50 MILES
4400 FT OF CLIMBING
TEMP ---> 6 Deg C (43 Deg F)
SUNDAY OCT 19
Here's another day of beautiful riding in the Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties, visiting the little towns and hamlets of Portville, Genesee, Bedford Corners, Mill Grove and Barnum.
I realize that the last set of pics from Saturday were a little dull. I changed the settings manually on my camera so I could capture images better. Note that all of these have been taken while riding, in the true spirit of ciclofotografica!
Riding towards Mt. Herman to get out of Olean
Steam Valley Road
Short and steep may be a good warm up for the ride
Cows doing what cows do..
Scenery by West River Road
Promised Land Rd, Portville
Riding a dog? This is the way to do it!
Unpaved steep sections + dead end, nice
Lets go to Butternut Brook
Community of Genesee, very peaceful out here
Unpaved
Gradient kicks in
Probably 6% at best
Top of Butternut Brook
Deer Creek Road
Nouvoo Unpaved
Locals warned me of 5 black bears around this area
The fact that they knew their numbers made me turn back, dang!
Climbing Deer Creek again
Deer Creek turns into mild dirt
Deer Creek is 4-5 miles long, with average 3%. It was a great road to ride on!
Deer Creek Road peak
Deer Creek and Coon intersection is an apparent switchback
The sun is bright, but the cold gets into you somehow
Downhill on Coon Hollow
The beautiful Rt 305 back to Bedford Corners and Portville
Exiting Allegany County to Cattaraugus
Mill Grove.. we'll take a right turn here....
River Road is a serene cycling experience
Turn right onto Barnum Road
Barnum Road takes you up to Rock City Hill, so it gains elevation with a 3.1% average slope for 4 miles or so
I don't like this road since there's hardly a shoulder to ride on
But thats what makes it challenging. Its windy, so you better be seen climbing by a motorist
The gradient here is a constant 5%, for 1 or 2 miles
The top of Barnum. "Its all downhill from here"
Barnum gets us to Rt 16. If you go left, you get to Rock City Hill. If you go right, its all downhill for 3 miles. Time to take the downhill this time and go home!!
Posts
Great autumn colours. Did you wait till the roads were free from traffic or is a car a rare sight in your part of the world?
ReplyDeleteHey there,
ReplyDeleteMost roads I take are well in the countryside. Vehicles do pass, but I don't like taking their pictures. I'm not exactly a car enthusiast :) But you're right, not a lot of people live in these parts of New York.
I've been laid up this year with 2 knee surgeries and surgeries on both feet. Thanks for putting your rides out there so gimps like me can ride vicariously. Great stuff...
ReplyDeleteTruman,
ReplyDeleteI guess the idea is to motivate someone else to ride as well. Ride lots! Are you doing any rehab for your legs, and any plans to get on the bike?
Here in Maine, the season is all but over for the great outdoors...gets dark pretty early...but I will be doing some rolling this winter, inside. Still too early post-surgery for riding...walking is about it right now. Although next spring (thanks to your inspiration) you may see some pictures of the local rides around Bangor, ME on my blog: http://trumansoloist.blogspot.com/. Thanks again for the great posts.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to ask my question...how are you creating the route maps in your posts?
ReplyDeleteI feel like I was actually on a ride with you! Great pics from your part of the world.
ReplyDeleteAnd stay away from Black bears!
Bellissimo!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of riders going to capturing video while riding. While this is great to see the action, I think pictures capture the true beauty of the environment, and they're always frozen in time. You've encouraged me a lot to get out there and ride!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad!
ReplyDeleteVideo is not something I have tried but I'm experimenting with it. Right now I'm sticking with imagery to promote cycling in Cattaraugus!
Nice pics ron. Looks like good climbing country. The kid with the dog will do ok till the dog sees his first cat then he'll wish the leash wasn't over his wrist.
ReplyDeleteIn Holland my boss says the dogs are taught to heel along side the bikes so no leash is needed.
-B
I'd probably teach my dog to do the same but it won't be on your average busy street.
ReplyDeleteDogs usually chase me when I'm on my bicycle. I'm not so nervous about my safety as I pass some guy riding his dog as much as the other rider himself who gets yanked as the dog bolts after me ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's a fantastic ride... beautiful hills, great fall color. We don't have any fall color going yet here in Austin at all, probably not for another month I would bet.
ReplyDeleteI loved looking at your photos. What's the traffic load usually like on those back roads?