Shawangunk Grit

Registration is now closed for the second annual Shawangunk Grit ride to benefit Mohonk Preserve. Thanks to all our Shawangunk Grit riders, sponsors, volunteers and staff members for making the event a huge success!

View the great photos taken by the Mohonk Preserve Volunteer Photographers!

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Close out your riding season on Mohonk Preserve! 

Join us for an epic fundraising ride across the Shawangunk Ridge, just 90 miles north of Manhattan. Pick from two distances 50.4 miles (4,030 ft gain) or 23.3 miles (2,580 ft gain). Both courses begin and end at the Ulster County Fairgrounds and once you enter the Preserve at mile two, the course is 99% gravel on our famous network of carriage roads.  

This is not a race; think of it as a super challenging fun ride for a really good cause. Much of the gravel is quite rough and steep. Expect loose rock – especially on the descents. The long course includes some technical single track and a mandatory dismount/bike hike up a steep boulder garden. Bring your gravel, cyclocross, or mountain bike. Class 1 e-bikes are permitted if you can manage the technical sections. No road bikes, please.

You won’t be timed but you will be well-fed. Look for three well-stocked aid stations with portable restrooms and a post ride party at the fairgrounds where you will relax, listen to some music and share your course experience. Be sure to carry some food and water, and maybe extra clothes depending on the weather. You’ll be sharing the carriage roads with hikers and climbers, so bike bells are highly recommended. Pack a spare tube, tools, and pump as there’s no mechanical support on course and no sag wagon. Helmets are required.

*Shout out to our friends at the Open Space Institute for granting us access to the River-to-Ridge Trail and to the Mohonk Mountain House who granted us access to Sky Top for the event day only. Bikes are not allowed on this carriage road so you cannot pre-ride this section of the course. No exceptions – If we blow this, access to Sky Top will not continue. PLEASE DO NOT POST PICS FROM SKY TOP ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.

Also, near Spring Farm Trailhead, the private driveway near the Slingerland Pavilion, the Table Rocks Trail, and the Crag Trail on the Preserve are accessible to ride participants during the event only. You cannot pre-ride these sections.

Registration fees get you...

Pre-ride bike support on the morning of the eventBike plateAid stations with, water, Skratch Labs hydration products and snacksFinish line party with hot food, live music, beverages and beer at Field of Dreams Park (adjacent to parking area)A 25 ounce custom Grit water bottleA chance to win raffle prizes from our sponsorsSatisfaction in knowing you're helping to raise money for a great cause!The Start

Expect a calm and controlled mass start for the 50.4 mile course at 8 am and the 23.3 mile course at 9 am.. Riders will line up Goldilocks style: strong riders go to the front of the pack; moderate folks aim for the middle, and those planning a more leisurely pace, head to the back.

A pace car will lead riders for the first two miles of the course along public roads from Ulster Fairgrounds to Mohonk Preserve property on Gatehouse Road.  Riders must remain in their lane behind the pace car. We mean it, calm and controlled.  

Once you’re off the public road and on the gravel, you can ride at your own pace.

Cutoff Time
We have instituted a cutoff time of 10:30 am at mile 16.7 for 50.3 mile course riders. If you have not reached this point by this time you will not be able to continue to Sky Top and will be redirected to the 23.3 mile course. There is no cutoff time for the 23.3 mile course.

Cancellation/Refund Policy:
Registration fees are non-refundable. You may wish to take the optional Registration Protection Plan from Allianz during registration. Shawangunk Grit is a major fundraiser for Mohonk Preserve. When you register, we hold a spot, make commitments to vendors, and deny others entry when the event sells out. Therefore, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. Event deferrals or transfers for any reason, including injury, are not allowed.

Should the event be canceled for a qualifying reason by the event producer such as adverse weather conditions which would make holding the event unsafe, your registration fees will be refunded. 

If you find you can’t participate, we would like to know. Please contact us at [email protected]. All cancellations will be acknowledged via email.

Protection Plan:
Consider taking the registration protection insurance offered by Bike.reg which will reimburse you registration fees if you are unable to participate due to a qualifying reason. This plan is administered by a third party, Allianz.

Be prepared for a challenging, but fun ride!  

Registration fees raise money for a great cause! 

Your registration fees directly support Mohonk Preserve’s mission to protect the Shawangunk Mountains region and inspire people to care for, enjoy and explore their natural world. With more than 8,000 acres of mountain ridges, forests, fields, streams, ponds and other unique and beautiful places, Mohonk Preserve is the largest member and visitor-supported nature preserve in New York State.  

Course options:
50.4 Mile 
Four aid stations at mile 12.5, 25.9, 33 and 42.
Cutoff time is 2 pm at mile 25.9. Riders will be directed to continue on the 23.3 mile course if not at mile 25.9 by 2pm. 
Elevation gain: 4,030
23.3 Mile 
Two aid stations at mile 8 and 14.
Elevation gain: 2,580

Packet Pickup:
Friday, November 3, 2023
12 noon - 6 pm
Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center
3197 Route 44 55
Gardiner, NY 12525

Saturday, November 4, 2023
6:30 am - 7:45 am | 50.4 milers
6:30 am - 8:45 am | 23.3 milers
Ulster County Fairgrounds
249 Libertyville Road
New Paltz, NY 12561

Cover photo by: Deborah Kral

 

About Shawangunk Grit: 

The ridge where you’ll be riding is made from bedrock called Shawangunk Conglomerate, also known as Shawangunk Grit. Shawangunk Grit slabs were  used to make millstones around the turn of the century and some of these millstones can still be seen on the land today. A nod to the history of the ridge is found in the Shawangunk Grit logo.