Fire Tower Brevet

The details surrounding the long-anticipated Fire Tower Brevet have been finalized!  

- The ride is Brevet-style, starting and ending at NYC Velo - East Village (66 2nd Avenue)
- The 5 Controles (checkpoints) on the route are 5 historical Fire Towers along the Hudson Valley, chosen for their location and bike accessibility 
- The "Suggested Route" is approximately 360 miles, though riders are not required to follow the route, only to visit the 5 Controles
- Riders who plan to participate are required to register here on BikeReg and will be issued a Brevet card
- At each Controle there will be a uniquely-shaped hole punch used to punch the corresponding Fire Tower on the Brevet card
- Riders will also produce digital proof of successful Controle check-in/route completion (via a GPS/Strava file and/or Instagram/social media photos of themselves at the Controle) to qualify for the tiered swag.

- The official ride start is 5:00am Saturday June 22 2024 at NYC Velo East Village though riders may start their own adventure at anytime between June 22 and October 31 2024. 

- This is an unsupported ride – riders are responsible for their own navigation, hydration, nutrition, and equipment

- Riders should take appropriate caution riding on open roads, use appropriate lighting for low light or night time riding conditions, and use appropriate safety gear at all times (including helmets, reflective apparel, etc)

The Suggested Route:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46073159

The Tiers of Participation:

Tier 1 Participation: Riders must start and end at NYC Velo East Village and complete all 5 Controles within 48 hours.  Riders may follow any route but may use only 1 human-powered bicycle (i.e. no e-bikes, trains, or Ubers).  Riders who complete the course (starting & ending at NYC Velo East Village) and collect punches at the 5 Controles in any 48-hour period from the opening day through October 31 2024 will present documentation to Andrew at NYC Velo East Village or by emailing [email protected] 2 Participation: riders complete the course in 1 continuous ride but take longer than 48 hours but less than 120 hours -- for example if they want to expand the route to take 4 or 5 days and visit other locations in the Catskills, or they simply want to stretch the ride across more days (starting & ending at NYC Velo East Village).  Tier 2 Participation will be open through October 31 2024.Tier 3 Participation: riders complete all 5 Controles on separate visits over any length of time (weeks or months), but always by bike.  Controles may be completed over separate outings and in any order.  Tier 3 Participation will be open through October 31 2024.  

Swag:

For successful Tier 1 completion: John Campbell of Alpine Luddites in Vermont has come on board to make 10 custom hip packs, available for the first 10 riders to successfully complete the Tier 1 challenge.  Tier 1 winners will also receive a custom Fire Tower Brevet enamel pin and sticker pack.For successful Tier 2 completion: NYC Velo will send out a custom Fire Tower Brevet enamel pin, sticker pack, & Search and State cycling cap (limited to the first 50 riders)For successful Tier 3 completion: NYC Velo will send out a Fire Tower Brevet sticker pack (Tier 3 is unlimited)

Please email [email protected] with questions