LOCALadk Magazine

48 Spring 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk THE START There is a short time just before starting an adventure - that moment where adrenaline, nervousness, and anticipation meet. I felt that exhilarating confluence of emotions the morning of August 23 as Saranac Lake Mayor Clyde Rabideau started the opening address of the Wilderness Conservation Society's Cycle Adirondacks 2015. There was a lot going on. I was making some last minute adjustments to my gear, check- ing out the different bikes, and looking at all the smiling faces. The crack of the starting pistol echoed thru the early morning stillness of Riverside Park. Suddenly, the multicolored bike jerseys of 160 riders from 29 states and 2 provinces formed a moving rainbow as we began pedaling from the starting line onto the first day's route. I was just a few revolutions into a week long, 468 mile trip through the Ad- irondack Park. There was no way to pre- dict the change of perspective I would experience by seeing the Adirondacks from a bicycle seat. HOW DID I GET HERE? In the spring of 2015, my wife Anne, Owner/Publisher of LO- CALadk, approached me about participating in and chronicling a new bicycle tour that was being coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, WCS. Due to my love of the sport, and the fact I've lived in the Adirondacks for most of my 45 years, I was to become the Cycle Adirondacks' version of an embed- ded reporter: bike along with the participants, eat what they ate, camp where they camped, rain or shine. I was going to experience it all. WHO CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA? A couple of years ago, Zoe Smith, Director of the Adirondack Program of the WCS and its Saranac Lake staff decided to de- velop and sponsor an event that would highlight the many WCS projects, as well as positively affect local economies. Af- ter researching and considering several possibilities, they con- cluded that a bicycle tour would be ideal. Several WCS staff members travelled west to volunteer on an established tour. They went with the intent of learning the ropes and deciding whether or not a bike tour would be well received and well attended in the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Program of the WCS then partnered with Jim Moore of Portland, Oregon to be the event director. Among many other things, Jim makes his living organizing bicycle tours in Oregon and the Yellowstone area. Now he would bring his expertise to the Adirondacks. Saranac Lake local Doug Haney was hired as event manager. Doug has spent years managing elite athlete communications for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Associ- ation. Doug's love of bicycling showed itself during the event week, as he could be found spinning around the event sites on his mountain bike. WHAT DOES FULLY SUPPORTED MEAN? I will start with the food. Mazzone Catering from Clifton Park, New York, provided the food and snacks for the entire event. It was incredible. Both breakfast and dinner offered sever- al entrée choices, a great selection of side dishes and sever- al beverages: coffee, hot or cold tea, soda, water and milk. Just Get On Your Bike & Ride By Pete Evans LE Baskow

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