By Robert Brum //
The towns of Bedford, Lewisboro and Pound Ridge are home to more than 40 miles of dirt roads, a nod to the citizenry’s desire to preserve their communities’ rural character. Roads like Old Aspetong and Upper Hook in Katonah possess a rugged charm perhaps unknown to even some longtime residents.Bedford boasts 32 miles of dirt roads among the 132 miles maintained by the town’s Highway Department. Lewisboro counts 11 miles of dirt among 96 miles of town roads, while Pound Ridge, by contrast, has barely any dirt roads at all, according to town officials.
These unpaved byways beckon to cyclists who are trading in their road bikes for a safer, more relaxed and scenic experience. They’re part of a trend toward so-called gravel riding that’s fueling one of the fastest-growing segments of bicycle sales nationwide.
Christine Schopen of South Salem hopped on a gravel bike seven years ago after being an avid road cyclist. She favors the more comfortable riding position, wider tires and disc brakes designed for the mix of hard-packed dirt and loose granular surfaces on her favorite back roads.
“I started mostly to get off the main roads,” said Schopen, a member of Lewisboro’s Pedestrian and Bike Advisory Committee who lives in town with her husband and two dogs. “I don’t like riding on the road around here anymore — it’s dangerous, and I feel safer on the gravel roads.”
The pace, dearth of traffic and leafy settings are more suitable for what she and many other riders are seeking nowadays.
“There’s beautiful farms, a lot of open space, lots of bridle lanes that you wouldn’t know about. It’s usually hilly, so you have a better vista.” — Christine Schopen
“It’s more relaxed, I don’t have to be fast to keep up,” said Schopen, who stepped down in January after five years as president of the Westchester Cycle Club, whose members have increasingly embraced gravel riding. “There’s beautiful farms, a lot of open space, lots of bridle lanes that you wouldn’t know about. It’s usually hilly, so you have a better vista.”
Touring these off-the-grid byways on two wheels opens up parts of the towns that drivers and casual visitors might not have known about. “It’s funny, you drive past a road and you don’t know what’s back there,” Schopen said. “People’s properties are more immediate, so you get to see the gardens and fountains. You’re going slow enough to appreciate the beauty of where you are. You’re not rushing by, worried about hitting a pothole.”
Schopen, a retired legal secretary, has lived in South Salem for 23 years. In 2023, she was involved with launching the “Velo de Femmes,” a ride dedicated to building community among female cycling enthusiasts.
Colin Tanner, co-owner of Acme Bicycle Co., has seen first-hand the growth in the popularity of gravel bikes during the three years since the shop opened in Katonah. Many of the high-end road bicycle brands sold through his shop produce gravel bikes, such as Parlee, No. 22, Factor, Time, Colnago, Wilier and Orbea, because of the spike in demand.
“To me, it’s really the versatility of a gravel bike versus a road bike,” Tanner said. “Simply put, gravel bikes tend to put the handlebars a little bit higher and a little bit closer to the rider. Lowering the tire pressure made it more comfortable. The geometry of a gravel bike is usually better aligned with how most people sit on a bicycle. You could call it a more relaxed geometry. It’s had a really big impact all over the place.”
Tanner says he takes his gravel bike on about 90% of his rides because of the proximity of his shop to some of his favorite unpaved roads, such as Croton Lake and Reservoir roads.“In Katonah, with all these beautiful dirt roads that are around us, that’s a strong appeal for people who are presumed happier staying away from cars,” he said. “It’s also hard to find a dirt road that’s not also scenic.”
‘Like being a kid again’
Andy Korman of South Salem favors gravel riding because “in some ways it’s like being a kid again. Riding in the dirt, not really caring how dirty you get.” Korman, a volunteer firefighter for the Vista Fire District, finds gravel riding safer than cycling on the main roads. “The first thing is, you’re not competing with cars to the same degree you are on roads,” he said. “Even when you come across cars on a gravel road, number one, there’s just fewer of them, and number two, they’re not going as fast because they can’t, and number three, they tend to be more considerate.”
That said, riders going off-pavement need to be prepared for holes and ruts, especially after heavy rains, and washboard roads with their rippled surfaces.“Falling off a gravel bike has its risks, there’s no question,” said Korman, a longtime Westchester Cycle Club member. “So I’d say to anyone starting out, start out simple, go on dirt roads that are better maintained and are in decent shape.”
He suggested Maple Avenue in Katonah, Guard Hill Road in Bedford and Succabone Road in Bedford Corners as options for newbies.“If something’s above your pay grade and if you’re nervous, get off and walk, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Korman said. “That’s the thing about gravel riding. No one is judging anyone, we’re all here to have fun.”
Ready to get dirty?
— Riding dirt roads with their often uneven surfaces and challenging climbs and descents requires proper equipment and requisite bike handling skills. It’s advisable to consult your local bike shop to determine whether you and your bicycle are up to the task before pedaling off on your first off-pavement adventure.
— Here’s a “short and dirty” 21-mile loop starting and ending in Goldens Bridge that includes dirt/gravel on Baxter, Sullivan, Todd and Turkey Hill roads, with a coffee break at the Market at Union Hall in North Salem: ridewithgps.com/routes/44260934. For more information, visit westchestercycleclub.org and grny.org.
Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.