I was curious about a group ride that didn’t entail 70-mile days. There are a variety of group rides available, mass rides like RAGBRAI and the Erie Canal Ride, smaller groups put together by the pros, peoplecycling.org, individuals and their friends.

  I ended up signing up for a large ride down the Hudson Valley, organized by Parks and Trails New York, a non-profit that advocates for the parks and trails in New York State. I’m a member and use their guide books and website. I would be riding solo, traveling with a couple of hundred strangers. The ride is a fundraiser for their organization and involves an army of volunteers. It’s six days long, 200 miles and is limited to 200 individuals who will be tent camping. Our gear will be transported and there will be SAG wagon support. We’ll set up our tents on college campuses with bathrooms and showers throughout the ride.

  I signed up late and paid the full fare, $900. (Don’t tell my wife.) A smaller group ride may have been a better introduction but many of the rides I was curious about were filled with wait lists. This ride not only had space available but it also began in the Hudson Valley, where I live, so the logistics were easy.

  I signed up on July 9th for an August 4th trip. When I read through the handbook, I noticed a few inconsistencies. On Monday, July 28th, the Monday before push off, there was a Zoom meeting where many things were clarified. There would be a shuttle bus every night from the campsite to the nearby towns. There would be two snack stops per day except for the last day. Breakfast started at 6 am and dinner would be between 5 and 6 pm. There’d be 150 participants, two-thirds of which were male, the average age being 65.

  This would be a very different sort of bike trip for me, as I usually travel solo. It’s also my age group, but hopefully there wouldn't be a lot of “airing of the ailments.”

  The tour and luggage drop end in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a nice scenic spot, but a bit of a logistical nightmare getting my bicycle and luggage to my second home in Brooklyn. The nearest subway station is quite a walk. The drop seemed to be set up for people boarding buses back to the start in Troy.

   The tour route follows the Empire State Trail and its sub trails pretty closely. The only deviation in getting to the camping spots. The camping locations are on college campuses, the Ulster County Fair Grounds and Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park. Shower trucks will be available in locales with no permanent shower facilities like the fairgrounds.

  I’m pretty familiar with sections of this trail. The Ulster County section runs close to my country cabin. Coincidentally, on the Saturday the tour arrives in NYC, the City implemented a Summer Street Program. This means that there will be a continuous closed street from uptown to downtown, almost the full length of Manhattan. I’m planning on riding this route to the Brooklyn Bridge rather than take the Parks and Trails’ official route.

  I’ve found that the trail comes pretty close to the Croton Aqueduct Trail, which may be another detour option.