Catskills Cycling Club Inaugural · v1 · Est. 2026
A Catskills Cycling Club community ride

The Borderlands

A grassroots, brevet-style day of unsanctioned racing. Four riders, one borderland loop, and the back roads in between.

Express interest Saturday, August 1, 2026 · Hancock, NY · 12–15 teams · open to the community
113
Miles
9,685
Feet up
×4
Riders / team
8–9
Hours
What this is

Finish as a four,
or not at all.

This is borrowed wholesale from the format we love: a team of four rides the entire loop together — roll out together, ride together, cross the line together.

The clock runs and we'll post your team's time, but nobody is ranked and there are no prizes. The reward is the day itself: a hundred-odd miles of the far western edge of the Catskills you've probably never ridden, done shoulder to shoulder with three people you trust. Two town stops along the way mean no one has to plan a rest stop — just stop, fill bottles, and roll on.

It is self-supported and non-sanctioned: no permit, no marshals, no closed roads, no sag wagon. You and your four carry what you need and look after each other. That's the whole point.

It's also free and community-first for year one — a real hundred-mile day with no entry fee. That's the club's whole reason for putting it on.

The route

Two states. Two rivers.
The far edge of the Catskills.

Map of the Catskills region from the Hudson River west to the route near Hancock
Where it sits — the far western edge of the Catskills, about two hours past the home roads.
Sealed until you're in

The route is revealed to
confirmed teams.

We hold the exact loop — GPX and cue sheet — until your team is accepted. Half the adventure is rolling out without knowing every turn. The shape of the day is below; the line itself comes with your spot.

Distance113.1 mi
Climbing9,685 ft
Surface50–70% gravel / dirt
Target time8–9 hours
Start / finishHancock, NY
FormatTeams of 4 · open · 12–15 teams
50–70% gravel & dirtmuch never logged on Strava

Translation: bring tires you trust.

Before you roll

Know what you're signing up for.

01

Stay together

Your four ride as a unit, start to finish. If one flats, you all wait. Drop a rider, drop the run.

02

Self-supported

No sag, no feed zones. Carry tools, spares, food, layers and cash. Two town stops to resupply.

03

Navigate yourself

Confirmed teams get the GPX and a printed cue sheet ahead of time. Pre-download both — the roads aren't marked, aren't closed, and cell service is patchy.

04

Ride at your own risk

Open public roads in NY and PA, mixed surface, real traffic. Obey every traffic law and ride single-file where it's tight. Helmet and a rear light required; there are no marshals — you're responsible for you.

05

There's a cutoff

Roll out at 8 AM; plan to finish by 7 PM — an 11-hour window for an 8–9 hour day. Past the cutoff there's no sweep, so keep moving or bail at a town and tell us.

06

Weather is weather

We ride rain or shine, with Sunday, August 2 as the rain date. A genuinely dangerous forecast is the only thing that moves it.

07

Sign the waiver online

Once your team's accepted, every rider gets an emailed link to sign an assumption-of-risk waiver electronically. All four signatures before the day, or you don't start.

08

If you bail, tell us

Bail-out points sit near the two town stops. If you pull the plug, text the number we give you so nobody's left out on the course after dark.

What to bring

Pack like there's no sag.
Because there isn't.

No feed zones, no broom wagon, no bike shop for miles. Two town stops — their spots shared with confirmed teams — let you refill, but the longest stretch without services runs long, so carry enough and a way to treat creek water. Everything else rides with you; the captain makes sure all four are set before the start.

Every rider — mandatory

  • Helmet and a rear light.
  • Phone charged — plus the team's tracker phone and a battery pack.
  • Two bottles minimum, and a way to filter or treat water.
  • Spare tubes, a plug kit, pump or CO₂, multi-tool, quick-link.
  • Real food for the gaps between towns, and cash.
  • ID and an emergency contact, written down.
  • A packable rain shell.

Smart to add

  • Tubeless plugs and a spare derailleur hanger.
  • Electrolytes — early August runs hot.
  • Sunscreen, a little first-aid, tick tweezers.
  • Chain lube and a rag for the dusty stretches.
  • Arm or knee warmers for the cool dawn roll-out.
Your designated tracker

One phone keeps the dot moving.

In year one we track teams by phone, not hardware. Each team picks the rider whose phone lasts longest, installs a free tracking app, and follows the checklist below. The live map backfills whenever you hit coverage in the two towns — so a stalled dot means no signal, not trouble.

Two light controls keep it honest, brevet-style: a team photo at a few set points, and a quick satellite text from the tracker's phone at the towns — a check-in without the paper card.

Set up the week before

  • Pick the rider with the best battery life as the team's tracker.
  • Install the free tracking app and register the phone to the event with the link we send.
  • Pre-download the route and an offline map so it works with no data.
  • Do a 20-minute test ride and confirm your dot shows up on the map.

Day-of battery checklist

  • Charge to 100% and carry a power bank and short cable.
  • Airplane mode on, GPS on — stops the phone draining as it hunts for a signal.
  • iPhone: set Location to "Always." Android: turn off battery optimization for the app.
  • 5-minute ping interval, screen off, low brightness, no music on this phone.
  • Keep it cool — top-tube bag or pocket, not baking on the bars.
  • At each town, flip cellular on for a minute to flush the track, then back to airplane mode.

Everyone records their own ride too (Strava or a head unit) — that's the timing backup if a phone dies, and it feeds the club's photos and stories.

Express interest

Put four names down.

Open to the community and capped at 12–15 teams. Tell us about your four and share everyone's Strava — there's a light capability bar (below), so we just want to see you've ridden enough to enjoy a 100-mile, 10,000-foot day rather than suffer it. One person submits for the whole team and we'll confirm by email. Got fewer than four? Send what you have and we'll help match riders.

Who it's for & how we choose

  • Teams of four, riding self-supported.
  • Each rider comfortable with a ~100-mile, 10,000-foot day — share everyone's Strava so we can see recent rides in that range.
  • The field is capped at 12–15 teams; we confirm the teams that fit, in the order interest comes in.
  • It's about finishing safely, not speed or status — no one is ranked.

Every team gets the GPX and cue sheet, two resupply stops, a tracked dot so we know you're safe, photos from the course, and something to gather around at the finish. It's the inaugural edition and the field is small — express interest early.

How it works, start to finish

  1. One person fills the short interest survey for the whole team.
  2. We review in the order interest comes in and confirm up to 12–15 teams by email. Past 15, you're on the waitlist and roll in first if a team drops.
  3. Once you're accepted, every rider gets an emailed link to sign the waiver electronically — all four signatures lock your spot.
  4. Confirmed teams get the GPX, cue sheet and final details ahead of the day.

It's free — no entry fee, no money changes hands to ride.

Captain · fills this for the team
Rider 2
Rider 3
Rider 4

Free to enter. One person submits for the whole team — about two minutes. We reply by email in the order interest comes in. No waiver yet; once your team’s accepted, every rider gets a link to sign it electronically.

Got it

Your team’s interest is in.

Thanks — your team’s interest in The Borderlands is in. Here’s what happens next:

  1. We review teams in the order they come in (the field is small — 12–15 teams).
  2. If there’s a spot, you’ll get an acceptance email with one quick step to lock it in.
  3. The full route, GPX, and cue sheet go out to confirmed teams before the day.

Nothing to do right now. Keep an eye on your inbox — and your riding legs.

Questions

Before you ask the group chat.

What does it cost?

Nothing — year one is free. If folks want to chip in toward the organizers' gas and lunch at the finish there'll be a jar, but it's optional and there's no entry fee. No money changes hands to ride.

Can we ride as a three?

The format is built for four, but register your three and we'll either match you a fourth or wave you off as a trio. Just say so in your team name.

What if we can't finish?

Then you don't finish, and that's a perfectly good story too. Bail-out points exist along the loop near the town stops. Tell us you're out so we're not waiting on you.

Road bike or gravel bike?

With roughly 50–70% gravel or dirt, most riders will be happiest on gravel tires or a sturdy all-road setup. Bring tires you trust and a spare tube or two.

How are teams chosen?

It's open to the community — we promote it through the club's Strava and Instagram. There's a light bar for safety: teams of four, each rider comfortable with a 100-mile, 10,000-foot day, which we check from recent Strava. The field is capped at 12–15 teams, confirmed in the order interest comes in. It's about capability and finishing safely, not exclusivity.

How do we lock our spot — and is there a waitlist?

When we confirm your team, your captain replies to claim it. That small step holds your place; if we don't hear back, it opens up. Once we're at 12–15 teams, new interest goes on a waitlist and rolls in first if a team drops.

Do we sign a waiver?

Yes — once your team's accepted, each rider gets an emailed link to sign an assumption-of-risk waiver electronically. It's required before the start: no signature, no roll-out.

Where do we stay?

Hancock has a few cheap motels. With an 8 AM roll-out, most teams either drive out early or come up the night before and make a weekend of it.

E-bikes?

[ Your call — set a line here. ] Since nothing's ranked, the honest answer is it doesn't change a result. Tell us at registration so we can plan.

Express interest →