2025 Food along the way is designed to accelerate you to Sakura!
What we learned? How to let YOU set your pace through the ride and be properly SUSTAINED.
Escape New York is probably best known for its fun, lavish and generous finish festival.
This year will be no different - but by taking a hard look at where we spend our money; we spent too much in the past on INFRASTRUCTURE to install a kitchen in the park. Last year you told us you loved our “picnic style” meal so this year, we have found a new caterer who is rolling three food trucks into 1. Bringing the best food from each of their Latin, Italian and American food trucks into a great to-go style picnic meal.
This leaves us with plenty to invest in a surprise new appetizer in case there is a line at the food truck to tide you over. Back by popular demand is our familiar gelato all the way from Italy (by way of Long Island), their Espresso shots to give you the energy boost you need at the end of a long ride and a great band playing in the foreground and background of course.
Typically, in different times, we export slices of that party atmosphere to rest stops along the way - typically 5 of them, about one every 20 miles You wait for your friends, rest up, chow down, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and continue on your merry way.
Well during a pandemic - we know that riding is safe (or we would not be putting on this ride). But congregating too close? Well, we have designed the ride so you can maintain safe distance and ride with a circle you know and trust - or, on your own, socially distanced within the group. It’s your choice. To that end, the traditional “rest stop” is on hiatus. Replaced instead by…… Pit Stops! Comfort Stations! Rest Areas! What are each of these? Please, read on….
Pit Stops: This year, we have 6 (7 if you count a mini pop up one for Gravel route). We will have small teams of volunteers who will have a small selection of snacks. The pandemic has driven the energy bar companies away from their traditional marketing generosity. For a fundraising ride like ours to stock every possible option for you at each pit stop would be impractical and rob our causes of the proceeds they have come to depend on receiving after the ride. But at the same time, we want the ride to be as generous as you have been in supporting our causes. How do we manage? Each pit stop will be located near multiple local businesses that have signed up to support you on your ride. While our recommendation is that you hydrate as much as possible and carbo load with small easy to process fruits and healthy snack options - we know that you may each have your own preferred approach so we have the basics covered. A sampling of what we have at our pit stops:
Water
Hummingbird Fuels mix 60g of carbs and electrolytes
Precision Hydration PH1500 electrolyte mix for those who do not want extra carbs
Precision Hydration Gels PF 30 - 30g of carbs
Precision Hydration Chews PF 30 - 30 g of carbs
Caramel & Vanilla Stroopwafels
Rice Krispie Treats
Bananas
Watermelon
Donuts
Pickles
Applesauce pouches
Fruit Strips variety pack
Trail Mix Snack Packs
Goldfish crackers
Milano Cookies
Gummy bears
Oreo cookies
Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies
Mini Pretzels
Chex Mix
Pirate Booty
Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies
PB&Js Oat Sandwich Bar, Variety
Potato Chips, Variety Pack
Snap'd Crackers, Variety Pack
Tuscanini Italian Pitted Olive Snack Packs
Edamame Beans Snack, Variety Pack
Hanover Pretzel Sandwiches, Cheddar Cheese
Comfort Stations: Simply put - toilets. When you are lucky, like at one of our newest sponsors, Wegman’s in Montvale - you will have a full high quality bathroom. And when you are not so lucky, but gotta go, we will have porta potties anywhere that the distances between quality bathrooms is too far. These will be noted on our Ride With GPS maps available to you for download before the ride.
Rest Areas: If you need to rest, there will be open space near most of our pit stops. And within a few blocks, even more parks and other open spaces. If you need a rest, take a rest, just not right at a pit stop - let the riders who want to pause to pick up some water and snacks - do so quickly and efficiently. Rest in small groups, socially distant, leaving clear paths to and from the pit stops.
What do the experts recommend in terms of sustenance along the way in a long distance ride?
Our registration vendor, Active.com supports many endurance event and cycling “races”. Escape New York is a ride not a race, but - many of the best practices used by racers, are worth considering on what may be your longest ride of the year. Read what they recommend here.
You may find this blog about SNACKS to be of interest as well
Questions? Please e-mail enyinfo@nycc.org
Bike shops carry an abundance of choice for you. Piermont Bikes, Tenafly Bicycle Workshop and Strictly have lots to offer in a pinch and also are there with mechanics if you have a need and happen to be nearby - keep them in mind as they have been very supportive of the ride.
