This past weekend, a group from Mappy Hour NYC joined up with local bike shop 718 Cyclery for one of their monthly “micro tours”.
These bike rides are perfect for weekend warriors and first time bikepackers to get a taste of backpacking by bike.
On Saturday, we started in Manhattan and rode up the Hudson River Greenway to the beautiful Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
There we met a few last minute riders, took a bathroom break and adjusted some gear. From there, we headed north out of Van Cortlandt to Yonkers where we met up with the paved North County and South County Rail Trail.
This part of the ride was the highlight as we enjoyed a green tunnel and smooth pavement as we headed into Westchester from the city. After 43 miles, we made it to the beautiful Croton Point Park where we set-up camp.
From there, we got to exploring the actual point which reached out into the Hudson River and providing beautiful views and quiet beaches to enjoy.
The rest of the day included, stretching, dinners over the fire, and even a talent show.
Sunday was a different story. It was pouring and everything was extremely wet and muddy.
Some opted to take the train back (which was just a few miles from the campground) and avoid a day of wet, 40 degree temperatures. A few, headed back by bike!
Rainy riding by Joe Nocella
Luckily, everyone arrived back safely with photos, stories and this very cool route map by 718:
Relive ‘Morning May 11th’
Header image by Joe Nocella. See more of Joe’s photos here.
