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Upcoming Events
READ ME FIRST! Our ride leaders are unique! Read
each ride description to learn if weather might cancel a ride, what equipment is
appropriate, and any other special considerations. Questions? Ask the ride
leader. We care about your well-being: wear a helmet on our rides. Bring at
least one filled water bottle. Even if you don't know how to fix a flat, bring a
pump and a spare tube for your bike, or it's possible no one on the ride will be
able to help you with a flat tire. Distances are usually round trip. Ask the
ride leader about possible less-taxing ride options. "A" is fast with few stops,
"B" is intermediate, and "C" is fab with lots of stops; numbers refer to average
pace in mph over level ground.
HERE TO THERE: Fast and Fab maintains a
cue sheet
page for the convenience and curiosity of its members. You’ll find
routes both short and long heading in all directions from the city. We try to
keep the material fresh, so check the date at the top of the page. If the route
hasn’t been updated in a few years, or if the distances between turns aren’t
indicated, consider riding the route and updating the cue sheet yourself. Let
Bob Nelson know what you find: fastnfab@yahoo.com or (917) 658-9531.
WE LOVE TO DINE!: Click here for more on our
Monthly Dinner.
WE ALSO LOVE
SHOPPING!: When buying your gear, don't forget to
support Fast and Fab by ordering your clothing and equipment through our Web
site. Select retailers donate 5% of your order to the club when you click the
Merchants button on our home page to access their sites.
May
MAY 18, MONTAUK: There are four ways to do the
annual Five Boro Bike Club event: 1) start on your bike from
Penn Station between 5 and 6 a.m. for the 145 mi. route; 2) check your bike at
Penn Station between 3:45 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., then take the LIRR to Babylon for
the 100-mi. route; 3) check your bike between 6 and 7 a.m., then take the LIRR
to Shirley (a town, not a person) for the 65-mi. route; or, new this year, 4) do
the 145-mi. route in two days, staying at a hotel Saturday night.
Oy, the complexities! Pack a bag with fresh clothes,
soap and a towel, but no valuables, and the organizers will take it to the
finish in downtown Montauk, where showers and dinner await.
Bikes are barred from the LIRR on this date, so order a return trip (might be
train, might be bus) when you register(http://www.5bbc.org/montauk/).
Bikes going from Penn Station to Babylon or Shirley, and coming back from
Montauk, go on bike trucks, which are staffed and driven by Five Boro Bike Club
cyclists; nevertheless, wrap your frame in bubble wrap coming and going to
prevent scratches. Cost of the registration with return will
be about $75 if you're a member of the New York Cycle Club or the Five Boro Bike
Club, more if you're not. Dieter Klemke captained our fast,
smooth 100-mi. paceline last year, and will do so again this year, so talk to
him if you're interested in that distance: dieter@nastypig.com or 212-463-9275.
Bill Clarke, with partner Doug Martin, will lead a
group doing the 65-mi. ride at a more fabulous pace, so contact him if that’s
more your speed:
billclarkenyc@yahoo.com or 646-342-8690.
MAY 22, GARDEN CAFÉ: With spring, outdoor cafés are once again in vogue,
but traffic noise is always an issue. Not at the Garden Café, 4961 Broadway
between 207th and Isham St., phone 212-544-9480, where the patio is in back,
away from traffic. The fare tends toward American staples such as grilled tuna,
chicken with pecan sauce and various pasta dishes, but the beer and wine menus
veer off the beaten path. And while the place barely registers a blip on the
city’s dining scene, it’s well known and liked by Inwood locals, of which Fast
and Fab has quite the handful. Join us on this spring Thursday for fashionable
back-patio dining at 8 p.m. RSVPs please to Bob Nelson at
fastnfab@yahoo.com or 917-658-9531.
MAY 24-26, NEW HOPE: Fast and Fab pays a visit to this
quaint town on the banks of the Delaware every Memorial Day weekend, rain or
shine. As we've done a half-dozen times, we'll stay at the Weisel Hostel in
Nockamixon State Park, Quakertown, Pa., about 30 mi. northwest of New Hope.
We drop bags at the pickup truck in Manhattan Saturday morning, take the
PATH or drive to Newark and then, with cue sheets and our truck as support,
begin the 80 mi. ride to the hostel. En route, we'll have stops for food and
fuel; the last pit stop is in New Hope; and yes, the pickup will pick up
tired riders. There's horseback riding, a huge outdoor pool, canoe and kayak
rentals and plenty of space for long runs, and some people go antique
shopping in town. Monday we'll cycle back to Newark via a different route,
avoiding Memorial Day parades where possible. To hold your place in the
ride, write a check for $100 to Front Runners New York and mail it to Bob
Nelson at 165 Seaman Ave. #3H, New York, NY 10034-1989. The $100, which is
non-refundable after May 15, covers $36 for two nights at the hostel, truck
rental and SAG supplies. We do need at least one person to drive the
truck. Bob Nelson:
fastnfab@yahoo.com or 917-658-9531.
MAY 31, TEACH A KID TO RIDE: May is Bike Month, of course, and Bike
New York and the New York City Parks Department once again are sponsoring a
series of hands-on sessions to teach young children how to ride bicycles.
Three of us from Fast and Fab trekked out to Staten Island last year to
teach the kids, and really had a blast. The little gals and guys are so
cute! Essentially you take the pedals off the bike and have the youngster
scoot the bike forward, then s/he tries to balance while s/he is moving.
Then you put the pedals back on and hope you have a brand-new cyclist. Fast
and Fab has volunteered to work Saturday, May 31, the weekend after Memorial
Day, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of
Manhattan. If you'd like to participate,
reply to Bob Nelson at
fastnfab@yahoo.com or 917-658-9531.
MAY 31, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this monthly ride. Meet
at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance; return to Columbus Circle
around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles. Weather? We only cancel when no
one in their right mind would have fun. Dress for the weather. You won't
need sunblock. Free for cyclists and skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of
just about any skill level and experienced skaters. We hope these rides
encourage folks to enjoy our parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet,
safe, and relaxed. No RSVP required, but
Richard can answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
June
JUNE 7, PEDAL TO PRESERVE: This ride through
beautiful southeastern Pennsylvania benefits the Lancaster Farmland Trust, a
private organization that buys development rights to local farmland, most of
it held by Amish farmers. Bill Clarke, who did the ride with friends last
year, describes "mile after mile of farmland that time forgot. We had to
figure out an etiquette for passing horses and buggies . . . Some of the
cyclists are Amish and Mennonite, and they're very grateful for our
participation." Ride distances, from the start in New Holland, Pa., are 6
mi., 20 mi. or 51 mi., nothing too taxing for a Saturday morning in early
June. Our group will drive out to the area the night before, bed down in a
motel yet to be chosen and most will probably do the 51-mi. ride. Entry fee
for the ride had not been determined at this writing, but watch the website
for details:
http://www.lancasterfarmlandtrust.org/pedal.html If you're interested
in riding with us, contact Bill at
billclarkenyc@yahoo.com or 646-342-8690.
JUNE 15, BOTH SIDES NOW:
If you're planning to ride Boston to Provincetown next weekend, plan on
riding this hilly 90-plus-mile adventure up the Hudson River with Terry
Farrow. The views along the east side of the river can be breathtaking,
but save some breath for the climbs! Once we cross the Bear Mountain
Bridge to the western shore, the terrain levels off a bit, and you can
practically smell the city once we hit Nyack. Riders should download
the cue sheet in advance from
http://www.fastnfab.org/CueSheets/bearmountainbridgeew.htm and
show up at the Boathouse in Central Park around 8:45 a.m. for a
departure at 9 a.m. sharp. Pace is B15 or faster, depending on the
group. We will make plenty of deli stops, but bring pocket food too, as
this is an all-day adventure. RSVP to Terry at gartfarrow@yahoo.com to
get his cell number, which is always useful on a ride.
JUNE 21, P'TOWN: The gay-owned-and-operated Boston to
P'town Ride clocks in at 127 miles in a single day, but the five rest stops
and abundant camaraderie make it worth the trip. The Provincetown
International Film Festival is in town that weekend, wrapping up Cape Cod's
Gay Pride week, so reserve your room early. In Boston, the Berkeley
Residence YWCA is two blocks from the 6 a.m. start of the ride and will set
you back only $60; in Provincetown, the Best Western Chateau Motor Inn will
let you stay one night for around $120. The website
Provincetown.com is a good source for B&B's if you plan a longer stay.
Registration for the ride is $60 and must be received by June 5; there is a
limit of 300 riders but in the last few years that hasn't been reached.
More information, and registration, is at
http://www.outriders.org/. If you want to share a room or a ride,
contact Bob Nelson at (917) 658-9531 or
fastnfab@yahoo.com.
JUNE 28, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this
monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance; return
to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles. Weather? We
only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun. Dress for the
weather. You won't need sunblock. Free for cyclists and skaters. Appropriate
for cyclists of just about any skill level and experienced skaters. We hope
these rides encourage folks to enjoy our parks at night, without motor
vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed. No
RSVP required, but Richard can answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
July
JULY 13-19, 2008, TOUR BC: This weeklong bike tour of British
Columbia's mountainous interior takes place in the year of the 150th
anniversary of BC's Gold Rush. Danelle Laidlaw, director of the tour, has
run with that theme and mapped a route that will follow the Gold Rush Trail,
a road that, on its completion in 1865, was called "the eighth wonder of the
world" and "utterly impassable for any animal but a man, a goat or a dog."
Danelle welcomes women to the ride, and it's doubtful there will be many
goats or dogs on bicycles, but the terrain through the Cariboo region
certainly will be challenging. Total distance for the six daily rides is 636
km, or about 400 mi., and the overnight stops are Kumsheen, Ashcroft, 100
Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Barkerville, with return to Hope by
bus. Danelle has set up early-bird registration of CDN$1011, including the
bus ride back to Hope. Early-bird deadline is March 1; the price goes up by
CDN$63 after the deadline and only the first 100 applicants will be accepted
to the ride. Danelle writes by e-mail that by Jan. 12 she expects to update
the tour website, www.tourbc.net, with details of the 2008 ride, including how to get
bikes and luggage from the Vancouver airport to the luggage truck that will
take our stuff to the starting point in Hope. For now, the website has
details of previous rides, including photos. Bob Nelson has the early bird
registration form and a map of the route; contact him at
fastnfab@yahoo.com
or 917-658-9531.
JULY 26, RIVERSIDE RIDE:
Richard Brause leads this monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus
Circle park entrance; return to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance?
About 12 miles. Weather? We only cancel when no one in their right mind
would have fun. Dress for the weather. You won't need sunblock. Free for
cyclists and skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of just about any skill level
and experienced skaters. We hope these rides encourage folks to enjoy our
parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed.
No RSVP required, but Richard can answer
questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
JULY 27, HARLEM VALLEY RAIL RIDE: Begin
in Millerton, N.Y., the town Timothy Leary made famous, then ride through
three states with wonderful scenery, very little traffic and plentiful,
well-stocked rest stops, even for those bringing up the rear. Cruise along
the bucolic, shaded Harlem Valley Rail Trail for about 20 mi. of your ride,
which could be from 22 to 100 mi. long. If the 2008 edition follows the
2007 route, climb some killer hills -- no, mountains -- then boast about
your victory later. To get to the ride, your choices are to either take
Metro North the day before and stay over in a motel, or rent a car and drive
up the morning of the ride; same-day Metro North trains won't get you to the
start on time unless you're doing one of the shorter distances. Bike New
York, the organizer of the ride, offers a bus with bike transport that
leaves Manhattan very early in the morning. Despite this schedule, it often
sells out, so register early if you plan to ride to the ride. There are
inns and motels in the area, but they require a weekend stay and also fill
up early. Bob Nelson is planning to stay overnight in nearby
Lakeville, Conn., about a five-mile ride from the start, so contact him at
fastnfab@yahoo.com
or 917-658-9531, and go to
http://www.bikenewyork.org to register for the ride.
August
AUG. 7-11, WAQUOIT BAY:
The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is located in the towns
of Falmouth and Mashpee, Mass., on the south shore of Cape Cod. The main
island, Washburn Island, is 330 acres of barrier beach, oak and pine forests
and salt ponds, and is one of the last undeveloped coastal properties on the
Cape. The bay is shallow, with an average depth of three feet; it's ideal
for kayaking, canoeing, fishing, swimming and snorkeling. Fast and Fab has
reserved one of only two large group campsites on Washburn Island for the
dates listed above. The sites are accessible by water only – canoes,
kayaks, rowboats and power boats are all allowed. There is no electricity
or running water on the island, so we have to provide any water we need,
either by bringing it from shore or by desalinizing salt water with a
distiller. There is a composting toilet, and we can hang a gravity-fed tank
to provide a shower. Up to 25 people may camp on the site; as on previous
camping trips, campers must scrounge up tent and sleeping bag. Bob Nelson
has access to a large canoe and Tom Wilhelm can borrow two small kayaks, but
we'll definitely need more watercraft than that; local rentals are an
option. For those who like the idea of a shore vacation but detest camping,
consider joining Neil Rosenberg and Niraj Kumar at a bed and breakfast, the
Chapoquoit Inn (http://chapoquoit.com/)
in West Falmouth, which has seven rooms, then join us for whatever daytime
adventures we embark upon. Those might include a 25-mi. bike ride down the
Shining Sea Bike Path to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a marine
research facility that welcomes the public. From Woods Hole, we can take
the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, which has large network of bike paths. We
might also bike up the Cape, though Provincetown is still a long hike from
Waquoit Bay. Bikes stay on shore, probably locked inside the van we will
need to rent to bring them up to the Cape. Anyone who's interested should
reserve a spot with Bob at
fastnfab@yahoo.com or
917-658-9531. AUG 22-24, DIRT
CAMP: Shawn Hill hosts his semi-annual dirt camp for mountain bikers at
his home in Middletown, Conn. All levels of riders are welcome, from
beginning to advanced. Attractions include well-worn singletrack at
Wadsworth Falls State Park and technical Miller's Pond State Park. You may
need to bring a sleeping bag for the weekend depending on how many of us
there are. NYC bikers normally take Metro North to New Haven and Shawn picks
us up there, but the train won't take bikes during rush hour, so the
earliest departure would be about 8:30 p.m. on Friday the 22nd. RSVP please
to Shawn at shill@wesleyan.edu or
(860) 398-0938. AUG. 24, NORTH FORK CENTURY:
Long Island's North Fork is the less developed stepsister to the Hamptons,
with plenty of quiet marshes, farms and wineries instead of mega-mansions.
Riders can go 50 mi., 66 mi. or 100 mi., but all the routes are flat with
rest stops, bike repair and sag support. This Glen Goldstein-organized ride
starts at Greenport High School in Greenport, N.Y. at 6 a.m., which means
you'll have to get up mighty early to catch the bus in Manhattan, or find
some other way to get out there. Terry Farrow is taking the train out the
day before and will lead a group in the full century, so e-mail him at
gartfarrow@yahoo.com for details of his plans. Go to
http://www.northforkcentury.com/ to register for the ride. If you're
taking the same-day bus, register well in advance since the buses fill up
early.
AUG. 30, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this
monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance; return
to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles. Weather? We
only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun. Dress for the
weather. You won't need sunblock. Free for cyclists and skaters. Appropriate
for cyclists of just about any skill level and experienced skaters. We hope
these rides encourage folks to enjoy our parks at night, without motor
vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed. No
RSVP required, but Richard can answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
September
SEPT. 26-28, BRAKING THE CYCLE:
This fully-supported, 275-mile ride from Gettysburg, Pa., to
Manhattan benefits the HIV/AIDS services of the LGBT Community
Center -- everything from condoms to counseling, prevention to
bereavement. Departing Gettysburg on Sept. 26, the ride travels 90
mi. on the first day to Lancaster, Pa., another 110 mi. to Clinton,
N.J., and the final 75 mi. to finish at the LGBT Center on West 13th
St. on Sept. 28. Riders travel along beautiful back country roads
across covered bridges, lush river valleys and national parks.
Registration is limited to 140 riders, who stay in motel rooms
overnight rather than camping. Alan Barnett has done the ride for
the last four years and is happy to share his insights:
alan@alanbarnett.com or 212-675-0041. To register, or for more
info, call 212-989-1111 or visit
http://www.brakingthecycle.org/
SEPT. 27, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads
this monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance;
return to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles.
Weather? We only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun.
Dress for the weather. You won't need sunblock. Free for cyclists and
skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of just about any skill level and
experienced skaters. We hope these rides encourage folks to enjoy our
parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed.
No RSVP required, but Richard can
answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
October
OCT. 25, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this
monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance;
return to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles.
Weather? We only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun.
Dress for the weather. You won't need sunblock. Free for cyclists and
skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of just about any skill level and
experienced skaters. We hope these rides encourage folks to enjoy our
parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed.
No RSVP required, but Richard can
answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
November
NOV. 29, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this
monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance;
return to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles.
Weather? We only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun.
Dress for the weather. Snow definitely doesn't cancel. Free for cyclists
and skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of just about any skill level and
experienced skaters. We hope these rides encourage folks to enjoy our
parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed.
No RSVP required, but Richard can
answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
December
DEC. 27, RIVERSIDE RIDE: Richard Brause leads this
monthly ride. Meet at 10 p.m. at the Columbus Circle park entrance;
return to Columbus Circle around 12:30 a.m. Distance? About 12 miles.
Weather? We only cancel when no one in their right mind would have fun.
Dress for the weather. Snow definitely doesn't cancel. Free for cyclists
and skaters. Appropriate for cyclists of just about any skill level and
experienced skaters. We hope these rides encourage folks to enjoy our
parks at night, without motor vehicles: quiet, safe, and relaxed.
No RSVP required, but Richard can
answer questions:
redbike9@yahoo.com.
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