BIKE NAMES BLUE MOUNTAIN TRAILS BEST IN NORTH AMERICA

Bike, the national magazine for cycling enthusiasts, has ranked the Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill as having the best mountain biking trails close to a metropolitan area in North America and one of the 11 best places for bike trails on the continent.

“Blue Mountain Reservation is 1,500 acres of sweet urban respite just outside New York City,” the magazine said in its March 2009 issue. “With more than 40 miles of trail spider-webbing though deciduous forest, there are countless rides to be had, making it just as easy to create an all-day suffer fest as it is to slip out for a quick nooner.”

Bike rated Blue Mountain as the “Best Hometown Trail” in North America. Ten other trailways also received the top honor in each of 10 other categories.

The magazine gave the Blue Mountain trails high marks for their challenging rolling terrain that keeps riders coming back. “Although, the highest point at which bikes are allowed is 680 feet, the short, peaky climbs and stone-strewn hills can quickly force a rider to redline it,” Bike said.

The magazine said that what makes Blue Mountain so extraordinary was the passion of local riders, including the Westchester Mountain Bike Association, which helped to create the wild terrain of the trail.