tour New York On July 22, a group of 130 bicyclists will ride into Brockport to stay over night. Unlike the group that went through Brockport on July 9, this group does not follow the canal. They like to see more of New York than can be seen from the canal path. This group is called the Great FANY Ride (The Great Five Hundred Mile Across New York Ride). Their ride begins in Niagara Falls and will spend their first night at the Brockport Exempts Club on West Avenue. From Brockport they will proceed to Waterloo, Ithaca, Norwich, Little Falls, Speculator and the last night they will stay in Saratoga. On the last Sunday they will bicycle into Albany to the Plaza and end the ride at the Fallen Fire Fighter Monument. This ride, although for fun and to see New York, also raises funds to help support the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY, a camp for terminally ill children which offers a chance to enjoy an Adirondack Adventure at no cost to their parents. Last year 15 children from Monroe County visited the camp and the ride raised almost enough for two of them to attend. The coordinators of the ride continually change the route since 30 percent of the riders have ridden at least once before and 10 percent have ridden three or more times. There are two stops that the riders demand they keep as stops. One is Brockport and the other is Speculator. This year's group is representing 20 states and two Canadian Provinces. The ages run from pre-teen up to grandparents in their 60s and 70s. One rider, Nelson Kibler from Brockport, is making his third ride along with a friend from Fairport and others from the tri-county area. © July 15, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
