41st Annual New York City Duathlon

Welcome to the Third NYC Velo Fire Tower Brevet (FT3)! A special thanks to the folks that helped us put this together:

The Team at NYC Velo

Search and State All Road Apparel

Chris McNally Drawing Studio

We're following up the success of the first 2 editions of the Fire Tower Brevet (thanks to all of you who took part!) with a new route & 5 new towers! The new route spends little time in our beloved Hudson Valley, opting for adventures westward. This new uncharted terrain (by Fire Tower Brevet standards) includes immersion in the New Jersey Highlands, the Delaware Valley, and the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The new route for FT3 explores notable areas of Northern NJ & Eastern PA: Hackensack & Patterson NJ, High Mountain Park, Jungle Habitat, High Point State Park, Stairway Wild Area, Hickory Run Forest, Hell Mountain, and, notably, Staten Island. While there are some lengthy sections of flat terrain, the 5 Fire Tower ascents include gradients, often unpaved, that can exceed 20% (all 5 tower ascents this year are rideable, apologies again for the gut punch that was Mt Beacon). Though it may be argued that this ride isn't for everyone we've made accommodations so that those of you

uninterested in a death march in the mountains can still enjoy a great adventure:

• The goal of the Fire Tower Brevet is to push the limits a bit of Brevet-style riding and to explore parts of the Mid-Atlantic & Hudson Valley regions that may be off the radar of NYC cyclists. Scroll down for details of the ride & prizes, and links to the route. The ride is Brevet-style, starting and ending at NYC Velo - East Village (66 2nd Avenue)

• The 5 Controles (checkpoints) on the route are 5 historical Fire Towers throughout Northern NJ & the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, chosen for their location and bike accessibility, these include:

• Ramapo Station Fire Tower (Heart hole punch)

• Buckhorn Ridge Fire Tower (Rectangle hole punch)

• High Knob Fire Tower (Star hole punch)

• Pohopoco Fire Tower (Diamond hole punch)

• Mauch Chunk (Bear Mountain) Fire Tower (Circle hole punch)

• The "Suggested Route" is approximately 330 miles. Riders are not required to follow the route, only to visit the 5 Controles

• Riders who plan to participate are required to register here on BikeReg and will be issued a Brevet card (designed by the artist Chris McNally)

• At each Controle there will be a uniquely-shaped hole punch used to punch the corresponding Fire Tower on the Brevet card

• Riders will also produce digital proof of successful Controle check-in/route completion (via a GPS/Strava file and/or Instagram/social media photos of themselves at the Controle) to qualify for the tiered Rewards

• The official ride start is 5:00am Saturday July 11 2026 at NYC Velo East Village though riders may complete their own adventure at anytime between July 11 and 11:59pm October 31 2026

• This is an unsupported ride – riders are responsible for their own navigation, hydration, nutrition, equipment, and safety - the use of e-bikes, cars, trains, etc are prohibited for Tier 1 & Tier 2 consideration

• Riders should take appropriate caution riding on open roads, use appropriate lighting for low light or night time riding conditions, and use appropriate safety gear at all times (including helmets, reflective apparel, etc)

The Suggested Route:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55755950

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The Tiers of Participation:

1. Tier 1 Participation: Riders must start and end at NYC Velo East Village and complete all 5 Controles within 48 hours. Riders may follow any route but may use only 1 human-powered bicycle (i.e. no e-bikes, trains, or Ubers). Riders who complete the course (starting & ending at NYC Velo East Village) and collect punches at the 5 Controles in any 48-hour period from opening day (July 11) through October 31 2026 will present documentation to Andrew at NYC Velo East Village or by emailing [email protected].

2. Tier 2 Participation: riders complete the course in 1 continuous ride but take longer than 48 hours but less than 120 hours -- for example if they want to expand the route to take 4 or 5 days and visit other locations in the Catskills, or they simply want to stretch the ride across more days (starting & ending at NYC Velo East Village). Tier 2 Participation will be open through October 31 2026.

3. Tier 3 Participation: riders complete all 5 Controles on separate visits over any length of time (weeks or months), but always by bike. Controles may be completed over separate outings and in any order. Tier 3 Participation will be open through October 31 2026.

Rewards:

1. For successful Tier 1 completion: Coleman Camp of Type 3 in Brooklyn has come on board to make custom Musette Bags, available for the first 20 riders to successfully complete the Tier 1 challenge. Tier 1 winners will also receive a custom Fire Tower Brevet enamel pin and sticker pack.

2. For successful Tier 2 completion: NYC Velo will send out a custom Fire Tower Brevet enamel pin, sticker pack, & Search and State cycling cap (limited to the first 50 riders)

3. For successful Tier 3 completion: NYC Velo will send out a Fire Tower Brevet sticker pack (Tier 3 is unlimited)

Additional Ride Notes:

Though it's assumed that all who have signed up for this adventure are seasoned and thoughtful riders, riders are implored to make safely their highest consideration when attempting the Third Fire Tower Brevet:

• Always have appropriate lighting on you and your bike during low or no-light situations

• Pay close attention to your hydration and nutrition plan & stay hydrated

• Please be aware of the dangers of over heating/heat exhaustion -- trust that this ride isn't worth it

As of 7/9/26 the hole punches have been Please see below for some course notes from my recon(s) of the route:

• The hole punch has been attached to the Southwest leg of the Ramapo Station Fire Tower

• The hole punch has been attached to the Northeast leg of the Buckhorn Ridge Fire Tower

• The hole punch has been attached to the Northeast leg of the High Knob Fire Tower

• The hole punch has been attached to the Northeast leg of the Pohopoco Fire Tower

• The hole punch has been attached to the Southwest leg of the Mauch Chunk Fire Tower

NOTE that as of Thursday 7/9 all hole punches were attached to their respective towers. It is possible that this may change as time goes on and other punches disappear - if that happens just document your visit to the tower (i.e. Ramapo Station, etc) with a selfie - there is a backup set of punches in the shop and you can get your card punched after the fact, just record the time with a photo (and send it to [email protected]) for credit of the Controle.

• Be sure to tag @nycvelo and #firetowerbrevet & #FT3 on your social media posts -- thanks!

• Be prepared with insect repellent during the ride -- you'll be swarmed by biting insects (flies, mosquitos, etc) on some sections of the route, especially on the climbs where you can't outrun them

• I again implore people attempting this course to keep the temperature conditions, hydration and nutrition front of mind as there are food (& hydration) deserts outside of the city and major highways and many things close early in the mountains

Extra Credit:

Maybe it's because we've been working on this ride for so long, but we have a list of some additional can't miss things close to the "suggested" Fire Tower Brevet route. Any registered rider who accomplishes any of the items below during their attempt at the Brevet and posts a photo of it on social media (be sure to tag @nycvelo so that I see it) will get a separate Brevet patch:

• The first “Extra Credit” is so important that it should just be considered “Credit” – visit the High Point of NJ – it's on the route!

• Grab a coffee or bite to eat at Abraço (81 East 7th STreet in the East Village, @abraco_espresso)

• Make a rubbing of a Geological Survey Marker at any point on or near the course

• Add some additional climbing on the ride (but you can deviate from the route if you like) to reach a total elevation gain of 29,032 feet (a form of "Everesting" without the 24-hour time limit)

• Spend the night camping at a lean-to along the route.

Enjoy the ride!

Please email [email protected] with questions

Welcome to the Century Road Club Association 2026 Season! - Race 7

Start time: 5:30am *All fields line up 5-10 minutes prior to start

You will be racing 4.5 laps (Wdev), 5.5 LAPS (Mdev)

Finish line : W91 Finish

Attn new racers: Pick up a paper race number at boat house parking lot at least 15 minutes before start. You will be given a paper race number, once you've taken your first skills session you'll receive a cloth number that will be your number for the season.

CRCA Club membership is included with all Development Registration.

If you are new to bike racing or picking the bike up for the first time after a long winter, we offer skills sessions and coaching FREE to our members. Skills and Coaching Calendar can be found here

We encourage new racers to take a skills session prior to racing, though not required.

There are several tiers of membership options allowing you to choose what best suits your availability and budget making an inclusive entry into CRCA park racing.

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Basic Rules of CRCA

• *Do not ride in the recreational/runner's lane

• *Do not ride backwards on the drive

• *Do not ride on footpaths

• *Do not urinate publicly

• *Treat club members, racers, officials, park users

and the public with respect

Upcoming Races:

May 30, 2026

June 14, 2026

July 12, 2026

July 25, 2026

Check out the Full Season Calendar here

The NY Tourist is an East Coast homage to The L.A. Tourist Race.

The NY Tourist departs from Two Seas Cyclery in Brooklyn, NY at 0800 sharp and sends you into the greater New York area in search of “checkpoints” at specific GPS locations.

The objective is to route and navigate yourself to each “checkpoint”. On your journey you will encounter NYC traffic, trails that are actually river beds, iPhone scrolling j walkers, luxury gravel roads, downed trees, over-the-ear noise canceling headphone wearing dog walkers, single track, and hopefully areas of the East Coast you haven’t ridden a bike before.

This is a self supported and self navigating event, and It’s highly recommended to use a bike computer for navigation. Each “checkpoint” is one of the GPS coordinates, once you get to the “checkpoint“ you must tear a page from the book that matches your event entry plate number.

First one back to WeisMFG after collecting all pages wins. Failure to get the correct page number, miss a “checkpoint”, or lose a page will results in an automatic disqualification.

Take your ride to the next level with our optional enduro-style timed segments. These specially selected sections are designed to add excitement and challenge to your journey, giving you the chance to win a chance at a separate podium.

To qualify, simply upload your full ride to Strava. The fastest time on each segment for the day wins.

Party With Purpose 5K is back! As one of the biggest races in Hoboken, this event supports local youth charities, including Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, HOPES, Mile Square Theater and Community Lifestyle. After the kids of the Boys and Girls Club and other charities have their fun in the afternoon, the evening kicks off with 500+ runners on Pier A with the best waterfront views during the 5K. Immediately upon finishing the race, our after party begins! The live DJ and a beer/wine garden along the pier is a great way for volunteers and runners alike to end a successful night.