Author Topic: NYC westbound  (Read 6826 times)

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Offline smm7144

NYC westbound
« on: June 02, 2020, 12:44:10 pm »
Currently going to enjoy my furlough life. looking to bike out west looking do the best trip that can get me across around 45 days, any suggestions?

Offline John Nettles

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Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2020, 02:42:31 pm »
Are you wanting to cross the entire USA in 45 days?  From NYC?  If so, it IS doable but not very enjoyable unless you are VERY strong.  If that is what you want to do, read
https://forums.adventurecycling.org/index.php?topic=14587.0 then reply to THIS post (not the link's post) and you should get some suggestions.

Tailwinds, John

Offline TCS

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2020, 03:10:52 pm »
Trans-USA, third (Texas) coast to west coast in 45 days?  Easy.  It's a brain-boiling season to ride in that part of the country, though.

How about 'out west' Minnesota to Washington state on Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier?
"My name is Pither.  I am at present on a cycling tour of the North Cornwall area taking in Bude and..."

Offline smm7144

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2020, 04:07:24 pm »
Are you wanting to cross the entire USA in 45 days?  From NYC?  If so, it IS doable but not very enjoyable unless you are VERY strong.  If that is what you want to do, read
https://forums.adventurecycling.org/index.php?topic=14587.0 then reply to THIS post (not the link's post) and you should get some suggestions.

Tailwinds, John



John thank you for the right questions to ask as I am very new to this, and honestly kind of winging this whole thing because I have an opportunity and a window that could allow me to do this.

What is your timeframe for riding this route? Include at least beginning and ending months.

Looking to start towards the end of June like the 25/26. Ideally I would like to finish up by mid August at the latest.

What kind of riding do you like? Dislike? Consider things like scenery, hills, urban settings.
I scenery, some hills but I don't want to do nothing but climbs all day with a bunch of gear. I bike around NYC all the time so urban settings don't bother me but for this trip I'd like to kind of just pass through and not really tour around the big cities.

Are you interested in taking in historic or cultural sites? Or are you on the fast track?
I am definitely into the historical/cultural sites but I also am trying to fit the time frame.


What are your overnight preferences? Camping in campgrounds, stealth camping, hotels, Warmshowers, a combination?
Given the current COVID situation there will probably be a lot of camping, and hotels. I would like to meet up with some warm showers hosts if they are comfortable with someone coming. Prefer camping in campgrounds but understand that won't always be an option. I hope to get a hotel once a week.

What is your plan for eating? Restaurants or cooking in camp?
This one I really plan on relying on restaurants, and supermarkets I don't really want to be carrying a ton of food.

How many miles a day do you intend to ride?
I would like to keep an average of 65-70 miles per day, obviously some days would be more some would be less with some rest days built in.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to this type of riding, I am not sure if I am over my head or not. I am road cyclists and am used to putting on the miles but not like this. Honestly looking at trying to take an opportunity that I normally wouldn't have and I'd like to start in NYC since that is where I live.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2020, 04:48:46 pm »
Thanks.  It sounds like you are quite flexible and basically willing to do whatever.  Since you are a total novice, here are some suggestions.

Take the ACA's Chicago to NYC route (in reverse) from NYC to Denver, IN.  From there, connect to the Northern Tier route to Muscatine, IA.  From there, I can get you a route to Sioux Falls, SD, where you join the Lewis & Clark route until you can connect with the just released (this week!) Parks, Peaks, & Praire route to connect to the classic TransAm route to Kooskia, ID, where you connect again with the L&C route to Astoria/Portland. 

Since you are a novice, I highly recommend the ACA maps for your first adventure.  Though a tad pricey, they are very good maps and list all the services a cyclist needs.  You can always sell them on eBay afterwards for about 1/2 price.

I would caution you to plan for no more than 60 miles on average per day.  If you have only 45-days, that would NOT get you across the country.  More than 60 miles per day on average (factors in rest days due to rest/sight seeing, weather, mechanical, etc.) and you are actually riding 70+ mile days which is a pain especially when you are camping. The 65-70 mile per day may not sound like much but it really adds up and takes away the time you can tour (stop and smell the roses) versus just plowing through.  The ACA maps help speed your time along as they have already located the hotels and such for you.  Do not underestimate the time it takes to find a campground, etc. It can easily add an 30 minutes or so to your day.

Another option but a hot one at this late date is to go from Brownsville, TX (or Houston) to say Winnipeg.  Again, I can help with a route as I have ridden this route.  The big plus is that you could do the route in 5 weeks as you will get tailwinds most days.  The big negative is it will be HOT, especially in south Texas. 

A third option would be to take the train down to Miami and head north on the Atlantic Coast route.  This would meet your timeframe but it would be hot and humid until you got close to home.  A HUGE benefit is that you are not rushed to make a flight, train, etc. I can not tell you how much that can ruin a trip when you are on a schedule to catch the flight.

Honestly, if I were you knowing what I know after 40+ years of touring is to take the train out to Portland, start the TransAm route and take that to West Yellowstone and jump on the new PPP route to Minneapolis where you can catch a train home.  The route would fantastic scenery wise, gives enough history to enjoy, and you are not rushed. Additionally, the weather would be more acceptable though the plains would be toasty at times.

Tailwinds, John

Offline staehpj1

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2020, 05:44:29 pm »
Currently going to enjoy my furlough life. looking to bike out west looking do the best trip that can get me across around 45 days, any suggestions?

I'd say you want a pretty direct route if you expect to make it in 45 days.  That or you need to ride one of the standard routes and do 100 miles per day average.  We took 73 days on the TA and it definitely could be done faster, but it seemed like a reasonable amount of time to me.  45 days would really be a grind.

The Southern Tier wouldn't be too hard to do in 45 days, but I wouldn't even consider doing it after mid spring (my preferred time to start there is mid February).  Summer would be brutal LMO.

Offline jwrushman

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2020, 07:53:31 pm »
Here's a suggestion.  It probably wouldn't take 45 days.  But it starts and end in NYC and sections could be added on into Ohio and Indiana depending on how the first few weeks go...

Section 1 - NYC to Albany, mostly along NY state's bike route
Section 2 - Albany to Niagara Falls via Erie Canal bike paths and/or parallel roads
Section 3 - Niagara to Erie PA via Northern Tier
Section 4 - Erie PA to Pittsburgh via Underground Railroad Pittsburgh Spur
Section 5 - Pittsburgh to Philadelphia via Chicago/NYC Phily alternative
Section 6 - Phily to NYC by way of Jersey shore on the Chicago/NYC route.

I ballparked it at about 1400 miles.  If you have 45 days at 60 miles per day, that's 2700 miles, so you could go further into Ohio or Indiana on the Northern Tier before returning on the Chicago/NYC route. 

I've done Erie Canal and across Ontario, Michigan and Wisconsin before picking up the Northern Tier.  I can't comment on the Chicago/NYC route.  It may not be too scenic or bike-friendly.  It's just a "shorth-ish" route I was consider doing myself from home here in New Jersey.  I was looking for something I could do from home without additional travel logistics.

Offline jcostanz

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2020, 10:14:20 pm »
Just a word of warning about any plans for New York State.  Tent camping is not scheduled to be allowed unit Phase 4(as all restrooms and showers are ordered closed)  Self contained RV's are allowed if preexisting reservations/leases .  Restaurants for dine in is not scheduled to Phase 4, with many completely closed or reduced hours/days for takeout only.  A couple of areas near the finger lakes region entered Phase 2 on June 29.  Most of Western NY reached Phase 2 Today.  Each phase is at least 2 weeks per the Govener. Further East in New York it is closed further. The Border between the US and Canada is Closed for all non essential traffic until at least mid June.  All these closures will affect overnights in New York.

If you do go thru Niagara Falls, you will most likely need to stick to the US side and not cross over to Canada as the ACA Norther Tier route does.  I have posted directions for routes to stay in the US, but some of the route has been changed and the detour signed on the roadside is incorrect.  (New York State has removed the road, added tall curbs, fences and dumped several feed of loose dirt over the old road the detour is still marked.) Also Google maps has not updated their maps including bike maps of the area.


Offline smm7144

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2020, 01:36:52 pm »
Thank you everybody for the suggestions, seems like a cooler better way to go about this is starting west because then the time limit may not matter as much to me because I could bail if I get called back into work sooner. Now I just may have to figure out logistics of getting gear out there, good news I already have to buy a new bike anyways since my carbon road bike wouldn't cut it.

Offline staehpj1

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2020, 05:26:11 pm »
FWIW, I have a strong preference for getting the longer air travel out of the way up front and riding toward home assuming one end of the trip is near home.  That way you don't have to worry about being somewhere at an exact date for when your flight home is scheduled.

Offline BikeliciousBabe

Re: NYC westbound
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2020, 07:57:58 am »
Or from Erie you could make your way to Union City via PA 97 (best ridden on the weekend) and pick up PA Bike Route Y, which is also USBR 36. The eastern terminus is Matamoras, PA. Cross the river into Port Jervis, NY and pick up the ACA route to NYC. At the east end of Warren, PA, I would get off U.S. 6 and take PA 59, picking up Route Y again in Smethport.