In the absence of other proposals this year, it looks like my suggestion for the Second Annual 50+ Forum Ride Weekend is it.


Just the facts, ma'am

• Friday June 11—Sunday June 13, 2010
• Watkins Glen, NY
• Joining the Southern Tier Bicycling Club for the 30th Anniversary of The Great Finger Lakes Bicycle Tour
• $75 per person for the event, includes breakfast and dinner each day, maps, SAG, entertainment, and tent camping
• $3 per household membership in the STBC required for liability insurance coverage
• $5/night each optional for a bunk in a bunkhouse
• On-site camping is free, motels and B&Bs in nearby Watkins Glen
• Details and registration form are available at: http://www.southerntierbicycleclub.o...lakestour.html

Summary

While perhaps not as epic as the Rocky Mountains, the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York offers excellent cycling for riders of all calibers. The region is home to the toughest century in the East, September's Highlander Tour, and yet offers miles and miles of flat, railtrail riding just a short distance away.

The STBC takes advantage of it all by offering three days of riding that will suit any rider. This year, there's one 18-mile ride on Friday night, a choice of 11 rides on Saturday (ranging from 15 to 101 miles) and three on Sunday (ranging from 22 to 58 miles). There's also a hiking option.

In the past three GFLBTs I've attended, the 50+ crowd is the predominant demographic, but the event is family-friendly. Last year an 8-year-old stoker and an 11-year-old solo rider each completed their first centuries.

The event is limited by the dining hall seating of 260. Camping on-site is free, or for an extra $5/night you can get a bunkhouse bunk. Motels and B&Bs are available in nearby Watkins Glen. Many people prefer this option.

Shopping, wine tours, hiking and sightseeing along the lakes are popular with non-cycling spouses.

The nearest international airport is here in Rochester (ROC), a two-hour drive away. There are closer regional airports as well.

Oh, and it's cheap too. $78, or $88 with a bunkhouse bunk. That includes all, and boy can they tie on the feedbag in the dining hall! It's the only cycling event where you'll gain weight on a ride weekend.

This will be the 30th anniversary of the ride, and over the decades the club has ironed-out all the wrinkles. There are certainly fancier events, but none run quite so smoothly.


The Rides

NOTE: With the exception of cell-phone SAG, all rides are self-supported. Unlike charity rides, there are no rest stops manned by enthusiastic volunteers with mountains of cookies. You'll need to carry your own water, and stop at stores or restaurants for food and drink along the way.

• There is one ride Friday night, choice of 11 rides on Saturday, and three on Sunday.
• The Saturday rides range from a 15-mile bike path ride to 101 miles circumnavigating Seneca Lake. There's a hiking option too. I'm likely to do the 78-miler, the shortest of the Seneca Lake circumnavigations.
• Some rides are "Remote Start" meaning you'll drive to the starting point. Four shorter rides start in Ovid, between Seneca and Cayuga lakes, about halfway up their length. The rest of the rides have a choice of camp start or remote start. It's a heluva climb back from the village of Watkins Glen up to camp after whole a day's riding. That's the reason for the choice.
• Sunday includes a choice of a 22-mile out-and-back on the Catherine Valley railtrail, or two routes circumnavigating Keuka Lake. All are remote start.
• Keuka Lake is roughly Y-shaped. The 44-mile ride skips across the top, the 58-mile ride goes down between the arms of the Y. This is a very flat ride. For the most part it's little baby rollers no more than 5-10 feet in altitude. (Bring an oxygen mask. ) There's one required climb from Branchport of about 4% for less than a mile. The 58-miler has an additional climb across the ridge down between the arms--steep but short. This is my favorite ride in all of Upstate. While not especially challenging, the curvy two-lane is just so nice that I always find myself thinking, "This is why I'm a road cyclist."

Myself, I like the challenge of the 18-mile Friday night ride. The first half is nearly all climbing, then the second half is nearly all descent. Three years ago on that ride is when I learned the joys of each half. And it's before dinner, so you can really work up an appetite. (Did I mention how the catering service knows how to tie on the feedbag?)

I typically do the half-century or the metric on Saturday, returning to camp in mid-afternoon for a nice hot shower and a nap. The Saturday rides change a little every year. On last year's half I recorded 3,653 feet of climbing. Most of that was along rolling hills, but there were a couple of long grinders. Up between the lakes, though, it's nearly all flat, and that's where the shorter road rides and railtrail rides are.

And as I said before, the 45-mile Sunday ride around Keuka Lake is my favorite ride in all of Upstate. It's scenic, along good road, traffic is light and most of it is protected from the wind. It's also right along the shore so it's flat except for one mile-long 4% to 5% grade. (I recorded only 1,608 of climbing in 45 miles last year.) There are also plenty of places to stop along the way. It goes through three villages for food and bathroom breaks, and most of the marinas we pass have porta-potties.



The Facilities

There are showerhouses in the two sections of camp, with additional restrooms in the dining hall. The showerhouse I typically use seems never to run out of hot water either--at least not that I've heard of. It's also fully wheelchair accessible.

The club rents the whole of the Hidden Valley Group Camp, part of, but separate from the rest of Watkins Glen State Park. I'm no judge of real estate so I'm likely well off the mark, but I'd say it's around ten acres. A little stream runs through and there's a swimming hole. There are two sections of bunkhouses totaling maybe two dozen, and two sections for camping--one in the center of things, and the other off and away. There are no camping "spots", so to speak. Just plop your tent wherever you please.

The dining hall sits in the center of the whole place and seats 250 or 260. They manage to serve everyone in about an hour--or about one rider every fifteen seconds. It's simply amazing


The Weather

Nights are generally in the 50s. Days can be anybody's guess. From my ride logs of the past three years:

2009

• Friday: Sunny, 70s, light wind.
• Saturday: Clouding over, about 60 to the lower 70s, light winds. Near perfect, except for the light shower in the last five miles or so.
• Sunday: Perfect. Sunny, big puffy clouds, warming to the lower 70s, light breeze.

2008

• Friday: Didn't ride, left my shoes home and had to go get them.
• Saturday: Sunny, lower to mid 90s, winds favorable
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, mid-upper 80s, winds SW @ 15 (est), 15 minutes of rain on the southbound side.

2007

• Friday: Sunny, muggy, 90, headwinds out, calm return.
• Saturday: Clear, sunny, a few puffy clouds, Cool to start warmed to nice, room temperature, winds NW 10 (Headwind out, yea!)
• Sunday: Didn't ride because my ride to the ride hadn't told me his wife said he could stay only the two days.

Extras?

For those who can come early or stay late, I can direct you to other rides and sightseeing too. (Although I'm not very good with wineries, being in AA and all, they're sort of off my radar and I'd like to keep it that way.) My club has day rides almost every day in-season. As you might expect, most day riders are retired, so the terrain and pace are appropriate to our group.

You might be able to be talk me into leading a sightseeing ride or two here in Rochester. There's the lake, three waterfalls in the Genesee River gorge right through the city (all on a bike path!), and enough museums to choke a horse. And of course, the legendary Dinosaur BBQ, which is right on a bike path, and is bike friendly.

Cranky Old Dude can't make the ride weekend, but maybe we can run into him on a ride in R-Town before or after.


More?

Coverage in my blog is incomplete. But here's what I've written about my previous GFLBT weekends:

• 2007 Remember here that I'd never done any climbing before. And that I'd just quit smoking six months before. Oh, and I'd crashed hard the Monday before. My pics from 2007
• 2008 Huh. No report.
• 2009 Part 1 Part 2 Part 2 has some words about the catering.

Blazing Pedals attended in 2007. Here are his pics: http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...s/RU07%20pics/


Additional stuff

Registration and notification

Registration form is available at: http://www.southerntierbicycleclub.o...lakestour.html

You won't receive any notification of registration. I don't know why the club doesn't do this, especially in the day and age of email. Life will go along, weeks will pass, then suddenly your check will be deposited. That's about the only acknowledgment you'll get. I wish it was different, but I got over it, and so can you.