Section head text.
The Gimbel’s Argument.
It’s a ride named after a defunct department store chain that hasn’t been in the shopping center it leaves from for at least 20 years. It starts at 9:15 on weekends and holidays as that was the time the ride would arrive at the parking lot after leaving from the original starting point, the Kingsbridge Armory. It’s over 60 years old, and it’s raced by some like it’s the world championships of Westchester.
Do you plan on doing the Gimbel’s ride for training this winter?
I cant wait to see what the ride is like when the group goes left @ that gas station 3 way intersection. Anyone do that route? is it really hilly?
cat 4 dude it’s very nice with 4 hils go for you pussy!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=/photos/2007/oct07/mastersworlds07/mastersworlds071/WTM_0580a
http://www.analyticcycling.com/
Yeh, come on out to Gimbles and see dousch bag fast Eddy! what a dick…perhaps he should do a real race instead of Gimbles?
interesting……big fish swimming in a small pond?
lemond never did gimbels. bauer and boyer were the most famous guys i can remember. when the pinedas used to show up, the ride always flew!
Love is in the air. You are entitled to your opinion whether I agree with you or not. I want to apologize if I offended you with my boredom at work. I have a lot of respect for you and it was all in fun…
time to move on….guess who MR. no name? lol
love is in the air
he’d head for the nearest airport.
… what would craig do?
You need a ride and a wife/girlfriend. That usually does it for me. Ask for a raise also…cures the grumps everytime!
But Will is usually cheerful and I’m usually grumpy….
Just what we need VO2 and JFT teaming up.
Shut up!
Why?
Because some coward wants me to?
No.
Tell me your name so I can rag on you. Just jokes though. No big deal.
Thanks,
thaks jft:)” keeping the torch alive!
now I like this guy.
cheers!
okay very well…your rt
I’ll do my whipping on the road…see you soon (lol)
stop taking it so seriously. they’re just jokes. get over it. this is a locker room consider it a towel whip…
Two anonymous douches ragging on me – makes my day.
anytime boyscout
Your making our point for us – thank you.
Why is it that the negative comments left never seem to leave or reveal who there are. To my MR. No NAME how can you be so sure that “everyone” has seen it. who cares dose it bother you that bad that you have complain? It’s like those cowardly drivers in their cars that yell at you from the car windows and know that you not going to get to them.
Be positive, there is enough negativity around this minority sport as it is. Think about….maybe you could change one persons life if they read about the Gimbels ride article. I bring in 6 new races every year to our sport, what you do?
i’ve been a long time pro-gimbles participant. i used to live in new rochelle (notice i didn’t say “new roc” – gay) and the long ride was my regular saturday and sunday morning ride. i enjoy the friends i’ve made over the years which is a big part of my enjoyment.
everything said about this ride in below statements is correct although i don’t find it that dangerous. other large group rides in other cities are just as dangerous – or more. the “goon ride” in rock creek park – DC – is dangerous as hell. we used to pass cars on the double yellow line on a 2 lane road in the face of oncoming traffic. that’s stupid scary.
on the goon ride, i don’t run the red lights and i let those who do dangle out off the front for their 2 minutes of glory. it’s not as sketchy as prospect park and you certainly won’t get butt raped in the sprint (Adler.)
long ride from my apt (ues) is 80 miles round trip. that’s pretty nice considering you get to go up and down a few hills while chatting it up with friends. it’s not as nice as the girls at the coffee shop in piermont.
if you choose to try it, enjoy it. expect nothing but chaos and amateurs and you won’t be disappointed.
Do you refer to his blogging, or to riding with him? Because I can assure you that as annoying as he is on a blog, he’s even moreso in person, while riding.
Annoying – that goes without saying
….Rocket science – give either the Nyack ride or Gimbels a shot if you prefer either one throw it into your winter training mix. As for the red lights – no-one forces anyone to blow the lights…..don’t be a lemming make some life decisions for yourself.
Is VO2Max very annoying?
naa jft more
Of course people/cars/etc. have the right of way, it’s my rhythm that I refuse to lose. With that being said, red lights will be ran if necessary.
Only phreds call it the ‘rocket ride.’
I’ve never done it, but have seen it a few times.
A ride like that can be a very different experience for different people depending no their fitness level – a guy who is hanging on for dear life is getting a totally differnt workout than a much stronger rider who is doing it for miles
There are sometimes really good local riders on it – Aspholm, Collado etc.
I saw a guy at the back of the ride run into the back of a parked car (near Rivervale). He hit his brakes just before impact and scrubbed off most his speed, so it didn’t look like anything was broken.
Sox is the Author of VeloGoGO and a great guy. He does not take himself or his sight that serious so its all really in good fun and for the love of the bike and sport.
Dont know you but I do Gimbels all the time long and short and if you ride well, and safe most of the regulars will give you that “nice ride” or “good work”. Of course you have to be doing somthing other then sucking wheels and running reds. Maybe you are the unsocial one.
I find it bizarre that there’s a blog detailing what happens on a training ride.
That said, the Velogogo guys is insightful:
http://www.velogogo.com/BlingBling/UphillOnlyTires
” lets all ride slow as we approach all lights so we don’t run them.”
Yes. If there are cars or bikes or pedestrians with the right of way you and you have the red, you should slow down and let them through first. It’s not complicated.
PS – it’s far easier dealing with obnoxius cops or drivers if you haven’t done anything wrong in the first place.
Roadies are already unsocial I guess, but you won’t even get a Hello or a Good Ride after Gimbel’s. I think the Nyack Rocket Ride offers better training, and then you can shoot the $hit at the Runcible afterwards with a social crowd. Makes for a fun day…
Clarence is still fast, or more accurately quick. I see a few fast 50+ around, O’neil for one.
blah, blah, blah
Thanks for the article that everyone has already seen and could have more easily have been linked.
It’s a cool ride! A+
Then again it’s also sentimental for me knowing everyone on the ride has sentimental reasons for me just knowing some of the riders and participating for 20 years.
So has meaning from a social stand point as well.
Let’s see…….what are the choices? ride by your lonely self up 9w (OK), but do enough solo riding during the week. So the weekends should be for testing your training from the week “group training” will definitely add to your fitness and tactical skills. What other way to enjoy the best training ride with great roads and nice country side, but in beautiful Westchester NY. Rocket ride is nice, but to many lights and never really opens up.
So why not mix up with a 200+ riders who want to hammer out. It’s called training.
http://www.vo2maxout.com
USCF/USA-Cycling Coach
DSW Fitness-Cycling Certified
NESTA-Advanced Personal Trainer
American Red Cross-First Aid/CPR/AED
The Gimbels Ride
Bicycle Magazine Article July Issue : By Ian Dille
Sunday, 9:20 a.m., 50 miles
Founded: about 1947
Starts: Macy’s Department Store, Cross County Shopping Center
Yonkers, New York
“The cycling gods have smiled on us today,” says Bill Montgomery, a 36-year veteran of the Gimbels Ride, B-list actor and massively dreadlocked dude. His voice is coming through my cell phone on Sunday morning, predawn. “The ground is dry, the ride is on.”
An hour or so later I meet Montgomery at 45th and Madison in Manhattan and head north. As we ride through the Bronx, he says, joking, “Don’t make eye contact with anybody.” We begin riding straight down the once-grand Grand Concourse, and soon pass the intersection where, about 60 years ago, what’s probably the country’s longest-running weekly ride was founded. As the northern suburbs began to bloom, the start was moved farther into Westchester County, finally coming to rest at the Cross County Shopping Center, in Yonkers, where a Macy’s now sits at the site of a defunct Gimbels
50 is the new 40
“simular to going South on 9w passing the entrance to river road. I’m sure many of you continue to peddle through that red light even when cars from that road turn left into the bike path of travel. ”
Not good. Got to slow slow down in a situation like that – both for safety and to be sure you’re not getting in the way of the cars that have the right of way.
Vogel is 50+ too
On the Gimbels spin, if the point of the group catches red the the ride stops. If the light turns red when middle pack riders are in the intersection – the ride rarely stops unless the fuzz is lurking about. Thats been my experience. I’ve never been on a big group ride when the light is blatantly ignored. BTW I witnessed the tail end of the windshield incident. There was questionable action regarding the driver in that situation. A small group of riders passed this car that was red light stopped. Word is that the woman was not on roadway when she was hit but was positioned slightly in the service median and some of the bikes went around her as she was stopped at the 3 way redlight, An intersection simular to going South on 9w passing the entrance to river road. I’m sure many of you continue to peddle through that red light even when cars from that road turn left into the bike path of travel. Anyway, the toga guy, last in the paceline didnt realize the cars position and missed the swerve. It was pretty bad. The rider was Helo’d to emergency.
get a recumbent bike or something.
cops are a*holes period. whether you’re a cyclist or a pedestrian
Clarence is like 50 years old and still keeps up with the youngins. He is also about 250lbs and does his best to go long and hang in the hills of WC. If he is in the sprint he is still fast so give him a break. By the way, I think he was 2nd back in the day at Nationals in the Crit.
PLEASE…are you kidding me. lets all ride slow as we approach all lights so we don’t run them. don’t sprint, don’t chase, and above all don’t have a good time (like when you were a kid and didn’t care).
You must be a professional pedestrian. You take all the fun out group riding…
I’ve seen the Nyack ride blast through a red light, which is not cool.
Is the Gimbels the same, or more restrained.
PS – I run some red lights myself, but only if it doesn’t get in the way of traffic that has the green. Treat them like a slow/yield sign. But no blasting.
en
And we wonder why the cops in Piermont and in general are a*holes when it comes to us cyclists. Its crap like the Nyack ride and Gimbels ride with intermediate sprints, breaks, chases and running red lights and yellow lines, guys through the windshields blah blah blah. Smartin up.
You’re making me feel old. I’ve been doing Gimbels since there was a Gimbels. Oh, wait … I am old!
Back then the pace picked up as soon as we made the left turn onto Rte 22 in North White Plains. Riders were dropped on the little hill over the reservoir. This added 5 miles to both the long and short ride. Like 3:23 said, there is no “regular”. For a year or so, they tried calling the short ride “the normal ride” but that didn’t stick. It’s short.
btw, Clarence usually goes long. He gets dropped on the hills, takes the Chestnut Ridge shortcut, then sprints at the finish against riders who did the full ride. Not classy.
We’ll do that argument next – less work for me
Ok, I’ll save it until next week.
Loosen up and let em hang a little. Traffic rules are a gray area on bikes…
lets have a traffic rules argument one day. Who doesn’t care and who is super anal about them…..
…thank for the info..you mean intermediate sprint…right
I’ve only done Gimbels but I’ve seen the end of Nyack and I really wish that riders in both rides would enforce some of the traffic rules. Once while riding towards Bear on 9W, my group ran into the Nyack ride coming the other way at the light near Toga. Half the guys on the Nyack ride were over the yellow line well into the other lane to take the left turn. Crap like that is dangerous and pisses off motorists and in this case, other cyclists, since I almost got hit by a huge SUV that was avoiding one of those idiots.
Other than that, Gimbels can be pretty fun and it is as hard as you want it to be if you initiate a break (cheesy as that sounds for a casual ride).
The ride has an intermediate spring at the smoke stack in front of the hospital. The road is one way there, but obviously there is another that parallels it. The ride comes straight down piermont ave from piermont and heads for Englewood before making a right turn and looping out and back. Most guys ride the route in reverse from various parts of Jersey and pick the ride up that way. As it originates from the Nyack bike shop Jim would likely be one of the best resources. The ride leaves the shop around 8:15 (9:15 post clock change) hits piermont in the 8:30 range and probably gets to Englewood around 9. Only a few more weeks until the clock moves. Take all times with a grain of salt as I usually don’t pay attention except for making sure I make my own pick up point in time.
Mike Sherry has one of the best programs in the city
HRM + Sherry
Clarence is classy
a power meter won’t do poop unless you know how to work with the numbers, aka having a coach. Get a coach and a HRM. Mike Sherry’s company seems to be the best in NYC as far as i know. Not sure about west chester
B/c hes annoying and ussually getting dropped on the Regular Ride. Clarence is a real force on the reg ride. Hes an oldschool crit master.
So as an average Cat3 I was thinking about getting a coach for the winter training months or getting a Powertap. I dont have money for both. So to the able Cat 1s and 2s out there (1) recommendations for a local coach either in NYC or WC (2) thoughts on coach vs. powertap.
Thanks
wow…a thread on the gimbels ride and no mention of billy, the loud black dude with the big dreads. and also, in my day there was “long” and “short”, none of this “regular” crap. is it too pussy to say “i’m going short”?
First, IMO the long ride is the only reason for doing gimbels. It has sprint mark spots within the ride so sprinters get a little something too. They just have to be able to climb decently to get to it with the group. The problem with gimbels during the season is that if there’s a race that wkend, you’ll find it to be not as challenging as wkends when nothing is going on. During the training season though, Gimbels takes on a whole different face! Not only is it a bit more challenging but the “long ride” is sometimes actually extended. Instead of going right at the gas station on 22, the group goes left. – and you can tac on another 15k of climbing sir!! I think its dubbed “The Long long ride”. One time 4 colavita guys and a slew of Target Tr. and gotham/toga gents, K. Lambden and a small handful of (50!) riders dove into this ride. It was PLENTY tough. I believe this was around Feb. I still get lost on the long long so I never go on it if the field is too small.
Gimbels is good for what it is but dont size up your performance here and think you’re gonna slay the field @ Bear. Use it as a supplement. I think it works. At least to say, I really enjoy it. Dont take the short ride. Its much more sketchy because I think the riders are less familiar with one another. The long ride has its usual suspects and the guys that go long can ride – no question. You’ll have your idiot red light runners on any ride.
I’m curious about the Nyack run. I’ve seen a few Westwood gents on the long ride @ gimbels so the Nyack ride must be plenty fun.
the ghost of sleepy hollow runs the sleepy hollow club…
The only thing they own on any ride is coffee and donuts after the ride. USI owns that ride for better or worse. They have big time numbers in the pack.
I had a great fun ride last summer with Alex O and a few others one day when we tried to find the Nyack ride in Englewood. Kind of a comedy of errors, riding around in circles, eventually giving up, and just then spotting a string of cyclists some blocks away as the burned through an intersection. This lead to a mad chase with a few of us trying to close a 5-6 block gap…never caught them, in spite of getting to within a block or so at our limits (we spotted some wicked fast NYC riders in the bunch…). Soo funny. Most disjointed but fun ride of the month! Call it the Nyack Ride Pursuit. Try it some time. Or you can figure out the actual roads they ride on I suppose…but wheres the fun in that?
I was told once that the Sleepy Hollow club owns this ride…OWNS it! So I was told.
I won The Race You Didn’t Even Know You Were Racing In today…..
Guys ride from the city or the fort lee area and pick up the nyack ride in Englewood.
where in englewood and when?
do you get upgrade points for Gimbel’s?
If you did, every fat ass on a colnago with Tubulars in Westchester County would be a Cat 1 by now.
A few buddies and I have been doing it for years but we couldn’t seem to get over 6 guys together. I would love to connect with at least 50 heads and do a large group ride on the Jersey side. I usually train on that route anyway, doing it in a large group would be awesome….
how many miles? where and when does it start?
Gimabels is a classic, I enjoy it but it’s knid of a pain to get to and from. I like the idea of a Gimbels type ride that originates on the Jersey side of the GW say. 8:30 on Sat and Sun. Many do it already but, they seem to be closed team/group rides.
I raced him on sixth ave by accident when I was a messenger…he was faster than I thought….all those touring miles I guess..
There should definitely be a Gimbels type ride beginning at the Jersey side of the bridge. There are tons of different hilly combinations that could be negotiated…
Triangle ride. Little Neck Parkway and the LIE service road weekends at 8.30. Pretty social until it heads north, when they make the turn onto Turkey Lane it gets tough. Saturday is easier than Sunday. Usual mix of characters, some smooth, some sketch. Mostly nice guys, some bozos, basically what you get anywhere.
You should also try out the West Side Highway Race That You Don’t Even Know You’re Racing In — leaves Chambers Street every weekday at 830 AM. Usually a guy with Snoopy headlamp and panniers wins it.
Start time does not change to 9:00 AM until clocks are turned back for daylight savings (…whenever that is..) Shorter route after daylight savings.
I’m learning stuff I did not know that actually matters to racing
how about 9W ride every saturday and sunday starting at GWB 8am?
Sundays …starts at the Nyack bike shop (a block north of the Runcible spoon)…leaves at 8:00 AM – usually not very prompt departure time. Pack grows as the ride progresses
there are also winter hours posted (9am) I know it’s not technically winter but the season is basically over…..?
Runcible Spoon at 8:00 Sundays, no?
…. a number of Westwood guys are on that ride, but there’s also some Organic guys, regulars like Ray Diaz, Wilson Vasquez, a lot of the Army team show up…bunch of Global locate guys -Pulla makes pretty frequent appearances. A good smattering of top notch riders.
is that the one posted. there does it begin and at what time?
Should be renamed USI ride up Central Ave.
Dedicated cycling and Gimbels – and Gimbels Regular Ride Recaps
The discussion goes where it is most needed. thanks for your advice. I plan to continue to use it in small doses this winter. I’ll switch to the long ride to get in more quality miles though…
Do what you want. If you like Gimbels do it. If you dont ride solo. I have months where I hate the ride and then do it 3 weekends in a row. With that said, the regular ride is not very challenging and of the “60” miles you say you get in, only about 15-20 are of any quality for training purposes. This is a discussion on Gimbels as offseason training – no?
it’s not a waste of time – speed work is good training, pack riding is good training – I’m sure you can get some good interval work done if you’re off the front. Just don’t make it your only form of training. Also mix it up a bit hit the Nyack ride once in a while…….that’s pretty challenging as well.
Are you referring to the one that the westwood? guys do….I think I saw it posted in the local rides section…
I do the regular ride about once or maybe twice a month and I’m usually tired afterwards. I like the fact that I get in a quick 60 miles and get home at a reasonable time so that I avoid the usual wife nagging. I have that after-race buzz..ok, well a little..anyway, I usually try to do a lot of work in the front also…I know that the roads are mostly flat and not at all challenging but I like the fast pace occasionally. I was wondering (due to all the hate on the regular ride) is it a waste of time entirely. Should I be doing my usual 65-80 miles on 9W (state line & around Toga), Nyack College hills, Tweed, the orchards, etc. instead?
It just gets boring sometimes…I want your PRO 1-2 opinions…
You’re two days late…but I still wanted to talk about it anyway…
….the Nyack ride is where it’s at!!
I’m from westchester and enjoy doing the gimbel’s ride occasionally during the summer for training on a weekend day when I’m not racing. But as “Gimbel’s Love Hate” said, I definitely go up early and get in an extra 20-30 miles before I meet up with the ride.
The long ride is good. Riders all have decent pack skills and the training mentality (rather than a race) is maintained.
The medium ride is essentially a race. Guys take some questionable risks on some heavily trafficked roads. I remember a really bad crash this summer. Guy went through the rear window of a stopped car.
But yeah the first half, up central ave and pre-split is nice if you want to catch up with buddies.
I ride Gimbels “Long” and “Regular” about 4 times a month during the race season as I am a WC local. The ride in the summer gets too big and many are very unskilled in there pack riding or just unfit which leads to sketchy moments. The long ride is a nice training ride if you put some quality extra miles in before or after and you can often find the the wheel of guys like Jao Correia (SP?) so the talent is high on the long ride.
However, the Regular ride (especially in the summer) is dangerous and full of guys going through reds to attack the group to win the sprint. Gimbels is fun in limited doses but dont expect to become a Cat 1-3 by just using it as your training. The funniest part of Gimbels is that many who only ride Gimbels and do not race have this warped sense of their riding strength. Many on the Regular ride act like they are good enough to race Cat 1-2 because they average 26 mph in a pack for all of 15 miles of flat roads. In the end its a great way to catch up with friends and ride in a group.