Late Spring Rides for Everyone

By Dave Kraus

Spring is busting out all over in April, and by this time you’ve hopefully done at least a few rides outdoors with your friends without suffering frostbite. The daffodils are blooming, your bike is tuned up, and it’s time to make some serious plans for your cycling season. Fortunately, the Adirondack Sports staff is one pedal stroke ahead of you! We’ve gathered all the information you need to get your cycling posse together and seek some experiences to get started on building this season’s quads of steel. 

Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club: Spring Kickoff Ride on Saturday, May 10 at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont – MHCC is one of the largest cycling clubs in Upstate New York, with hundreds of club rides each season. Their annual Spring Kickoff offers a friendly reception, routes of 17 and 31 miles, and is based out of Indian Ladder Farms smack dab in the middle of some beautiful rural scenery at the base of the Helderberg Escarpment. It’s the perfect opportunity to find out more about the club, sign up to join, and meet club members. After the ride you can enjoy food, drinks, craft beer and other treats at Indian Ladder Farm and go home with some of the farm’s own tasty produce.

For more info on the Kickoff Ride, other great MHCC club rides and membership, visit: mohawkhudsoncyclingclub.org.

Waterford Canal Festival Celebration on Friday-Sunday, May 16-18 in Waterford – This annual three-day Canal Festival in Waterford is a family-oriented commemoration of the Erie and Champlain canal’s heritage, and this year adds the bonus of celebrating the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial. There are fun activities for all ages, and the weekend also kicks off the NYS Canal System opening day for 2025.

The volunteer-based Friends of the Champlain Canalway Trail will be sponsoring several events at this year’s Canal Festival, including a bike helmet giveaway at the group’s table (while supplies last) starting at 10am on Saturday that coincides with a historic walking tour on the Champlain Canal, also at 10am from Lock E-2. Then on Sunday at 10am there will be a casual 11.5-mile bike ride along the original towpath north from the Harbor Visitor Center at One Tugboat Alley in Waterford to Upper Newtown Road in Halfmoon and back. Go to: champlaincanalwaytrail.org.

Farm to Fork Fitness Adventures: Maryland Eastern Shore Weekend Getaway on May 23-25 in Easton, Md. – After 10 successful years under founder and former pro cyclist Tyler Wren, Farm to Fork Fitness Adventures is expanding with new owners Pina Finazzo and Scott Molyneaux, offering new editions of their unique blend of scenic rides, gourmet food, and achievable challenge. This year they’re offering four single day fondos, 11 weekend getaways, and three riding and food-oriented tours in Italy later in the season. This kickoff event is on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, is great way to start your season with a fun weekend of farm and festival visits, healthy delicious gourmet treats, and Eastern Shore roads that are as flat as the proverbial board.

Over this three-day weekend you will be able to choose from 20- to 30-mile short routes or longer loops of up to 60 miles. That’s just the start of the experience because there are historic villages, a classic Maryland crab feast, scenic coastlines, plus the Farm to Fork trademark visits to innovative working farms where you can enjoy “cow to cone” ice cream fresh from the dairy. You can also sign up for the Signature Farm Dinner at Crow Vineyard & Winery, and the weekend culminates with the Chestertown Tea Party Festival on Sunday. Visit: farmtoforkfitness.com.

Voorheesville Family Bicycling Day on Sunday, June 1 in Voorheesville – If you’re looking for some fun family riding, this village bike day based on Grove Street is from 12-3pm, offering easy access to explore the paved Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. Bicycling Day is a popular event with a skills course, bike mechanic, food vendors, arts/crafts, bouncy house, fire engine, animals and music. 

During the event, participants can ride their bicycles on a car-free Grove Street, as well as on the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. It’s the perfect event to attend if you would like to ride as a family with your little cyclists, and other like-minded families. If needed, the rain date is June 8. Go to: vrcclub.org.

Farm to Fork Fitness Adventures: Hudson Valley Fondo on June 15 and Weekend Getaway on June 13-15 in New Paltz – This weekend event offers multiple options with the main event Fondo on Sunday, June 15, as part of the three-day Weekend Getaway. Whether you’re a beginner or an avid cyclist, there’s going to be something here for you.

The Fondo event on Sunday offers four different routes ranging from 12-62 miles with all the features you’ve grown to expect from Farm to Fork. There are downloadable turn-by-turn directions, color-coded route markings, and on-course mechanics, plus a big post-ride barbecue. Plus, don’t forget the usual Farm to Fork food stops at local farms along the way with a selection of gourmet specialty treats. (But if you still just want a banana, you can get that, too!) Also, don’t forget to check out the usual selection of cool Farm to Fork jerseys and merchandise in the sales tent.

The full three-day weekend includes two days of guided bike tours, the Gran Fondo event on Sunday, tickets for the pre-fondo Farm Benefit Dinner, plus access to unique experiences, farm stops, and lunches along all the weekend routes. The day one route includes views from the spectacular Walkway Over the Hudson, plus lunch at the Plan Bee Brewery & Farm. Day two travels portions of the famous Shawangunk Ridge carriage roads in the Mohonk Preserve west of New Paltz. Then on day three, ride one of the available routes in the Gran Fondo. Visit: farmtoforkfitness.com.

Adirondack Rail Trail Community Day in Saranac Lake on Saturday, June 21 – Based out of Riverside Park, this family celebration of the Adirondack Rail Trail will highlight the natural landscape, communities, and businesses along the corridor with a fun-filled day of activities, food, and live music. The new trail has already attracted over 90,000 users from last July through December, and that’s on just the 25 miles between Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and the Floodwood Outpost. The roughly 10 miles of trail between the Floodwood Outpost and Tupper Lake is under construction and will open later in 2025 .

The Community Day event includes three different rides on the new trail: A one-to-two-mile ride in the village of Saranac Lake, a 20-mile out-and-back ride from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid, and a 30-mile ride out-and-back from Saranac Lake to Floodwood Road. Participants can join in stewardship projects from 10am-12pm and explore the trail from 9am-4pm with a scavenger hunt and some cool prizes. The day culminates with a 4-7pm party with craft breweries, food vendors, live music and a raffle.

Proceeds from registrations benefit the Adirondack Rail Trail Association, a trail-town not-for-profit that represents and promotes the business and municipal interests along the 34-mile corridor. Go to: bikeadirondacks.com.

Bike Adirondacks: Spring Women’s Weekend, June 27-29 at the Voco Waterfront Hotel in Saranac Lake – After years of various delays and construction, the Adirondack Rail Trail from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake is nearing completion, and attendees can check it out at this women-only weekend with only 40 registration spots available. This weekend of fellowship and fun has quickly grown a reputation as a premier event for like-minded women cyclists, and this year the new rail trail offers easy, mostly flat routes and some of the most stunning scenery in the Adirondacks.

As you might expect from a Bike ADK event, everything is taken care of including accommodations, meals, secure bike parking, on-the-trail-support and rest stops during rides, plus event gifts and surprises. The event base Voco Waterfront hotel is right in the middle of the friendly town of Saranac Lake. If you want to bring your Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist), go right ahead. Proceeds from the Adirondack Women's Weekend will be donated to the Pendragon Theatre, a non-profit professional theater currently building a new home in the heart of Saranac Lake. 

If you want to register, do it quick as there are only a few spots left open before the waitlist opens. But if you do get there too late, keep in mind there’s also a new Bike ADK Fall Women’s Weekend this season. Visit: bikeadirondacks.com. Ride on!

Dave Kraus (dbkgrafik@gmail.com) is a road and gravel cyclist, photographer, writer, and professional cycling tour guide who would be happy to show your bike tour group a great time all over the Great Northeast. Visit: https://ciclismoclassico.com/guides/dave-kraus/