Derby Ride

Many of you may remember the Derby Ride on Sunday mornings at 0900 from Cold Spring Elementary School the past couple of Summers. It was a (hard) group ride that was led by some of the strongest riders in the area which started at a relatively moderate pace (avg. 20 mph) on the PA side of the Delaware River that accelerated into fast paced ride (avg. 24 mph) on the NJ side of the Delaware River. It was a great ride for everyone..even riders like me that were dropped along the way- because I got an awesome workout. In keeping with that tradition, I was thinking of doing the same in the off-season, albeit at a more relaxed/fun/social pace (since it's indeed the off-season) AND with anything other than a road bike. Why no road bike? Because the terrain/route we'll be following will be more appropriate for hybrids, cyclocross or mountain bikes. And, unlike the Summer Derby Ride this will be a "no-drop ride" provided you can keep up with the 12 mph average which includes: hills, stops, flats, etc. (I hope I can..haha)

Here's the route: start in Stockton, NJ and follow the canal tow path from Stockton to Hopewell, NJ. In Hopewell, cross over a canal bridge onto Rt. 29 Northbound for approx 1/4 mile to Fiddler's Creek Rd. Follow Fiddler's Creek Rd. to the entrance to Baldpate Mtn. Ride up the gravel road to the grass paths which lead to doubletrack and singletrack trails. Follow the Ridge Trail (white) to the Upper Parking Lot. Turn around and follow the route back to Stockton. Total mileage 24 miles, approx. ride time 2+ hrs. We'll stick to the Ridge Trail (white) which can be ridden with either a Cyclocross, Hybrid or Mountain bike. Here's a link so you can see the terrain: http://www.pbase.com/mullerrj/baldpate_mtn If some of you Mtn bike riders want to explore the Mountain trail descents you can meet back up with the group.

In addition to the Sunday ride (preferred over Saturday because there is no hunting on Sundays) I was thinking of doing a weekly night ride as well. Let me know if you're interested in either. mullerrj@gmail.com This would be an all-weather ride: cold, snow, sleet, rain, etc. Unless of course there is heavy snow/sleet/rain. Lastly, I said it would be a more relaxed/social/fun ride but that doesn't mean you're not going to get a great workout. Baldpate Mtn. rises 300-400 ft. above the Delaware River so you'll be climbing at an average 8% grade for one mile to the top. Once on the top there are rolling trails..so you can count on half the ride being dead flat (canal path) and the other half being hills.