"Cycling the Erie Canal” Bike Tour Gears Up For July 6 Start

The New York State Canal Corporation and Parks & Trails NY today announced the beginning of the Tenth Annual Cycling the Erie Canal, a 400-mile bicycling tour from Buffalo to Albany scheduled for July 6-13, 2008.

The eight-day recreational bicycling tour will help highlight the beauty, history, culture and recreational appeal of the Canal System and the Canalway Trail, a prime tourism destination in New York State.

More than 500 cyclists from 35 states are participating in this year's event.

Carmella R. Mantello, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation said, "The Canalway Trail provides a tremendous statewide link as well as numerous recreational, tourism and economic development opportunities throughout New York State. Each year, the Cycling the Erie Canal continues to grow as cyclists from all over the country participate to experience firsthand the unparalleled history and beauty of the New York State Canal System and Canalway Trail. The Canal Corporation is pleased to once again partner with Parks & Trails NY to sponsor the Tenth Annual Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour."

Robin Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York, said, "The Tenth Annual Cycling the Erie Canal tour is a very exciting event. I call it a rolling summer camp for all ages. We have riders from 35 states plus several hundred volunteers in communities along the route ready to welcome riders and help them discover what makes the Erie Canal and upstate New York unique."

The New York State Canal Corporation is sponsoring the event for the tenth consecutive year. Roughly two-thirds of the 400-mile bicycle tour takes place on the completed portion of the Canalway Trail. With more than 260 miles of trail along the Erie Canal already completed, and plans underway to complete Trail sections on the other three branches of the New York State Canal System, the Canalway Trail will one day provide an uninterrupted 524-mile recreational trail that will be the longest multi-use trail in the United States.

When complete, the Erie Canalway Trail will be 348 miles in length connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

During the bike trek, Cycling the Erie Canal participants will have the opportunity to participate in guided tours of the Canal, historic sites, and museums, such as the Erie Canal Village, Fort Stanwix National Monument, and Old Erie Canal State Park.

The complete schedule for the 2008 Cycling the Erie Canal Tour is as follows (Arrival/departure times are approximate and are subject to change without notice):

1. Sunday, July 6-Buffalo to Medina
2. Overnight: Medina Middle School, Gwinn St., Medina
3. 5:30am - 7:30am - Breakfast at Nichols School
4. 6:30am - 7:30am - Registration at Nichols School
5. 7:45am - Brief kickoff ceremony
6. 8:00 am - Start of ride
7. 8:30am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Amherst Erie Canal Museum
8. 10:30am and 12:30pm - Lockport Boat Tours
9. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop - Middleport, Municipal Park
10. 1:00pm - 6:00pm - Swimming in Medina Middle School Pool
11. 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Dinner at Medina Middle School
12. 7:00pm - 8:00pm - Talk on canal history - Tom Grasso, President, NYS Canal Society
13. 7:00pm - 9:00pm - Music at campsite
    
14. 
    
15. Monday, July 7-Medina to Pittsford
16. Overnight: Nazareth College - 4245 East Ave., Pittsford
17. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Medina Middle School
18. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Holly - Canal Park
19. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop, Rochester - Genesee Valley Park - swimming available
20. 1:00pm - 2:00pm/2:00pm - 3:00 pm - Escorted bike rides to High Falls in downtown Rochester
21. 2:00pm - 9:00pm - Shuttle service to dorms and Schoen Place, Pittsford
22. 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Dinner at Nazareth College in Pittsford
23. 7:00pm - 7:30pm - Talk by Judy Ertel from the Susan B. Anthony House Museum at Nazareth College, Pittsford
24. 7:30pm-9:00pm - Music at the campsite by Fred Vine - Folk Music
25. 8:00pm - 9:00pm - Swimming at Nazareth College
26. 
    
27. Tuesday, July 8-Pittsford to Waterloo
28. Overnight: Mynderse Academy, Seneca Falls
29. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Nazareth College with representative from the Mormon Church and Palmyra Mayor Vicky Daley
30. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop - Palmyra Village Park
31. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop - Clyde Village Park - Town of Galan Historic Society open
32. 3:00pm - 9:30pm - Shuttle bus taking cyclists to Seneca Falls museums and dinner in Seneca Falls
33. 4:30pm - 6:30pm - Wine & cheese reception at Peoples Park, Seneca Falls
34. 5:00pm - 7:30pm - Bike repair by Geneva Bicycle Center at campsite
35. 7:00pm - 8:00pm Community Band Concert and Ice Cream Social - Peoples Park, Seneca Falls
36. Museums in Seneca Falls open late.
37. 
    
38. Wednesday, July 9 - Seneca Falls - Syracuse
39. Overnight: Burnet Park, Syracuse
40. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Mynderse Academy
41. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Port Byron Middle School
42. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop, Camillus, Sims Erie Canal Store/Museum
43. 3:00-3:45pm - Reception - Burnet Park Hockey Rink, Syracuse, refreshments courtesy of Panera Bread - drawing for Terry Cycling saddles and repair kit - must be present to win
44. 2:00pm - 9:00pm - Shuttle Service to Erie Canal Museum (until 7:00) and Armory Square
45. 6:30pm - 7:30pm - Sam Clemence - Engineering the Erie Canal at the Hockey Rink
46. 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Dinner at Burnett Park Zoo
47. 7:30pm - 9:00pm - Music by Chris Farrar & Mike Doyle at Hockey Rink
48. 
    
49. Thursday, July 10 - Syracuse to Rome
50. Overnight: Fort Stanwix National Monument - James St, Rome
51. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Burnet Park
52. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Chittenango, Chittenango Landing Boat Museum Canastota - free admission to the Canal Town Museum
53. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop, Verona Town Hall
54. Throughout the afternoon - ­Rome Erie Canal Village available, YMCA available for swimming, Ft. Stanwix tours until 8:00pm
55. 7:00pm - 9:00pm - Entertainment at Fort Stanwix
56. 5:00pm - 9:00pm - Dinner Shuttle to Area Restaurants
57. 
    
58. Friday, July 11 - Rome to Canajoharie
59. Overnight: Canajoharie High School, 136 Scholastic Way, Canajoharie
60. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Rome YMCA
61. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Town of Schuyler Town Hall
62. Throughout the Day - Tours of Genesee Brewery available
63. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop, Little Falls, Benton School
64. 3:00pm - 9:00pm - Shuttle bus to downtown Canajoharie
65. 4:00pm - 6:00pm - Swimming at the Canajoharie Middle School
66. 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Dinner at Canajoharie H.S.
67. 7:00pm - 9:00pm - Music - George Ward, Erie Canal Music & more
    
68. 
    
69. Saturday, July 12 - Canajoharie to Scotia
70. Overnight: Collins Park, Mohawk Ave./Schonowee Ave., Scotia
71. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast, Canajoharie High School
72. 8:00am - 12:00pm - Morning Rest Stop, Fultonville Town Hall
73. 12:00pm - 5:00pm - Afternoon Rest Stop, Mabee Farm Historic Site
74. Until 8:00pm - Swimming available at the park
75. 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm - Walking Tours of historic Stockade Area
76. 4:30pm - 5:30pm - Reception at Collins Park
77. 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Dinner at Collins Park
78. 7:00 pm - 8:00pm - Program & Celebration
79. 8:00pm - 9:00pm - Music at Freedom Park area at Collins Park
    
80. 
    
81. Sunday, July 13 - Schenectady to Albany
82. 6:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Collins Park
83. 8:00am - 11:00am - Morning Rest Stop - Peebles Island State Park
84. 10:30am - afternoon - Riders finishing at Corning Preserve, Albany

The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.

The Canal Corporation is a proud supporter of the 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial, a year long celebration designed to commemorate 400 years of progress in the Empire State. For information regarding the Quadricentennial, please visit www.exploreny400.com

Some Cycling the Erie Canal events are open to the public. For more information on Cycling the Erie Canal, contact Parks & Trails NY at 518-434-1583 or visit www.ptny.org

For more information regarding events, recreation and vacation opportunities along the New York State Canal System, please visit www.nyscanals.gov or call 1-800-4CANAL4.

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The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers a free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System. To sign up for the Canal TRANSalert service, customers can visit the Corporation's website at www.nyscanals.gov/tas/. To sign-up for Thruway TRANSalerts please visit the Authority's website at www.nysthruway.gov/tas/.

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