The End of Bike Month Means Riding to the End of Long Island
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For the sixth time since 2008, I will be riding a bike to Montauk. The ride is this Saturday and like I did last year, I’ll be riding the 150-mile route from New York City. The official route begins at Penn Station in Manhattan, but if I am able to check in my bag the day before, I’m going to cheat a little and start pedaling from home in Long Island City. In all, that should save me only about three miles of riding but a whopping forty-five minutes that I can spend sleeping. My plan is to hit the road at 5:00 AM and arrive in Montauk by 5:00 PM.
The weather looks to be a bit cooler than it was for last year’s ride. The forecast calls for a high of about 60° out east with a chance of light drizzle developing throughout the day. As I look at Forecast.io for New York, Babylon, Westhampton, and Montauk, it looks like I’ll be pedaling ahead of any rain all day. (Maybe that’ll translate to tailwind, too.) Because it’s going to be cool, I’ll be wearing a long-sleeve wool jersey, which should keep me warm (but not too warm) and dry from sweat and drizzle. It’ll also save me the trouble of getting too much sun.
Having done this a few times, there’s not many unknowns on this ride. I know the route well, especially since I’ve marked the parts of the route more than a few times. I know where the route is challenging, such as the high-traffic area in Amityville where we cross the Sunrise Highway and the miles-long hilly section right before we reach Montauk. And I know the milestones that help break up a long ride into manageable sections.
The only thing I might do different from years past is go to Tully’s Lobster in Hampton Bays. I went there in September with my mom and her half-brother, who lives in Riverhead, Long Island.
Since the food supply begins to dwindle after Westhampton, I plan to recharge with a lobster roll after the seven-mile slog on Dune Road and climbing up the Ponquogue Bridge. Should I call ahead?
If you want to follow my progress, I’ll be posting updates to my Twitter feed with the hashtags #ridetomontauk and #werideforpie. I’ve even made a few IFTTT recipes to automatically post when I get to the five rest stops with 125, 108, 87, 59, and 30 miles left to go, and when I arrive at Camp Hero State Park in Montauk.
Wish me luck!
