New York City is surrounded by salty water, good for shipping, not so good for drinking. The 19th-century solution was to create a fresh water reservoir by damming the Croton River. An aqueduct carried Croton water 40 miles through Westchester and over the High Bridge into a thirsty city.
The turn of the 20th century saw a new dam, a larger reservoir, and an expanded capacity aqueduct. Those of you on the club's Croton Reservoir Triple-Cross ride pedaled over the New Croton Dam and saw the location of the original dam.
Although the Old Croton Aqueduct no longer carries water to the city, its right-of-way has been preserved as a park. Popular with hikers, the OCA is also enjoyed by cyclists who crave dirt and gravel riding. Are you one of them?
Our ride includes 8 miles on the OCA, best with minimum 28 mm tires but anyone with good bike handling skills should be able to manage. The rest of the ride is on paved roads and trails. We start in Van Cortlandt Park, 242nd St & Broadway, 1 block south of the restroom. Please use this restroom as the next one will be at Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, mile 13. After lunch we will take the South County Trailway back to Van Cortlandt.
GPS map:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39528168
Cue sheet:
http://snuggl.es/roboviva/pdfs/39528168.pdf
Check your email before setting out. Any changes will be emailed to registered participants by 8:00 AM on ride day.
Other stuff: Helmets are required on all 5BBC rides. Also bring a spare tube and water.