Rides

Fall 2022 Official Club Rides:

  • Thursday ITT Ride – 5:00pm
    • Mike Tyrrell will be hosting a Thursday TT series. The ride begins in front of GSH at 5:00 PM, and the group will ride to the start of the TT together. Once there, each member of the group will set off from the start at 30 second intervals and ride to the finish. If you can’t make the start at GSH, you can always meet us at the bottom of Banks Rd in Brooktondale, where the TT begins. Times will be judged by Strava, so if you want to ‘compete,’ you will need to track your ride. We will regroup at the start of the TT effort, and if daylight permits, riders may go for a second attempt. We will try to be back before dark.
    • TT Route: https://www.strava.com/segments/3299294.
    • You do NOT need a TT bike to join. Road bikes are preferred.
  • Friday Fun Ride – 5:30pm
    • Lev Katreczko & Max Battaglia will be hosting an entry-level ride! The slowest rider dictates the pace (within reason). No major climbs, regroup frequently, have fun. 10-25 miles, depending on the crowd. No one gets dropped; if someone needs to turn back, an experienced member of the group will ride with you. Route
    • For safety reasons, TT Bikes are prohibited on mass group rides.

*Please Note: All riders are required to wear helmets, follow all applicable traffic laws, and to follow all university guidelines (which are subject to change)

Times will change as the days get shorter. Any updates to a specific ride will be posted in the Cycling GroupMe. All rides meet on the quad side of Goldwin Smith Hall, unless otherwise noted.

Regular Events

  • Tuesday Night Racing (TNR).  An informal weekly road race, usually with A and B categories, organized by members of the Finger Lakes Cycling Club (FLCC).  Group training rides usually start in April, with racing beginning on the first Tuesday in May.  The event alternates between a flat and hilly route, and meets between 5 and 6 pm (depending on daylight) at East Hill Plaza; see the FLCC listserv for more info.  When fall arrives, TNR switches to cross practice at the Swandrome at Swan Cycles. *Please note, TNR is not sponsored by the club, ride at your own risk
  • Friday Fun Ride.  A casual one-hour recovery ride on a flat route, with the pace dictated by the slowest rider; these rides are a great time to meet other members of the club, especially those with different abilities and different disciplines.  The club organizes these rides in the fall semester, but anyone is encouraged to coordinate a Friday Fun Ride at other times of the year
  • Saturday Fast Ride. 9:30 am at Community Corners 36 miles, <1,000ft elevation gain, 20mph average pace. Contact Brian Hwang in the GroupMe for more info.
  • GroupMe Rides. Club Members are allowed and encouraged to organize unofficial rides within the club GroupMe. Time, distance, pace, and routes will vary. Feel free to post your own ride, mentioning when and where to meet, and what route and pace you have in mind.  A few terms that you might see in these announcements are:
    • “No drop” — the pace is dictated by the slowest rider.  Usually, on hilly rides, this means regrouping at the top.
    • “Recovery pace” — a relatively short, easy ride at a slow pace.
    • “Endurance pace” — riding at a conversational pace, something that you could keep up almost indefinitely; technically, in “Zone 2”, below but not near one’s threshold.  Everyone’s fitness is different, so one rider’s endurance pace might be much too slow (or much too fast) for another.
    • “Tempo” and “Threshold” pace — faster and much faster than endurance.
  • Goldwin Smith Hall (GSH) and East Hill Plaza (EHP) Walgreens are two common meeting points to start group rides.
  • *Please note, GroupMe rides are not sponsored by the club, ride at your own risk

Recommended Routes

Ithaca is a fantastic place to ride, and if you’re new to the area (or new to riding), we’re happy to offer some suggestions below.  Another great source of routes is the club’s page on Strava, and the Finger Lakes Cycling Club has a huge collection of maps and cue sheets. David Stauffer has also written a few posts about Ithaca routes here (Aug/Sep 2014) which we have transcribed and ammended to here.

  • Mountain and Cyclocross
    • Hammond Hill State Forest — About 5 miles east of NYSEG turn south from Rt. 13 onto Irish Settlement Rd. Turn left onto Star Stanton Rd., about 3 miles from Rt. 13. Follow Star Stanton, bearing right at the Y, and head up hill. Parking lot is at the top of the hill, on the right, just before a significant downhill. Here on finds miles of jeep roads and trails. There are typically DEC trail brochures available at the trail register (across the road). Colored trail blazes mark some of the more prominent trails.
    • Shindagin Hollow State Forest — Take Rt. 79 east about 4 miles and turn right onto Brooktondale Rd. In about 5 miles bear right onto Braley Hill Rd, and travel about 1/4 mile uphill. A cornucopia of trails stem off this road, in both directions, offering challenges for every level of rider.
    • The Swandrome — located at the famously easy to miss Swan Cycles on Mount Pleasant, the Swandrome is hosts ‘cross and MTB practice and races in the fall.  When you’re there, be sure to thank Glenn Swan for being such a great host to the local cycling community.
  • Road
    • Coddington and Ellis Hollow (East, 30 mi, flat) — This loop takes you along some of the more important cycling roads to the east of campus, and is a great starting point for other rides.  The route follows the valley to Brooktondale and returns through Ellis Hollow; part of this loop is used as the flat course for TNR.  The hills around Ellis Hollow are home to some great climbing, especially Hammond Hill, Ringwood, Irish Settlement, and Mount Pleasant Roads.
    • Van Ostrand and Salmon Creek (North, 29 mi, flat with one climb) — Leaving campus and heading north, past the airport, this route goes past the many farms north of Ithaca and returns through the Salmon Creek valley and Cayuga Heights.  North of Ithaca is a great location if you’d like to avoid the hills; most of the roads form 1 mile squares, so it’s hard to get lost.
    • Along the lake (West, 40 mi, rolling) — heading through downtown, this route follows the major state roads along the west shore of Cayuga Lake.  Explore some of the side roads, as there’s plenty of options for good climbs and views of the lake.
    • Around the lake (90-100 miles, rolling) — this is the classic Ithaca ride.  The most direct route around the like is about 92 miles, but you might as well take a a side trip and extend to the full century.  There’s also a variation that stays a bit further from the lake, but avoids the busier roads and has a little bit less climbing.  The FLCC has more info, including cue sheets with details about places to rest and refuel.
    • For information about riding safely on the roads, take a look at this helpful infographic outlining the rules of the road in New York State.

For further info, check out some more of our recommended routes.

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