Best Supported Fall Rides

By Darryl Caron

Whether you’ve done Tour de Cure, CycleADK, Pat Stratton Ride, or MHCC’s Century Weekend, you know the perks and benefits of doing organized bike rides. The good news is that there’s more quality events to come this fall!

The sixth annual Harry Elkes Ride is on Saturday, Sept. 14, starting/finishing in Brant Lake at The Hub – the ideal café, restaurant, lounge, bar and bike repair shop. Warren County Safe & Quality Bicycling invites you to ride with them to celebrate 1900s world-class bike racer and Glens Falls native, Harry Elkes. Choose from four routes, ride at your ability level, and with other cyclists on quiet North Warren County roads around scenic lakes. 

The rides start at 9:30am with 50- and 32-mile scenic lake rides and the new 32-mile “Gregson Gravel” Ride. At 10am is the 15-mile Brant Lake family ride. The registration fee includes a souvenir T-shirt. Afterwards, enjoy lunch and drinks at The Hub for nominal cost. The post-ride party includes viewing a Harry Elkes video. Register at bikereg.com or day of ride. For more info on the ride and road, gravel and mountain biking in Warren County, go to bikewarrenco.org.

The awareness and participation numbers continue to grow at the Albany Ride for Missing Children, a 100-mile, police-escorted, paced, ride through the Capital District. It’s sponsored by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, NY Regional Office, to raise awareness of the plight of missing children, prevent child abduction, molestation and sexual exploitation. Your support provides abduction and sexual exploitation prevention in your community and training for law enforcement and child serving professionals.

Every year in the US, the FBI receives over 460,000 reports of missing children. Approximately 19,000 children are reported missing annually in New York. One in seven endangered runaways are victims of child sex trafficking. The Ride for Missing Children is a unique charity ride where the cyclists ride together as a team, 14-17mph. The riders are escorted by local law enforcement, halting traffic along the route. The NCMEC/NY staff provides Child Internet Safety programs at targeted schools. 

The Friday, Sept. 20 ride starts at the Guilderland YMCA, near Albany, and makes rest stops at elementary schools, before ending at the YMCA. The following Friday, Sept. 20 is the Syracuse Ride for Missing Children. The individual fundraising goal is $300. Help the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, New York branch keep our children safe, one child at a time. For more info, to register or volunteer for either ride, visit therideformissingchildren.com.

The fifth annual Tour de Salem Flame Fighters Bike Rides are on Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Salem Fire Department Carnival Grounds in Salem. The scenic Washington County rides cover 62 miles (8am), 25 miles (8:30am), 16 miles (9am), and 10 miles (9am) – near the Vermont border and beautiful Green Mountain. To keep it budget-friendly, there are registration fees for individuals and families – regardless of the ride distance. All preregistered cyclists receive a T-shirt, post-ride food and drinks, full SAG support, fully stocked rest stops, on-site bike mechanic, great views and awesome rides. 

New this year are 5K and 10K Running Races and a One-Mile Walk – all with reasonable fees and a 10am start. Register for bike, run and walk at bikereg.com. For more details, visit tourdesalemflamefighters.com.

Join Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for their ninth annual Saratoga Springs CF Cycle for Life on Sunday, Sept. 22 as they ride through some picturesque terrain in the Saratoga and Sacandaga area. CF Cycle for Life is a fully-supported ride with route options of 19, 30 or 62 miles. From breakfast to our post-ride party, there will be fully stocked rest stops every 10-12 miles, bike mechanics, ride marshals to cheer you on, and support vehicles. 

Cycle for Life empowers participants to register individually or start/join a team to take action and demonstrate their fight in finding a cure for cystic fibrosis in a tangible way. The fundraising minimum is $150, which is due on or before event day. For more info, go to fightcf.cff.org.

The 8th annual Drops to Hops race/ride will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28, starting and ending at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown. The “A” race is 43 miles and “B” race/ride is 23 miles. In addition, there will also be a five-person “TEAM” race, where each person must register individually and specify if they are with a team. An overall award will be presented to the team with the lowest total time. It will be a non-gender specific race and five people must race in the A group to count.

Racers/riders may preregister online or day of the event at Brewery Ommegang. Awards will be distributed to the overall, second and third place male/female. Overall awards will also be presented to the senior division. The A ride is for experienced racers only and men/women will race together. The B ride is a citizen’s fun race/ride on a shortened, less difficult route. Riders of various levels are encouraged to participate if they’re comfortable with the distance and terrain.

Brewery Ommegang will host a party at the finish line for racers and families. The Drops to Hops event is organized by The Clark Sports Center. Go to clarksportscenter.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 12 and/or Sunday, Oct. 13, you can Bike Thru History on a unique, fully-supported one-day or two-day tour showcasing Fulton County, the Mohawk Valley and southern Adirondacks. The rides will feature interactive route stops allowing cyclists to learn about the history that provided the foundation and continues to support the local and regional communities.

The full weekend includes Friday night appetizers, breakfasts, Saturday dinner and light lunches. Route support includes water, snacks, SAG vehicles, cue sheets and road marking, and all riders receive a souvenir long sleeve T-shirt. After the rides, there will be bus shuttles to historic sites and historic speakers. For lodging, you can be on your own or just come for a day-trip. All rides start/finish at Johnson Hall State Historic Site in Johnstown. Saturday route choices are 16.4, 40 or 55 miles with highlights on the FJ& G Rail Trail, Fulton and Montgomery county historic sites. Sunday routes are 17, 35 or 75 miles, with these sights: Erie Canalway Trail, Adirondack Park and Great Sacandaga Lake.

For more details and registration, go to 44lakes.com/bike-thru-history. For other regional cycling routes to do on your own, visit bikethruhistory.com.

Fall is a wonderful time to ride so join an organized event – you can’t be sad while riding a bicycle!