Congratulations and thank you to our friends at Acme Bicycle Co. for their 4th and most successful Neutral Ground event yet! This year Lotte, Greg, James, Liz, Diane, Jacob, and Simon signed up for the gravel ride. Most of us either drove up or took the train, but Lotte and Greg rode there and back. Here is Lotte’s recap of the long day.

THE RIDE THERE

I am a morning person. My two hour buffer to get out the door will speak volumes for a 5:00 am departure. After not falling asleep so quick, an extra half hour would have been nice, but so it goes. I opt'ed for a rice breakfast to load up on the carbs and calories. I had all my things set out and just needed to air my tires and throw the last items on the bike. I kept my pace easy to the GWB with the long day ahead. The plan was to ride to Katonah on the South/North County trail, and then back track after the event, taking on the gravel route for the day. All but my two teammates showed up on road bikes, so I knew from the started we'd have a bit of extra work to do. We quickly started a rotating pace group, and chatted along the main road. Due to a few switch ups, I some how ended up on the front a little more than I was aiming for, but we made good time up to the bridge in Nyack. On the bridge , I found myself on the front again. Our ride leaders were on road bikes, and I followed the pace they had been setting. Instead of taking a bit of a pull and sliding off, I stayed on the front, maybe a little more worried about contributing than the rest of my day.

As we carried on past the bridge, we hit some very punchy steep climbs up to the old rail trail. I could see I was hardly the only rider with little puppy energy as one of the new riders in our group took off up the hill, then stalled out with a shoe issue. After a few more steep roads, we were on the path and cruising. I finally managed to stay off the front from here. Instead, I found myself asking why we were doing threshold with plenty of time to spare (I had been doing threshold on my bridge pull...).

Neutral Ground GALLERY BY JAMES

Once we got to Katonah, our first stop was Acme for check in and some liquid carbs. Greg proffered the glass bottle Cokes, and James and I did not argue. Once checked, we moseyed to the exhibit/starting area. There were bagel halves, spread, coffee, and muffins all prepped for the incoming crew. I hoped on a bagel and muffin to really add to my carb load.

We were less than a 3rd of the way through our very long day of planned riding. Our other teammates slowly trickled in, and we gabbed away the remaining wait. With bathroom breaks and bottle refills out of the way, we made for the starting line. The mass swelled and the organizers got on the horn. Thanks and guidelines were passed out before the neutral vehicle rolled on. The main event was here.

THE EXPO AND GRAVEL RIDE

The rolling start was pretty calm as we maneuvered the town, across the river, and up to the first dirt road. Once we hit dirt, the mass exploded. I made to follow my teammates that went forward as the group strung out. The legs were still feeling good, but fresher legs prevailed, as did better sense. This was not a race, and I had 100+ miles to go for my day. About this time, Greg pulled along side me. We held council and decide chasing Simon and Jacob was our play. And on we chased.

It didn't take long before we found the boys. A large snapping turtle had made it's way onto a busy road. We found a sticker bombed Crosstrek, it's driver, Simon, and Jacob trying to coax the shelled friend out of the road. Not an easy task considering it's size and the accompanying jaw strength. There were pokes and prods from varying tools, before the driver found a large tote and managed to use it like a ram to push the large animal out of possible harms way.

Neutral Ground GALLERY BY LAURA WILSON @ ACME

We continued on rolling through some new roads and some old familiar ones. While this was my first Neutral Grounds, I have been coming up to the area for years now. The punchy gravel with plenty of elevation gain to be had makes for good prep for my other gravel events. Eventually, we came to the climb I know best in the area. I have history with this climb. My first Canyon Grail AL frame failed at the chainstay on this climb. It's a cat 4 0.9 mile averaging 5.9%, with about a quarter of that being a nice 12+% kicker. It's a dirt road, and it's not exactly kind to the legs. I pressed it just to see where my fitness was. I couldn't knock a second place, 16 seconds down on my own PR, with plenty of mileage in the legs and maybe a bit more load than that day in 2023. At least I snagged the downhill PR on the backside, maybe my real win.

We wizzed past a road side stand, and the lovely Market at Union Hall (worth a cafe stop if you're in the area), and pressed on for the second aid. As we entered Mountain Lakes Park, I wasn't immediately familiar with the road. But as it got chunky and trended upwards, I realized I had descended this section in quiet the unhappy manner in the past. The ascent was not much better, except for the added control I could exert. Our small group blew apart and I took most of the climb alone, a fair bargain for having left Greg to his own devices on Hunt Ln in search of my own PR. The chunk was rough, and while the shade was welcome, the heat was kicking. I was thankful for my hydration pack, but knew I would need that aid station.

With the regrouping at the aid, we chatted with old and new faces alike. I bemoaned the lack of salt on my chips, as Jacob drove home the importance of hydration. With bottles refilled, and some extra snacks in our bellies, we carried on. The largest of climbs were out of the way, but there was plenty of elevation to knock out before the finish line.

Eventually, we hit the last marked climb for the day, and our group blew apart one last time. I made my best effort for a solid PR, before rolling up onto another paved road. As I rolled along alone, I eventually found more riders. Julia was at the front of a group of riders, and I coaxed her along with me. She shouted for water and I sat up to provide. Thus our new pairing formed and we worked together to burn off the rest of the hills with exchanged pulls and gab.

As we got closer to town, I could feel the course effort creeping in. Maybe it was the change in sun and heat around noon, or maybe it was fueling (never enough), but I could feel it. But I slowly knew where I was again on this backwards route of what I’d often followed. The downhills felt less concerning than I recall, and I was sailing down them. This last group fell apart around here and I took on the last rollers before town alone once more.

I dropped down the last hill to Katonah before crossing through the main street and over to the shopping strip back to Acme. The exhibition and post ride treats awaited me. I b-lined for the food and was blessed with bicycle shaped pasta and what felt like the best Vodka sauce I had ever tasted.

Neutral Ground Gallery by RAY JONES

THE RIDE BACK

After food, a beer, some more gab, restock, and another good bye, the commuter gang rolled out once more. Greg, Simon, and I made for the dirt roads for the back way to the North County Trail entrance. Despite the refuel, the climbs were punching extra hard. We already had a solid day in our legs, and the heat had yet to abate. Eventually, the hills ended and we found the long downhill that was promised. What we may not have planned on was a headwind for the 20 miles back to the Bronx.

Four miles in, we decided a grocery stop was in order. Greg pointed out that Gatorade and snacks could be had close to the trail. We took the off ramp and ditched our bikes at the door in search of more. The boys took for pickles and vinegar chips, while I stuck to regular (but actually salty) chips and a pepperoni stick. We chatted with our snacks, sucked Gatorade and water, and hid as best we could from the sun. Sunscreen was slathered onto dirt crusted skin before rolling to find me the privacy of a porta pottie.

While on bathroom break, our commute ride leaders found us. We had made the decision to hit the road ahead of them, but our snack stop brought us back together for the last leg. The roadies were pressing a solid pace, and we pressed our pedals to keep the pace. Eventually the pace wore on us. We disconnected briefly, then I pulled us back up to the group. At that point, we were already in the trees on the edge of Van Cortlandt.

We finally rolled into parking lot by the tennis courts of Van Cortlandt Park for our before our final stretches to home. We waved off the roadies as they veered off for a different route to Inwood. The wind got rougher as we had come out from the tree cover. Nothing like another 20 minutes of hills and headwind before my final leg home.

I made my way onto the GWB and knew the end was not far off. The wind continued to press into me. Rounding the corner onto Main St. in Ft. Lee, the wind about took the life out of me as it was funneled by Barrymore Theater into my face. I followed my usual route home, and met a steady stream of summer traffic through the density of Hudson county. By this point, I was over it, and most of my usual resolve for the rules of the road were left on the side of South County trail. Finally, I rolled onto my street and b-lined for my neighboring Mexican spot. I poured out my burrito order to the owner and trudged to my door. I needed calories and a shower.