5BBC Mattituck Century 2011

Have some Strawberries with your Century!
Sunday June 19, 2011
100 Miles
Rain or Shine

Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal check-in opens 6 AM start

NYC-area cyclists used to look forward to a club ride affectionately known as either the Mattituck Century or Strawberry Century every June. It was always a lot of fun, and we’ve brought it back for 2011 with the old-school flavor while adding a few updates. Old school flavor also means an old school price – just $35 advance registration.

The 2011 Mattituck Century is the ideal way to get your summer on! The flat, scenic 100-mile route starts in downtown Brooklyn, goes through quiet bedroom communities and the Pine Barren forests, on to the Mattituck Strawberry Festival. Once there, dig into all kinds of strawberry treats, or go fruit-picking, wine-tasting or enjoy a fine meal at a nearby restaurant. Later, the 5BBC will bring you and your bike home.

This club classic was always for self-sufficient distance riders who want a nice route, fun times and an independent experience. It’s no different for 2011. The great route we’ve scouted is flat, easy and quiet, but with the needed services to meet your roadside needs.

Our starting line is the LIRR Atlantic Terminal at Hanson Place in downtown Brooklyn. Check-in starts at 6 AM, after which you get your cue sheet and start hitting the road immediately. The $35 advance registration is now available online at Active.com. There’s also very limited tour-day registration for $60 until we reach maximum capacity of 190 riders, so register early to guarantee your place.

True to the old-school style, the Mattituck Century route has both charm and challenge. That means no road markings or formal rest stops. You are free to ride at your own pace, lunch at a place of your choosing and manage your own roadside repairs. As always, the ride features 5BBC’s legendary SAG support and a cadre of friendly, helpful rolling volunteers. Remember, you must wear a helmet – no exceptions!

The ride finishes at the annual Strawberry Festival in Mattituck, where admission is only $5. This

old-fashioned country fair features strawberry everything, in addition to a variety of festival cuisine. If grapes are more your taste, we can also direct you to several of the excellent local vineyards for post-ride anti-oxidants. . The North Fork area has nearby farms for fruit-picking, and several fine restaurants for enjoying a post-ride bite. Once you’ve had your fill of strawberries and fun, we’ll provide return transportation back to Brooklyn, for you by train and your bicycle by truck.

The Mattituck Century is best suited for skilled, well-conditioned and self-sufficient century riders. Be sure that it’s for you!

Online registration for the Mattituck Century is open at Active.com. Registration is limited so act quickly and get ready to “have some strawberries with your century!

Getting Ready

You need “old school skilz” to enjoy this ride!

• An adventurous & independent spirit – NO REST STOPS
• Fitness – it’s 100 miles
• A well-maintained bike – again, it’s 100 miles
• Roadside repair skills, supplies & tools – we’ll help. but you’re responsible
• Cue sheet reading skills & navigational abilities – NO ROAD MARKINGS

To roll with us in the 2011 Mattituck Century, you need to be a savvy, self-sufficient distance rider, or be riding with a qualified buddy. You should be able to complete a relatively flat century (like the 5BBC’s own Montauk Century) in less than 10 hours including stops. To get you ready, the 5BBC is offering free training rides and repair.

The finish is full of fun, but so is the journey of getting there! The route is flat, scenic and straightforward but you do need to be alert! Remember that 5BBC volunteers are always there to help.

Routinely check www.5bbc.org/Mattituck for updated ride information.

Tour Day
Check-in is at the LIRR Atlantic Terminal in downtown Brooklyn. It’s located on Flatbush Avenue at Hanson Place, one block north of Atlantic Avenue and directly across from the former Williamsburg Bank building (the “clock” building, still Brooklyn’s tallest)

• Check-in opens at 6:00 AM you must be on the course by 7:00 AM
• We ride rain or shine; check & dress for the weather
• You must wear a bike helmet while riding!

Strawberry Charm & Challenge
The 2011 Mattituck Century is geared toward skilled, self-sufficient century riders. The route’s flat, scenic and straightforward. The navigation, discoveries, and adventure along the way, though, speak best to those with an independent nature. With no road marks or rest stops, the Mattituck Century is a bit like the “Amazing Race” without the rush. Pay attention, follow directions and you’ll be just fine. If you run into something, we have SAG (support and gear), roving volunteers and ways to be there and help out.

Things to Bring
• Water bottles & energy snacks
• Repair tools, supplies & a bungee cord
• Cell phone
• Camera
• A few bucks for lunch & contingencies

Ride Number
• Get it at check-in
• Identifies you and your bike
• Entitles you to marshal/SAG services
• Required for return transportation & bicycle re-claim

Route Directions
THIS ROUTE IS NOT MARKED. At check-in we will give you a cue sheet with all the directions, event information and a timetable. The cue sheet also provides comments and landmark information to help you identify turns, points of interest, as well as information on food service options, bailout points or time checks. Below is a sample of the cue sheet and the information it includes to help you identify each turn along the route:

At Mile	Turn	Onto	For	Comment/Landmark
5.86	R	Washington Park	.11	Pass Fort Greene Park
5.97	L	Willoughby Avenue	.21	Fort Greene Historic District
6.18	R	Vanderbilt Avenue	.79	McDonalds

We’ve also set time targets for riders and to help everyone stay on schedule. We ask for riders to be past these locations by these times.

At Mile	Turn	Onto	Comment/Landmark
30	P	Hicksville LIRR	Time Check: Be past this point by 10AM
60	P	Ronkonkoma LIRR	Time Check: Be past this point by 1PM
90	P	Riverhead LIRR	Time Check: Be past this point by 4PM

The Mattituck Century is old school. That means there will be NO REST STOPS. You are free to stop and lunch wherever you like; we’ll include some options on the cue sheet.

Repairs

We'll help whenever possible, but you are responsible for your own repairs
Please handle your repairs safely; out of traffic, but still visible from the route
Carry a patch kit, spare tubes, a pump/CO2, and tools.

SAG Service
SAG stands for Support and Gear -- these are the wonderful folks who will help you if you can't finish the ride due to a mechanical, medical, mental or spiritual problem, or if you've fallen too far behind the pace.

You'll have the event's hotline number on the cue sheet for immediate rescue
SAG service starts at the Central Islip LIRR station at roughly 11 AM
If you need SAG, stay in a safe spot near the road where we can see you
We do not SAG and release; once SAG'd, that's it!
SAG'd riders will be taken to Mattituck
If our team offers you SAG service and you refuse, you're on your own!

CALL 911 FOR ALL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

If you need or choose to bail out, we'll point you to the nearest subway, railroad station (west of Ronkonkoma) or Hamptons Jitney stop. This is when your bungee cord comes in handy. Also, Don't forget your LIRR bike pass (available for $5 in advance on-line at www.mta.info/lirr/about/Bicycles/BicyclePermit. They are also sold at Penn Station or Grand Central, but get it in advance. They are probably NOT available before 6AM on the day of the ride. And they're definitely NOT for sale at the LIRR Atlantic Terminal anytime! You are subject to the LIRR's bike policies.

Finish
After a great day of riding, it’s time for some strawberries! The finish area in Mattituck is outdoors. When you arrive, we’ll point the wine connoisseurs to local vineyards, fruit lovers to the farms, and the rest to the Strawberry Festival ($5 entry fee). After that, it’s your responsibility to be at the Mattituck LIRR on time for bike loading and departure (see below).

Venue	Closing Time	Entrance Fee
Strawberry Festival	5PM	$5
Tasting Rooms	Varies by location	Varies by location
Fruit-picking farms	Varies by location	Varies by location

Driving Directions
Are you having someone meet you at the strawberry festival? Tell them to use the search engine of their choice to get driving directions to: Strawberry Fields, 1175 Route 48, Mattituck, NY 11952

Returning Home
The Long Island Railroad will NOT let you bring your bicycle with you on the train from Mattituck on tour day. No exceptions at any time! That’s why we truck your bicycle back to Brooklyn while you ride the train. We can only support one LIRR trip home due to the Greenport line’s limited rail service and our simple tour infrastructure.

Bike loading starts	5:00 PM
Route services close	5:30 PM
Train departure	6:30 PM

NO BICYCLES ON THE GREENPORT LINE AT ANY TIME ON TOUR DAY!
NO BICYCLES ON THE RONKONKOMA LINE AFTER 7:30 PM ON TOUR DAY!

Bike Transportation
Your bike will be traveling home on our trucks along with other bikes. The 5BBC will handle all bikes with great care; after all, we ride nice bikes too! Still, nicks and scratches are a possibility and we cannot assume responsibility for incidental damage. Before loading bikes unto the trucks, we remove the pedals to help prevent possible damage. Don’t worry! We will help you put them back on at the other end.

When you get off the train at LIRR Atlantic Terminal, you can pick up your bike. You will need your ride number to re-claim your bicycle. Please note the train is often faster than the trucks; please be patient and wait for the trucks to arrive. We can NOT store your bike – you MUST claim it right away.

Register
Important Notes:
Please read ALL the information on the Mattituck Century pages carefully BEFORE you register -- once you sign up, there are NO REFUNDS for any reason! This website is the sole source of Mattituck Century information, so check back regularly for updates.

This ride is old-school. That means NO ROAD MARKS and NO REST STOPS! You MUST be able to navigate the course by cue sheet. We’ll be there to assist but be sure that this is for you!

On-line registration is now open and closes at 12:00pm Noon on Thursday, June 9th or when we reach maximum registration, whichever comes first.

Advance Registration	Late January _June 9	$35
Tour Day Registration	June 19	$60

Active Network is our online registration site. After clicking on the Active logo, the process is a few simple steps. First, enter contact information, your credit card information and then receive on-screen confirmation. You will also get an email confirmation from Active. Please print and bring your confirmation with you to check-in. Very limited registration slots may be available at the start line on tour day, until we reach maximum capacity at a premium price (CASH ONLY).

Refunds & Transfers
Once you register, we can not provide refunds for any reason! You’re allowed to sell your spot in the ride after you've registered. You can do that on the 5BBC's bulletin board or its Facebook page. On tour day, we just need the new person at check-in to give us the original restraint’s name, sign a legal waiver for the ride, and hit the road.

Minors are welcomed but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Helmets are mandatory while riding. If this is a problem , the ride's not for you!

Please send Mattituck Century questions to Mattituck@5bbc.org

Blog Links StreetsBlog Benepe's Bike Blog Cyclists International

2011 Mattituck Century

Getting Ready

CALL 911 FOR ALL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

NO BICYCLES ON THE GREENPORT LINE AT ANY TIME ON TOUR DAY! NO BICYCLES ON THE RONKONKOMA LINE AFTER 7:30 PM ON TOUR DAY!

Blog Links
StreetsBlog
Benepe's Bike Blog
Cyclists International

NO BICYCLES ON THE GREENPORT LINE AT ANY TIME ON TOUR DAY!
NO BICYCLES ON THE RONKONKOMA LINE AFTER 7:30 PM ON TOUR DAY!