What a great event and memorable ride! Kudos to Parks and Trails New York (PTNY) for their efforts. Being my first organized ride, you can color me impressed.
This is a very well planned event start to finish.
Some of the highlights:
--Drop off/pick-up of your luggage so you don't have to carry it.
--Availability of shower trucks or the school locker rooms.
--Meals. Breakfasts were standard but Dinner was excellent, catered by someone different each night (lunch you were on your own). 2 of the 7 nights you were on your own for dinner in town). I ate well!
--Rest Stations spaced out nicely (tons of great snacks available).
--SAG crews always visible/available.
--Camping accommodations (indoor available if you don't want to pitch a tent). Comfy Campers was available if that was the route you wanted to go.
--Free shuttles into town that will take you anywhere you ask (bank, laundromat, restaurant, etc.).
--Cue cards/road markings.
--Charge stations for your devices (never ended up using my solar charger).
--Volunteers who make it go smoothly (info booth, water stations, info on stuff in town, arranging massage therapists on site, buying and filling coolers with beer/pop/ice for sale).
The trails riding was great and even the road riding was not too busy. We lucked out with weather. We had a decent tail wind on 7 of the 8 days and it only rained hard once. Only for about 20 miles after it had poured did the trail take on a "quicksand" feel. Otherwise typical stone dust or old canal dirt trail surface. Day 8 from Schenectady to the finish line in Albany was all paved (shares with the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail). The locks were beautiful and so were the small towns. Random ice cream shops were a big stopping point along the way.
I was great to ride light and only carry a few things. 385 total miles. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants a bicycle tour without having to carry their gear and who wants food ready for them in the morning and at the end of the day.
