Cyclists Take the High Road, in Holmdel

Do you pity the cyclists pushing up Holmdel's hilly roads, against all the laws of gravity? Guess what. They're loving it.

On Sunday, Oct. 9, about 20 members of the Jersey Shore Touring Society are planning to ride into town to take on some of the most grueling vertical climbs around. Telegraph Hill. Line Road. And steepest of them all, Takolusa.

“Monmouth County is typically flat, for the most part, except for parts of Atlantic Highlands,” said JSTS President Harold Brenner of Manalapan. “But when we want to get that little bit of extra workout, Holmdel is the place we go. You can get your three- to four-thousand feet of climbing in a day, going up and down the hills.”

Brenner is 58-year old self-employed electric motors salesman. He came to cycling after he left Brooklyn for New Jersey a decade ago. It took him three years to take a leap from a hybrid bike to a more serious road bike, and nowadays he is at such a comfort level that he takes three-and-a-half hour solo rides on Sundays. "I burned 1550 calories in 70 miles of riding," he said, after consulting his personal electronic gadgets last weekend.

Not all club cyclists are in it for that kind of workout. On the mornings of scheduled rides, the club members meet at Brookdale Community College and split into five different groups depending on their desired pace. Their groups range from A+ (competitive-level pack riding)  to C level (10-15 mile and hour cycling, with conversation.) Each group is lead by an experienced cyclist.

The club's 325 members come from all over, said Brenner, including Staten Island, Millstone, Jackson, Lakewood and the local area.

Barbara Bennett, 55, of Holmdel is one of 13 members from Holmdel Township. "Even the seasoned riders are already talking about, 'Oh my gosh, am I going to make it up the hills?' This is not the ride to cut your teeth on."

Bennett, a longtime rider, said she uses the gears on her road bike to summit the Holmdel hills. "You're slow, but you get there," she said. "If there's a hill that’s intimidating, you get off and walk."  Line Road, between Van Brackle and Goldsmith, is still her personal challenge. "I think at its peak, it's a 16 percent grade," she said.

The Holmdel Hills Ride 55 Mile Counter Clockwise is available in different strengths, and has had to be rerouted due to Hurricane Irene clean-up. But the hard-core riders will be hitting the following streets on their route in town: Holland, Takolusa, South Holland, Centerville, Stoneybrook, Ravine, Mount, Overlook, Telegraph Hill, Bethany, Holmdel, Hillcrest, South Beers, Iaderosa, Dora, Line, crossing Van Brackle, Holmdel, Crawfords Corner, Longstreet, Roberts, Holmdel, Schank, Route 34 to Pleasant Valley.

The ride continues through parts of Marlboro and Colts Neck before looping back to home base. For inclines and distances, see the attached PDF document the Society has shared with Patch readers.

Membership to the JSTS is only $20 a year, and newcomers can even take their first ride for free. Certainly not every ride is a hill ride. There are plenty of rides available to recreational riders, such as the Saturday Scenic series that is scheduled every five weeks. It sometimes leaves from Holmdel Park.

Future rides in the year round club include Oct. 16 Cape May (flat); Oct. 23 Sandy Hook via Spy House; and Oct. 30, Say Hi to the Highlands (rolling.) For many more, visit this link.