Cycling the Erie Canal is an eight-day, 400-mile (plus), fully supported recreational bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany along the historic and scenic Erie Canal.  About half of the ride is on traffic-free off-road trails.  This year's tour started Saturday, July 6th (for those of us who opt to meet in Albany and take their shuttle to Buffalo with our boxed bikes.  This is the first year the shuttle had been offered and about 90 of us signed up for an additional $70, well worth it!)  Official registration began on Saturday afternoon and pre-tour rides were available into Buffalo and to Niagara even though the actual ride didn't start until Sunday, the 7th.  Tour finished on Sunday, July 14th, back in Albany.  Trip is organized by the New York Parks and Conservation Association (NYPCA), a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and protecting New York's parks and creating new kinds of parks such as greenways and rail and canal grails.  Funds raised help support NYPCA's trail programs, including its work on the Canalway Trail.  The trip differs each year as trail sections are completed for biking. When completed, the Canalway Trail will span over 500 miles and connect numerous cities, towns, and villages along the Canal System, making it one of the longest multi-use recreational trails in the country.

Cycling the Erie Canal featured camping accommodations, some with pools or lakes for swimming, and dormitory options on three nights plus eight hearty breakfasts, six delicious dinners, and two refreshment stops daily stocked with fruit, snacks and beverages.  Entertainment and historical presentations were presented each evening.  Attractions along the way included:  the Women's Rights national Historic Site, Erie Canal Museum and Village, Fort Stanwix National Monument and a boat tour through several locks.  Riders received a Cycling the Erie Canal T-Shirt and water bottle with a kick-off reception and end-of-tour celebration banquet.  Ride included baggage transport, sag wagon and mobile mechanical support, daily maps and cue sheets, and painted and arrowed routes.  (I am including the route we followed this year, omitting the various two-per-day rest stops.  Please note that there will be changes from year to year as sections of the Canal Bike Path are completed and other activities planned for that particular year.)

For full information, please check out their website at http://www.nypca.org/canaltour

[I enjoyed this event so much that I plan to do the ride again in July of 2003.]

Those of us who signed up for the shuttle service met at the Albany Railroad station where we left our vehicles for the week.  We were transported to Buffalo via motor coach and our bikes (which had to be boxed) by Ryder truck.	Once we got to Albany, bike technicians were on hand to put our bikes back together again.
Introductory wine and cheese party in the afternoon.	Our morning and evening meals were included at the facility where we pitched our tents for the evening.  Most of the time we were set up at college campuses.
	Tents were pitched wherever we found room!
Day 1, Sunday, July 7, 2002	Buffalo to Medina 47.4 miles
Day 2, Monday, July 8, 2002	Medina to Pittsford 52.1 miles
Day 3, Tuesday, July 9, 2002	Pittsford to Waterloo 55.4 miles
Day 4, Wednesday, July 10, 2002	Waterloo to Syracuse 50.5 miles
Day 5, Thursday, July 11, 2002	Syracuse to Rome 50 miles
Day 6, Friday, July 12, 2002	Rome to Canajoharie 69.1 miles
Day 7, Saturday, July 13, 2002	Canajoharie to Schenectady 42.8 miles
Day 8, Sunday, July 14, 2002	Schenectady to Albany 24 miles