill. If you get unhitched here your day is over.
The second half of the west side is very fast. After you pass Tavern on the Green (closed now I think), you loop around by Central Park South and go through what’s known as horse-shit alley. It’s the place where the carriages enter the park and seems to be a favorite place for the horses do what horses do. If it’s raining or wet the roost in your face is, well, you can imagine. The road narrows in the alley and is uphill a bit, but the pace is always hot. since you’re only about a mile or so from the finish. The sprint up cat’s paw is one of the toughest around. There is a longish, arcing downhill leading to the boat basin at the bottom of the hill, so the group is flying when you get there. There are a handful of local racers who have the finish dialed to perfection and make it look easy. For most everyone else it’s a roll of the dice. Go too early and you’ll get swallowed well before the line; too late and you risk getting boxed in or caught up in the all-too-frequent crashes.
I highly recommend racing in CPK. If you’re ever in the neighborhood w/ your bike it is a must-do.
I imagine that would be a blast to watch for spectators too. A lot of places to hang out and watch.