The Roe Jan Ramble: A Scenic Route For All Levels Of Cyclists
Ten years ago, the Roe Jan Ramble, a day of cycling through the Roe Jan area towns of Copake, Hillsdale, and Ancram, launched with 50 people and one route. A decade later, the free group ride spins out on six routes, which, according to the group’s website, goes from “easy-peasy” for the beginner, to “holy cow” for the experienced rider. What started out as a modest way to showcase the area by bicycle has grown into an annual tradition that attracts everyone from families to hard-core cyclists. On September 17, after a two-year hiatus, organizers expect about 600 riders to gather at the starting point at Copake Memorial Park.
The routes change every year, offering riders a new serving of eye candy through the rolling hills of southeastern Columbia County. Cyclists traverse lightly traveled public roads (some routes take in small portions of the Rail Trail) winding through farmland and passing through county hamlets. The shortest route, 10 miles, is an easy ride geared to families; it’s mostly flat with some modest hills. The 18, 25, and 35-mile routes are designed for intermediate or stronger riders. For avid cyclists, the Ramble has a 50-mile route that goes through all three town. Three years ago, prodded by hard-core cyclists, the Ramble added a 100km/62.1-mile route, a challenge with rolling steep hills that doesn’t appear to deter the most serious riders. In 2019, the last year the Roe Jam Ramble rambled, the 100K was the most traveled route.
To come up with new routes every year, the Ramble relies on Gary Lewis, a volunteer and cyclist from Copake. He has become the organization’s “route maven” who knows all the back roads and maps out a series of routes that cover all three towns.
The Ramble was the brainchild of Jeanne Mettler, who is now Copake’s town supervisor. She would cycle the area on weekends, noting the absence of traffic, and how on a bicycle and the side roads, you see things you don’t see when you’re whizzing by in a car. She was also influenced by the now-defunct Harlem Valley Rail Ride, a for-profit event that started and ended in Millerton. Mettler’s idea was to do it as a community event, a way to bring in people who are unfamiliar with the area, and to make it free.
That first year, it was a casual ride around town, says Tom Goldsworth, a Ramble volunteer who is chair of the Copake Economic Development Advisory Committee. The route went from Copake to Ancram and back. By the fifth year, organizers reached out to include Hillsdale, started promoting it more, and expanded the number of routes. Now the Ramble is sponsored by the three towns as a public event, with local businesses providing contributions to help offset operational expenses. Although it’s not meant to generate money, entrants are encouraged to make a donation to support the Harlem Valley Rail Trail as it strives to achieve the goal of 46-mile trail between Wassaic and Chatham.
“It really does bring people to town,” Goldsworthy says. “Cyclists are generally friendly, health people who are eager to be outdoors. We found that family groups like the shorter rides, and the avid cyclists want to ride the long routes. Some of them say they’ve been on professional rides before, but the scenery on this Ramble is really spectacular.”
The Ramble kicks off at Copake Memorial Park with the longer routes starting at 8:30 a.m. and the shortest at 11 a.m., timed so everybody gets back to the park around lunchtime. A local church’s Community Christmas Basket committee will be providing lunch, available for purchase.
Registration for this year’s event is now open. As per tradition, the routes will be released on Labor Day. E-bikes are allowed, as long as they’re pedal assist.
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