Thomas Friedman proclaims that The World is Flat in his eponymous book about globalization, which Frame and Wheel is currently laboring through and hopes to complete by the end of this year. However, if your world is Germantown, New York, as it was for Frame and Wheel for four days last week, the world is not flat at all because this wonderful little town along the Hudson River is bracketed by the Catskills to the west and the foothills of the Berkshires to the east. There is some flatness to the riding here, but only a narrow strip on either side of the mighty Hudson. Frame and Wheel brought an Android smartphone on all the rides and tracked the rides using Google My Tracks. The maps are posted below and Frame and Wheel encourages viewers to review them, especially the terrain charts.
Frame and Wheel rides about 25 hours over four days during this solo training camp. Total elevation gain on three of the days is more than 10,000 feet. The pace is typically 15 miles per hour on average. Frame and Wheel is on the road around 7 am every morning. The weather is fine each day: dry, calm with temperatures in the 70s around Windham and Tannersville (much warmer at lower elevations). The roads are mostly quiet and in good condition and the terrain is very mountainous and challenging in some places. The flora is lush and green and almost tropical and the fauna is out in strength: cats on their morning prowls, rabbits, deer, grouse, guinea hens, but strangely, only the occasional cyclist. The residents are friendly and one individual on a moped enquires if Frame and Wheel will be racing at the 2011 Tour of the Catskill, to which Frame and Wheel replies with a thumbs up.
The bike is outfitted with Mavic Aksium clinchers which increases the weight of the bike to about 16 pounds, but provides a sense of confidence when it comes to durability and ease and speed of repairing a flat tire. Frame and Wheel uses an 11-28 with a 39 x 53 crank set. Navigation is a paper map which on the first day has a habit of flying out of the back pocket and ultimately becomes soaked in sweat. Frame and Wheel suffers no mechanicals, just a slow leak on the front wheel on the last day.
Frame and Wheel rides variations on the 2011 Tour of the Catskills course during this camp. Frame and Wheel learns that the most efficient thing to do is to drive to Tannersville or Windham and start the ride from there. Route 23A into Tannersville is too narrow and busy for bikes (unfortunately because it would make a great climb) and Route 9G must be the worst road for a cyclist in New York State if not the northeast: very bumpy, no shoulder and very fast and scary traffic. Negotiating the town of Catskill on a bike causes unnecessary stress too and the roads are not so fine. In addition to a solid breakfast and dinner, Frame and Wheel eats about three or four peanut butter and strawberry sandwiches and drinks about a gallon of plain water per ride.
View Milan Elizaville loop in a larger map
The first ride of the camp is an afternoon ride that heads east and features flats and rolling hills. The terrain gets more challenging east of Route 9. Traffic is light for the most part although on some rural roads, cars drive very fast. It is very rural and agrarian territory. Frame and Wheel spots Grieg's Farm and returns later to obtain blueberries by the quart. Total duration is 150 minutes, total distance is 43 miles, maximum elevation is 688 feet, total elevation gain is 2,522 feet and maximum grade is 11 percent.
View Tannersville Devil's Kitchen Windham Loop (Stage 2 2011 Tour of the Catskills) in a larger map
The second day is the Epic Ride. This loop begins in Tannersville and follows the 2011 Tour of the Catskills Stage 2 course to the mountains to the west of Windham and back to the Devil's Kitchen climb. Following that, the loop returns to Windham and then heads back to Tannersville on the diabolically steep Route 23C. The descent on Route 20 is very fast, but with good sight lines. The turn in Durham comes up fast and the rollers back to Acra are a grind. The flats around Suagerties are hot and relentless. The Devil's Kitchen climb is steep and very difficult and features insects that persistently buzz around the mouth. Frame and Wheel has a moment of doubt about getting up this monster followed by a moment of clarity about compact cranksets. Frame and Wheel gets to the top, recovers, creeps down the narrow road and repeats the climb to "understand" it, as Lance Armstrong once said about Alpe D'Huez. The second time up Frame and Wheel fully understands that a 39 x 28 is not sufficient for this climb, especially after what will be 60 miles of racing and climbing. Total duration of the ride is is 460 minutes, total distance is 122 miles, maximum elevation is 2,290 feet, total elevation gain is 10,696 feet and maximum grade is something more than 13 percent (probably 20 to 30 percent). Frame and Wheel is tired after this ride but the weather is great and the sense of accomplishment from finishing a ride like this is exhilarating. To the cold bath directly.
View Tannersville Windham Pratsville Jewett Loop (2011 Tour of the Catskill Stage 3) in a larger map
The third day begins in Tannersville and makes its way along the 2011 Tour of the Catskills Stage 3 loop, which features a long tough climb out of Durham. The first part of this climb is abrupt and steep, and its followed by less steep but longer rises until the switchbacks and final two bumps to the first King of the Mountain (KOM) finish. The climbing and the King of the Mountain competition continues after a few fast but straight descents that hopefully this year will not include horses or horse trailers. The loop features a climb on Route 23C that is very steep and long and could easily be titled the Devil's Dining Room as an allusion to the time that will be consumed here by Mr. Bill Z. Bubb. The climbing continues or Mervin Street and Route 296 will act as the final test for riders as they return to Windham. Frame and Wheel returns to Tannersville and repeats the Devil's Kitchen Climb again, marking the various sections and hoping that the legs will have what it takes when faced with the competition. Total duration is 420 minutes, total distance is 108 miles, maximum elevation is 2,239 feet, total elevation gain is 10,671 feet, and maximum grade is 14 percent (which does not seem right. Minimum grade, perhaps measuring the descent at the Devil's Kitchen is a more believable 21%). Frame and Wheel is ready for a cold bath after this ride.
View Windham Durham Prattsville Jewett Loop in a larger map
The final long day returns to the climb out of Durham and the part of the 2011 Tour of the Catskills Stage 3 course that goes to Pratsville and Jewett. Frame and Wheel repeats the Devil's Dining Room climb to improve "understanding". It remains as difficult as before, as does the section on Mervin Street (the downhill section of this street is freshly paved), but the climb is now familiar. Frame and Wheel finishes the day and the camp with the climb up to Windham on Route 23. This is a long, steady climb followed by a gradual downhills that invites big gears. The view is great and the weather is fine, but Frame and Wheel is done and ready for some recovery. Total duration is 340 minutes, total distance is 92 miles, maximum elevation is 2,151 feet, total elevation gain is 10,102 feet and maximum grade is 29 percent (perhaps the Devil's Dining Room).
View Milan Elizaville Loop II in a larger map
The final day is an early ride out to Milan and back through Elizaville. Frame and Wheel is feeling the effort and is yawning loudly. Frame and Wheel realizes that there is excellent terrain on this side of the Hudson River and looks forward to exploring this area further on future Catskill training camps. That is for a later date. Frame and Wheel winds back to Germantown and the prospect of a hot breakfast and some recovery.
