Hello, all i'm really starting to get my technique down, and my stamina, and all that stuff. The only thing I need to stretch out my legs and get some MILES, I can do 30 35 miles easily but the only thing is I'm doing those in park. Needless to say that these laps are starting to get really boring.

I live in Elizabeth NJ, and I like to go for those long country road rides. You know, those road that don't have many cars, intersections, etc. etc. I have abosolutely no friends that are into riding. Ideally I'd like to hook up with some riders, but again this would be the 1st time I'd do a long distance ride like that ( the previous one are NYC century tour 55 mile, and the 5 boro bike tour 42 mils and those are pretty much stop and go) so I wouldn't want to hold people back if I struggle a little. Any help would be greatly appreciated i.e. starting points, routes, maps,

I moved back to Union County in March (Roselle Park now, born in Elizabeth, grew up in Linden). Having spent the past 10-15 years in Hunterdon and Somerset counties, I was in riding nirvana when I started road cycling.

If you're looking to get out of city riding, your best bet is to head over the Watchung Reservation into eastern somerset county. New Providence Road near Echo Lake Park is probably your best bet. You can drive to Echo Lake and leave your car, or just ride there from Elizabeth. It's about a 7 mile ride from Roselle Park the way I go, which is a nice warmup for the climb over Watchung. From Elizabeth, it's probably 10 miles or so, depending on where you live.

Check out www.njbikemap.com for some routes. Also, a few shops in the area have group rides. Jay's Cycles in Westfield does a Wed nite ride. I ran into some guys last Thursday who said they start from Cranford Bike Shop on that nite.

I'm heading off on vacation this weekend, so I'll be gone until July 10th. PM me if you're interested in hooking up for a ride when I get back. From where I live, I've done anywhere from 18 - 53 miles so far. I can turn it into a 70+ mile ride once my legs are up for it.

Check out the New York Cycle Club, www.nycc.org (http://www.nycc.org/). It's ride library can be found at http://www.nycc.org/rl_db/home.aspx. You may want to do our 11th Annual Escape New York Century on Saturday, September 17, 2005 (http://www.nycc.org/rides_eny.shtml (http://www.nycc.org/rides_eny.shtml)).

Check out the New York Cycle Club, www.nycc.org (http://www.nycc.org/). It's ride library can be found at http://www.nycc.org/rl_db/home.aspx. You may want to do our 11th Annual Escape New York Century on Saturday, September 17, 2005 (http://www.nycc.org/rides_eny.shtml (http://www.nycc.org/rides_eny.shtml)).


yo velocity, please email me using the email provided in my profile. thanks man!