County's premier cycling event is coming to town

Westchester Cycle Club members.

Dan Welsh on recumbent bike.

Christine Schopen rides on gravel.

By ROBERT BRUM

The town of Lewisboro boasts some of the most scenic roads in Westchester County, including 11 miles of secluded unpaved byways.

Hopping on a bicycle is an ideal way to tour the town, which has its own committee to advocate for cycling participation and safety.

It’s fitting that Lewisboro Town Park will be the site of the Westchester Cycle Club Golden Apple Dirty Apple on Oct. 12. 

Several hundred cyclists will be participating in rides starting and ending at the park off Route 35 in South Salem, with heaviest bicycle traffic expected between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The event is timed to allow riders to enjoy the beauty of autumn’s peak colors while cycling through rural roadways across northern Westchester, including Bedford, North Salem and Pound Ridge.

The all-volunteer WCC, founded in 1975, is marking its golden anniversary by offering routes covering 25, 40 and 62 miles along quiet country roads passing farms, reservoirs and expansive views of the landscape. Gravel/dirt routes cover 25 and 40 miles. 

Gravel rides can be lengthened into metric centuries (62 miles); road rides can be stretched into centuries (100 miles) or double-metrics.

The fully-supported rides feature well-stocked rest stops for the longer rides, “SAG” wagons, mechanical support, and a post-ride box lunch.

“This is an opportunity to again highlight the importance of bicycle transportation and recreation in the town,” said Dan Welsh, a longtime Lewisboro resident, Town Board member, avid cyclist and liaison to the Pedestrian and Bike Advisory Committee. “We really appreciate the role that the Westchester Cycle Club has played over the years in advocating and helping us to be better cyclists.”

Welsh added, “There’s a side of this where people sometimes see groups of riders riding three abreast and things like that, and the Westchester Cycle Club has always worked really hard to make sure that the cycling community and the driving community are working together harmoniously and everybody’s abiding by the rules. So that’s been tremendously helpful in promoting this in our region.”

WCC member and event chair Judi Tota pointed out the myriad benefits of cycling.

“You’re getting so much when you go on a bike ride,” Tota said. “You’re getting exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and you get socialization and community and camaraderie.”

Gravel riding has become one of the fastest growing trends in bicycling, making the Dirty Apple a popular option for riders who relish the challenge of unpaved backroads surfaced with everything from smooth hardpack to gnarly gravel, Tota noted. 

South Salem’s Christine Schopen, a member of the town’s Bike Advisory Committee and past president of the WCC, is an avid gravel rider.

Pedaling at slower speeds on quiet country backroads is an ideal way to discover places close to home that even a local resident might not be familiar with. “There’s beautiful farms, a lot of open space, lots of bridle lanes that you wouldn’t know about,” Schopen said.

Welch is known to ride his vintage Trek bike to and from Town Hall on meeting nights, and enjoys cruising around his South Salem neighborhood on his recumbent.

“I think a bike is just the best way to experience your community because you can smell it, you can feel the hills come and go,” Welch said. “It’s slow enough that you have a chance to see things and take them in.”

Golden Apple/Dirty Apple spots are limited and signup is by advanced registration  only — there will be no day-of-event admission. Last registration date is Friday, Oct. 10. 

For registration and more information, visit westchestercycleclub.org/GADA.