I volunteer with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association and currently serve as chair of the board of directors for the association. In March 2021, I received a text from a fellow alum inviting me to join some of his classmates in a bicycle ride from Alexander HAMilton’s tomb in Manhattan, NY, to HOPley Yeaton’s tomb at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. As the organizer, he named the ride HAMHOP 2021.
Alexander Hamilton founded the Revenue Cutter Service, a pre-curser to the US Coast Guard. Hopley Yeaton is revered as the first commissioned officer of the Revenue Cutter Service.
I was inspired by the idea and the passion of my fellow alum, Bob Camillucci. So I decided to join the group and use the challenge of this ride to fuel my training.
The training was grueling but I pushed through the pain, exhaustion and a few minor sports injuries. I logged over 500 miles in preparation for the ride.
I planned my logistics so I would take Amtrak with the bike from Union Station in Washington, DC, to the station at Newark Liberty airport and then bike to Staten Island to meet the other riders. We would bike from Staten Island to New London, Connecticut, over three days. And then I would return home with the bike via Amtrak. I executed this plan to near perfection.
Day 0: DC to Staten Island, NY
On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, I arrived at Union Station in time for a mid-morning Amtrak departure. This was the first time that I travelled on Amtrak with a bicycle, which cost an extra $20.
I joined the rush of passengers when the departure gate opened. I walked the bike with panniers (saddle bags) loaded. Everything was fine until an Amtrak employee notified cyclists that the elevator to the lower platform was broken. He said that we would be fine to take our bicycles down the escalator. With some anxiety, I watched two cyclists in front of me negotiate the maneuver. I followed and found that it wasn’t that bad as long as I held firmly to both the front and rear brake levers while leaning back to maintain my balance.
My next challenge was to find a train car with bicycle racks. I followed the two cyclists in front of me as they entered one train car. They informed me that their car probably had racks only for their two bikes. I scurried towards the back of the train and hoisted the bike onto a relatively vacant car. I found that I had to remove the panniers so that I could maneuver the bike around the tight turn into the car. I put the panniers on the train first, placing them on a vacant seat. Then I got off the train to retrieve the bike. I walked the bike through the length of the train car trying to avoid hitting elbows, knees, and feet of fellow passengers! Fortunately, there was a vacant bike rack.
When I made the reservation, I was told that a conductor would help me load my bike onto the rack. Fat chance! As the train began to leave the station, I studied the various moving bars and grates on rack… it looked like a Rube Goldberg contraption. In the end, I decided to remove the front wheel and hook the back wheel to the contraption. The bike swung freely with the motion of the train. I used a strip of velcro I had to secure the front forks to a vertical grate. That stabilized the bike and I called it good enough.
Here’s a picture:
It was only about a 3-hour ride to New Jersey. Before my stop, I tried to figure out which platform doors would open because very few of them had opened before we departed Union Station. It dawned on me that all doors were opening at the smaller stations. But I also noticed that the stops at the smaller stations were very short. So by the time we arrived at Newark Liberty Airport station, I had reassembled my bike and pre-staged my panniers by the closest door. I unloaded the bike and scurried back on the train to retrieve my panniers. One of the train conductors had stepped on the platform and saw me unload the bike. I waved at him before getting back on the train so he knew to wait for me to get off again before signaling for the train to depart. I thanked him as I got off!
Here’s a picture of me on the loading platform in New Jersey as the train pulls away:
My map planning indicated that I should be able to leave the train platform at my station and proceed right out to the street. Reality suggested otherwise. I asked a station attendant for guidance and she advised me to take the AirTrain to the airport. I hopped on the AirTrain but jumped off at the first stop that appeared to provide street access.
Once on the street, I checked the weather (it had rained heavily before my arrival) and decided that it was sufficiently clear to bike to Staten Island. I considered a cab or Uber but was looking forward to a bike ride after sitting on that train. I followed Google Maps to try to find the start of my planned route to Staten Island. Using Google Maps on a bike can be adventurous. I took a couple of wrong turns and likely added a mile to the journey. But I eventually connected with the route and was one my way.
During planning, I decided to add 5 miles to my route, which took me through the port of NY-NJ and minimized the amount of city riding I had to do. Fortunately, there is a generous bike lane through the port.
The ride to Staten Island was generally pleasant. I only experienced two minor incidents:
1) While biking through the port, one of my panniers ejected off the bike when I hit a patch of rough pavement. It was probably caused by me not ensuring that pannier was fully clipped in. A trucker behind me honked his horn and immediately stopped to prevent other truckers from running over the bag. I also immediately realized what had happened. I laid my bike on the side of the road and ran back to retrieve the bag. I smiled at the trucker and thanked him with a thumbs up which he politely acknowledged.
2) After riding through the port and crossing into Staten Island, I encountered a lot of car traffic. Most drivers were courteous to me. But one driver decided that he needed to accelerate around me as I approached a corner. The car immediately made a right turn. I slammed on my brakes and stopped short of hitting the car. Since this has happened to me a few times before, I chose not to say or do anything to provoke the driver. Patience is a virtue!
Here’s a picture of the new Goethals Bridge that connects Elizabeth City, NJ, to Staten Island. It’s bike lane is awesome!
Here’s a picture of the NYC skyline from the bridge (note the port):
After biking almost 22 miles, I arrived at my destination. It was a relatively comfortable ride aside from the stress of biking in unfamiliar surroundings. I drank a lot of water, got cleaned up, and enjoyed pizza for dinner.
The HAMHOP 2021 group had planned to meet at hotel at 7 pm for an organizational meeting. I met the 17 other riders and the support crew. The ride organizer called an audible and said that we would shift the ride briefing to a local restaurant. Although I had eaten, I joined the group to take the opportunity to get to know the team better.
Day 1: Staten Island to Manhattan to Centerport, NY
The plan of the day called for us to gather at the front of the Navy Lodge and bike together to the St. George Ferry Terminal. We’d take the ferry to Manhattan and then bike to Trinity Church where the tomb of Alexander Hamilton is located. After a photo op, we’d bike to Centerport, NY, on Long Island.
I woke up early (as always) and felt no ill effects from the previous day’s ride. Breakfast and coffee were provided courtesy of the Navy Lodge.
Although I had packed only about 25 pounds of stuff in my panniers (a fairly light load for a touring bike), I decided to stow them in one of the support vehicles. I carried food, essential bike repair supplies, and other items in my handlebar bag. I had trained with full panniers so I welcomed the chance to ease my load. And I noted that most of the other cyclists were on much lighter racing bikes as compared to my 35 pound touring bike. There were a few on hybrids, and one brave soul rode a mountain bike.
It was a cool morning so I wore a lightweight cycling jacket.
At about 8 am, a representative from Coast Guard Sector New York arrived to greet us and wish us well.
Here’s a photo of the HAMHOP 2021 team:
Here’s a photo of the ride organizer, Bob Camillucci, and Deputy Sector Commander, Captain Marc Sennick, displaying the latest copy of the Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association Bulletin:
After a final safety briefing, we were ready to go. Because I was flying the American flag on a fiberglass pole on the back of my bike, I was asked to lead the group out of the Navy Lodge parking lot. We enjoyed a comfortable ride to the ferry terminal. It was mostly downhill.
When we arrived at the ferry terminal, we were screened one-by-one by law enforcement dogs and corralled into a waiting area. When given the signal, we walked our bikes onto the ferry.
Here’s a picture of cyclists on the ferry:
Here’s a picture I took while transiting NY Harbor:
When we arrived in New York, we rendezvoused with a fellow rider who was waiting in the city. We cycled a mile to Trinity Church through surprisingly light city traffic. As expected, navigating by bike computer or cell phone in the city was a bit sporadic and we took a few wrong turns along the way.
At Trinity Church, our coordinator tried to get us into the cemetery so that we could pay homage to Alexander Hamilton at his gravesite. It didn’t work so we settled on taking this photo from the street with Hamilton’s tomb in the background:
Our plan was to continue biking through the city in 4-5 person pods. Because of traffic, that didn’t work out so well and we ended up self-organizing by riding pace. We encountered lots of traffic, pedestrians walking the wrong way on bike paths, traffic stopped by school buses and throngs of school children, etc.
By this time, I was navigating by bike computer. When my group’s devices provided conflicting directions, we huddled to make a decision about the best way to go.
We cycled over the Brooklyn Bridge and encountered much less pedestrian traffic than anticipated. I did note individuals speeding towards us in the opposite direction on e-bikes and small motor bikes.
Conventional wisdom suggests that NYC is relatively flat. From a cyclist’s perspective, that’s a myth as there were significant hills along this ride which presented a challenge to me and several other riders. I’d stop on occasion to catch my breath but never got off the bike to walk up the rest of the hill.
I enjoyed the scenes of the city and found the bicycling environment much less threatening than anticipated.
We’d stop on occasion to allow slower riders to catch up. Here’s one of those stops:
As with most city riding, it’s always a challenge to find restrooms and water. Some riders stopped at Starbucks or McDonalds. My group discovered a porta-potty and water fountain at Upper Highlands Playground in Brooklyn.
Starting at the middle of the ride, I experienced a series of cramps to my hands, calfs, hamstrings, and leg IT bands. They were very unexpected and I surmised that they were triggered by the numerous hill climbs. I was able to ride through most of the cramps but decided that I wouldn’t push myself too hard for the rest of the ride. I didn’t experience another episode of major cramps for the remainder of the trip.
We were fortunate that our support team had arranged pre-planned stops at a church and a park where we could refill our water bottles and grab some snacks. These were much needed breaks for me. Our support crew were lifesavers!
After bicycling a total of 57 miles, I was one of two riders who were the last to arrive at the hotel. My colleague and I encouraged each other for the last 15 miles. The rest of our team was gathered to celebrate our arrival. While my legs were fatigued, I felt pretty good.
My sister, Joye, and her husband, Mark, live within a few miles of Centerport so I planned to have dinner with them. My sister arranged takeout from Nicky’s Restaurant. She and Mark brought me a healthy portion of penne pasta with marinara sauce. We enjoyed a nice reunion at the hotel gazebo. And I consumed the rest of my delicious pasta for breakfast the next morning.
Day 2: Centerport to Riverhead, NY
I woke up feeling reasonably well. Today’s ride was roughly a straight line along Long Island.
I joined the first group out. Once again, we experienced a few discrepancies with our electronic mapping but worked through it. I was able to keep my fellow riders within sight for most of the day. Some of the riders who departed after us passed me, but I was comfortable with my pace.
Again, we had a couple of pre-planned stops, one of which allowed some of our riders to take rehydration to a whole new level:
Most of the day’s ride were on some fabulous bike paths. We were often the only individuals on the path. And, when we got to about the halfway point, the hills were behind us and we were mostly riding downhill.
We rode a total of 50 miles and I wasn’t one of the last to arrive.
After getting cleaned up, we walked to a local restaurant, Cucina25, and enjoyed a team dinner. I ordered chicken parmigiana, which came with spaghetti, salad, and bread. With an easy day of riding left, the mood was very light-hearted as illustrated by this photo:
Day 3: Riverhead, NY, to New London, CT
After waking up, I was first to arrive at the hotel office as the attendant was making coffee. I ate the remainder of my chicken parm for breakfast. I felt really good (day 3 always feels better than day 2).
To commemorate the upcoming end of the ride, I added the Coast Guard flag just below the American flag on the bike. My fellow riders loved this tribute.
Here’s a picture of the group ready to begin the last day’s ride:
As we rode towards the Orient Point Ferry, a fellow rider named Mike disappeared from my rear view mirror. I doubled back and found him with a flat tire. Other riders behind us joined in to help with the fix. Here’s a classic scene shot showing one worker and numerous supervisors:
Much of today’s ride was through rural settings with wineries and vegetable stands along the way. And it was mostly flat!
After 34 miles of riding, we all ended up at the ferry in time to ride it together. We had reserved and pre-paid but were surprised to learn that there was an additional fee to take a bike on the ferry. A few of my resourceful colleagues loaded their bikes in the support vehicles. I did not and chalked it up as the cost of doing business!
The ferry ride to New London was picture perfect. Here’s a shot of the Barque EAGLE at the New London City Pier:
When we arrived in New London, we staged everyone in a parking lot and then proceeded to ride together to the Coast Guard Academy, a distance of only 1-1/2 miles. There was one final hill to deal with right before we arrived at the gate.
As we arrived, there was a small group from the Class of 1986 to greet us and cheer us on.
After individually going through screening at the entrance gate to the Academy, we had one more hill to climb to get to the Academy Chapel, where Hopley Yeaton’s tomb is located. Bob asked me to lead the pack and I attacked the hill with all the vigor I could muster.
At the site of the tomb, we shared a few words of tribute and thanks, and toasted our Service’s first commissioned officer. Here’s the group picture:
Since everyone in the group was associated with the Class of 1986, they were on a short timeline to get to their hotel and join their 35th reunion activities. I thanked Bob for his leadership and exchanged final greetings with my fellow cyclists.
I cycled 1 mile to my hotel. After getting cleaned up, I walked back to the Academy to observe a few of the reunion events. Thanks to the kindness of friends, I had pre-positioned more appropriate attire at the Alumni Center. After the reunion events, I walked to G’s restaurant for a hearty meal. I was later joined by an Academy cadet who had previously reached out to me for advice. He was gracious enough to give me a ride back to my hotel.
On the following morning, I cycled to Union Station to take Amtrak back to DC. I stopped by to see EAGLE, reflecting on the 10 weeks I spent aboard her as a cadet:
My return to DC was uneventful. The highlight was being pleasantly surprised when the Amtrak conductor in New London showed me how to properly stow my bicycle in the rack. I’m properly trained for the next time.
I appreciated the invitation to join HAMHOP 21 and thank Bob and the Class of ’86 for their friendship and exceptional support. Many of the group pictures in this post were taken by other riders or the dedicated members of our support team.
Health permitting, I plan to continue to push the envelope with bicycle trips. Stay tuned!