Know More. Ride More.

The Isle of Man Time Trial Race Is Special

The TT Races at Isle of Man celebrated its 100th race meeting in 2019. And its days may be numbered. Truth be told, its days have been numbered for some time; it’s just too damn dangerous. Since its inception, 265 riders have been killed on the “track”.

Let’s rewind a bit. The Isle of Man is truly a magnificent event that happens once a year on a not so magnificent island. The Island is just off the West coast of England and is neither a part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. The island covers an area of 572 sq km and is home to just 84,000 people. It’s entirely forgettable and has this guy as its chief minister:

This otherwise unremarkable island is also host to the most dangerous motorsport event in the world.

The event itself is broken down into multiple race classes:

• Senior TT (1909–present)

• Lightweight TT (1922–1976, 1995–2004, 2012–present)

• Junior TT / Supersport TT (1911–present)

• Superbike TT (2005–present)

• Superstock TT (2005–present)

• Sidecar TT (1923–1925, 1951–1967, 1977–present)

This year, the event descends on the island starting with qualifying on May 29th until June 10th, with the first race on June 3rd.

Classic Car Club of Manhattan has put a sweet VIP package together including private viewing, dinner with legendary racers, and an off-road tour of the Isle with none other than David Knight. Get your ass in gear before it’s too late.

Ronaldo Ferreti’s Ducati 1098 Cafe Racer

This bike is a beauty. Seeing this bike in person over the past few months at events in NYC has been a treat. Ronaldo has put forth a tremendous effort in building this bike, all the way from its humble roots as a yellow 2007 Ducati 1098.

The bike has been in the building phase for just about 2 years and after 250 hours of work and hundreds of screws, was finally finished just a few weeks ago in April. Everything was either completely replaced with Ducati OEM parts (thanks to Ducati New York) or custom build & machined from scratch. Practically every piece of this motorcycle has been disassembled, refurnished, powder coated, cerakoted, painted and/or even plated.

Check out the bike’s promo video and hit the read link for the history & build details.

This is your route from Bikes & Breakfast @ 9W Market

The 1st Sunday of the month/ in the NYC area usually means a start at Bikes & Breakfast at 9W Market. Where you go after is up to you but this route has served my crew and I well.

It's not a long ride (about 2 hours total not counting what you do before/after) but presents tons of options throughout the Bear Mountain area and east of the Hudson.

Naturally, you'll start at the legendary 9W Market. Three things to keep in mind here:

1. Sunday mornings get busy here so the earlier KSU/ (kick stands up) time you and your riders have, the better

2. It is busy and overrun with cyclists so I'll leave you to your own preconceived notions on what that means

3. Officially, Bikes & Breakfast at 9W is just the first Sunday of the month but unofficially, you will always find riders here in the AM on most Sundays and Saturdays

Grab your breakfast/coffee, wait in line for the bathroom (hint: there is another bathroom outside behind the lunch grills), and head out north on 9W to 287. It's not an awfully exciting start. You'll be tempted to stay on the Palisades but that would mean hitting Kanawauke Rd after Lake Welch Pkwy; try to avoid that section as it's super bumpy and you'll be tempted to go faster.

You'll hit Kanawauke Circle, Kanawauke Rd (do a few laps if foot/car traffic permit), then take 17A to head to the twisty Arden Valley Rd. AVR is more technical than Kanawauke but less that Perkins Memorial so watch your speed/cornering if it's your first time.

You'll run through Bear Mountain (including a stop at the tower on Perkins Memorial) but watch for traffic & Forest Rangers; it can get pretty busy on weekend afternoons. Head over the Bear Mountain Bridge and take 202 down to Peekskill Brewery for a well deserved brew & food.

From there, you've got tons of options:

1. Head back to the city via Saw Mill River Pkwy, 87, or Sprain Brock Pkwy. You can even had back across the river and retrace some of your steps to head back, especially if traffic into the city is a factor.

2. Head up to Cold Spring for a cafe and take 301 East to Sloop for another fantastic brewery.

3. Keep the ride going and head back over the bridge to the roads around Storm King

Here's the Google Maps route.

We love this route and have done it in its entirety and sections at a time. Kanawauke is a great, quick blast, and Bear Mountain is fantastic on a sleepy Monday morning. Storm King is a monster in its own right./