Volume 52, No. 2 May 2019 President’s Corner Empire State Trail Update By Bill Leahey MHCC President fter months of Aanticipation, the 2019 cycling season is in full swing! Unlike some of my cycling friends, I don’t cycle through the winter months, and I don’t start riding until the temps get above 50. I actually love winter and ski every opportunity I get, but do spinning once in awhile to stay in some kind of shape and catch up on the latest pop music. (I wear earplugs to get through it.) But the skis have been bedded down for the summer, and it’s time to get on my bike. As I write this column, it’s the middle of There are now more places than ever before where MHCC members can escape traffic and ride safely. April, and spring is just starting to gather Dedicated trail options continue to increase for Capital Region cyclists steam. I’ve lived in this area my entire life, and spring always takes about a month too pedestrian route in Rensselaer and Columbia long to warm up. Watching the Masters is a t’s the dawn of a new age for Capital Counties. The majority of the AHET Trail springtime ritual, and the lush grass, leafy IRegion cyclists. Progress is continuing in will be built on an abandoned rail corridor, trees, flowering shrubs, and happily chirping the Capital Region and beyond on the Empire now owned by National Grid. The remainder birds is a nice contrast to the mostly brown State Trail that will make New York State one of the AHET route will be designated along landscape in my neighborhood. Congrats to of the foremost cycling tourism destinations public roadways. Tiger Woods! The poet TS Eliot nailed it when in the country. Many of the projects underway As of this time, The Greenway has awarded he wrote “April is the cruelest month,” though to complete the trail will benefit Capital a construction contract for a 17-mile section I don’t believe he was talking about cycling. Region residents, and MHCC members in of the trail in Rensselaer County from Our Ride Leader Recognition Dinner on particular, who are looking for well-designed, Rensselaer through East Greenbush and March 28 kicked off the new season, and safe places to ride for fitness, pleasure, or Schodack to the village of Nassau. about 80 members attended. Ride leader daily transportation. Another contract has been awarded for jerseys were given to 6 new ride leaders with construction of the next 12-mile section 10 rides last year: Chris Hess, Kevin Kralovic, Albany Hudson Electric Trail going south through the towns of Chatham, Jacques Roeth, Dan Vickery, March Walling, The Hudson River Valley Greenway is Kinderhook, and Stuyvesant, including the and Steve White. creating the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail Continued on Page 5 Continued on Page 2 (AHET) that will be a 36-mile bicycle and Check for up-to-date ride information at: mohawkhudsoncyclingclub.org/calendar/rides MHCC Team Store Opens May 15 - See page 7 For Story & Link THE MOHAWK HUDSON CYCLING CLUB Editor’s Note By Dave Kraus - and increased participation for the public. Lastly, don’t forget to send me your news, elcome to the May newsletter! Our You can already see the influence as groups whether it’s ride photos or stories. Get Wextensive BikeAbout staff has been hard like Cycle Schenectady coalesce and begin involved! at work these past two months to get together their own efforts to promote cycling. Again, welcome to cycling season, and I a smorgasbord of club and regional cycling Also, don’t miss the story on page 7 hope you enjoy this new BikeAbout. news that will simultaneously inform and with all the details about the MHCC Voler entertain you. team clothing store opening May 15 for an I hope you are as thrilled as I am to see exclusive two-week run. The new MHCC how the Empire State Trail is progressing. style is smart, efficient, and visible on the It’s completion in 2020 is going to change road. Huge thanks to Howie Diamond, Bill cycling for the better across the entire state. Leahey, and Jon Benn for all their work on Kraus Grafik Services Segregated cycling lanes and trails equal safety making it happen. [email protected] President’s Corner By Bill Leahey / MHCC President Continued from page 1 We also had a Ride Leaders Meeting on • Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder Thank you for stepping up and leading club April 4, managed by Howie Diamond and is May 19. rides! We had a presentation by Tour de Cure Bill Little, with tech support ably provided • The Tour de Cure is June 9. on their June 9 event, and Andy Swartz is by Frank Kelly. We had about 30 ride leaders • The David Ryan 15th Anniversary leading an MHCC team this year (he’ll pay who learned about the new forms needed for Memorial Ride is June 29, led by for half your registration fee if you sign up). rides, and we had much discussion about how Dave Kraus. Dan Craven gave a moving talk about The to make the rides safer, how to keep a ride Our season is just beginning, and as I look Ride for Missing Children being held Sept. 9, together with sweeps and regrouping, and out the window, it’s sunny, no wind, and it’s and we had an interesting talk and slide show making rides a welcoming and fun experience. about 60 degrees. I’m going out for my first about Cycling Southeast Asia by Mike Cashin Here are some upcoming cycling events you warm ride of the year! Maybe April isn’t the and David Kircher. It was a good evening, but should have on your radar: “cruelest month” after all. I’ll make an effort to keep dinner meetings • May is National Bike Month, and May shorter in the future. 17 is Bike to Work Day. Bill CLUB OFFICERS Ex Officio member: OTHER COMMITTEES Andy Swartz 518-322-1858 PRESIDENT [email protected] MAPS & REPORTS, CLUB HISTORIAN Bill Leahey 518-961-6001 John Berninger 518-439-6473 [email protected] CENTURY COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR & RENEWALS, VICE PRESIDENT CHAIRPERSONS DATABASE MANAGER William Little 518-861-8769 Chet Lasell 518-708-3762 Joanne Petrozzi-Jones 518-831-1707 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] William Little 518-861-8769 SECRETARY [email protected] WEBMASTER Jude Sagor 518-729-3933 John Petiet 518-438-9102 [email protected] TOUR COMMITTEE [email protected] TREASURER CHAIRPERSON BIKEABOUT Becky Lazorchak 518-369-8401 William Little 518-861-8769 [email protected] EDITOR & DESIGNER BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dave Kraus 518-852-9612 CASUAL & SPORTS RIDE COORDINATOR [email protected] Jon Benn 518-577-5943 Eric Randall 518-366-5353 [email protected] [email protected] ADVERTISING Robin Obrecht Krumanocker Christian Hess 518-281-0271 QUICK RIDES COORDINATOR [email protected] [email protected] Bruce Curtiss 518-587-4408 PHOTOGRAPHER Terry Peters 518-428-4069 [email protected] Bob Cohen 518-877-5552 [email protected] TOUR RIDES COORDINATOR [email protected] Howie Diamond 518-441-3519 Henry Wilkie 518-482-3902 [email protected] [email protected] The BikeAbout/ May 2019 THE MOHAWK HUDSON CYCLING CLUB Page 2 Ride the 2019 Tour de Cure With Team MHCC worthwhile cause. iabetes is the seventh leading cause of Since this is first and foremost a fund raiser, Ddeath in the United States, and as of there is a $200 fund raising minimum per 2015 over 30 million Americans are living rider. You’ll find that raising that amount from with either Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Even friends, colleagues and local businesses is far worse, another 84.1 million have prediabetes, easier than you might think. a condition that if not treated, often leads to Registration from May 15 through June 8 is diabetes within five years. No matter who $25, but the Club is offering an incentive: If you are, it’s almost certain that you know you purchase and wear our new club jersey at someone who either has Diabetes or is in the Tour, the club will rebate you $10 of the danger of getting it. registration fee. On June 9, an MHCC team will be joining For further details, email team captain the fight against this serious disease at the Andy Swartz at [email protected], or American Diabetes Association’s Annual Tour register by going to www.diabetes.org, click de Cure at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds ride lunch and party. This is a very well-run on “Ride” in the nav bar, and do a search to in Ballston Spa. This is a great fund raiser for event that attracts over 1,000 riders annually. find the Capital Region Tour de Cure page. an important cause, and it’s an opportunity With a team of at least 30 riders, MHCC Then click on “Register” and you will be given for fun and fellowship that you won’t want to will have a meaningful presence at the Tour the option to join the MHCC team. miss! with the added benefit that club members As the premier cycling club in the Capital For those who have not participated before, will be assured there are fellow members to District, let’s do our part to beat diabetes! the Tour offers fully supported 10, 30, 50, 62 ride with at every distance. Don’t miss this - Andy Swartz and 100-mile recreational rides with a post- chance to make new friends and support a June 29 Ride Will Mark 15th Anniversary of David Ryan Riverview Road Death speeding at over easily been mine on one of my own regular n Saturday, June 29, I will be leading a 80 mph on the rides on that route.