Monday, June 15, 2009

Next Stop: The Finger Lakes

The Bicycle Stories roadtrip moves to Stage 2 Tuesday when I drive to the Finger Lakes region of central NY state -- an ageless area of long lakes and timeless small upstate villages that is home to my alma mater, Hobart College.

It was during my time at Hobart in Geneva and during my newspaper internship for the Syracuse Post-Standard/Herald-Journal in Auburn where I fell in love with long-distance cycling.

The Finger Lakes -- east to west, Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca, Cananadagua and Keuka -- offer serene long stretches of roadway between the lakes and super-steep hills off the shores of the lakes. I'm looking for century rides Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with Auburn serving as my base.

The Finger Lakes is winery country, with the sloping hills that lead to the lakes' shores serving as micro-climate zones perfect for grape-growing.

The operative words are ageless, serene, tranquil and cool -- temperatures rarely get above 90.

When I biked the roads between the lakes, few people knew about this area outside of the Finger Lakes region.

But now the word is out -- the Finger Lakes is a not-so-hidden bicycling gem.

Keep in tuned here for some serious cycling touring coverage this week.

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