Newswise — Riders ready? Cycle Adirondacks – an event to benefit both wildlife and local communities – is fast approaching. Hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in partnership with I Love NY, the event has riders all over the nation gearing up for one of three tour options taking place during one amazing week, August 23-29. Three-day and four-day tour alternatives are available in addition to the existing week-long option.
Registration is ongoing and to date, riders from 24 U.S. states and Canada have signed up for the event. During their ride, cyclists will pedal amid the forests, lakes, and streams that make the famed Adirondack region a world-class destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
“Cycle Adirondacks is a unique way for WCS to showcase a picturesque natural landscape that is home to an incredible array of wildlife,as well as the historic towns and villages of the Adirondack Park,” said Zoe Smith, Director of WCS’s Adirondack Program.
Registration includes unmatched amenities for this type of event, including three catered gourmet meals daily, free beer tastings each night, nightly live entertainment, a wellness area offering free massage, local shuttle services, fully stocked rest stops, prime camping spots, hot showers, baggage service, on-course safety support, activities for non-riding travelling companions, and more. In addition, WCS wildlife experts will be on hand all week to provide information to participants on area wildlife and natural history.
Tour Options
Option 1: The Full Ride: Days 1 through 7—A week-long event. Total mileage for the event will be 400-500 miles, depending on options, with daily route ranging from 50 to 75 miles. Daily elevation gains range from 2,700-4,500 feet. Price: $1,495.00
Option 2: The Big Four: Days 1 through 4 –The routes average 74 miles a day. On this option, riders start at the beginning of the event in Saranac Lake and ride four full days. On Wednesday evening, Day 5, bus and bike transport will be provided back to Saranac Lake. Price: $850.00
Option 3: The Easy Three: Days 5 through 7 – A good shorter-mileage option, and also an attractive choice for families. The last three days, which include a layover day in Old Forge, can be as little as 145 miles total, or less than 50 miles a day average, or riders can stretch out each of the last two days to 65 miles. With this option, on Wednesday, Day 4, riders and bikes will be transported from the start/finish line in Saranac Lake to Old Forge, and then finish the rest of the event. Price: $650.00
For more information on these options and also those available to junior riders and non-riding Travel Companions, please visit www.cycleadirondacks.com.
The 2015 tour starts and ends in Saranac Lake, the office location of the WCS Adirondack Program, and includes overnight stops in Star Lake, Boonville, Camden, Old Forge and Long Lake. There will be a “layover day” in Old Forge where riders can pedal an optional route or take the day off the bike and enjoy the amenities available in the towns of Old Forge and Inlet.
“Riders should expect a top-notch event—one that will satisfy many types of cyclists,” said Smith. “The event offers an adventure for those of us in the east who know the grandeur of the Adirondacks, as well as people from other parts of the country who want to explore a new route and a spectacular region they have not yet visited.”
Registration fees will cover infrastructure and rider services, and will also support WCS’s programs in the Adirondack region including community grants to partnering towns. WCS’s mission in the Adirondacks is to promote wildlife conservation and healthy human communities, and it has achieved this by using a community-based approach to conservation since 1994.
WCS received a marketing grant from I Love New York through the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council to help build and promote Cycle Adirondacks. Follow Cycle Adirondacks (@CycleADK) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Adirondack Park
Spanning 6 million acres, Adirondack Park is one of the largest intact temperate forests in the world. Roughly the size of Vermont, the park is a mosaic of publicly and privately owned lands, and includes more than 100 towns and villages among its forests and lakeshores. The region is within a day’s drive of over 90 million people, and in close proximity to many major urban areas such as New York City, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and more. Established in 1894, the Adirondack’s state-owned lands are constitutionally protected as “forever wild.” The vast network of connected wilderness areas intermixed with private lands is a model of successful conservation work and provides wildlife habitat for some of the most iconic wildlife species in the northeastern U.S., including black bear, bobcat, moose, and loons.
About the Wildlife Conservation Society
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 countries and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; http://www.facebook.com/TheWCS; http://www.youtube.com/user/WCSMedia Follow: @thewcs.###
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