Local woman organizing 10th 500-mile bike ride
Long before riders mount their bicycles in Niagara Falls, a 500-mile journey across New York gets its start in the hamlet of Delmar, in the mind of Karen Empie.
She’s been organizing the Five Hundred Miles Across New York Rideor, The Great Big FANY Ride, as it is colloquially known for 10 years now, and at the end of July she and more than 100 others will start off in the western extreme of the state for an annual weeklong journey back to Saratoga Springs.
`I love biking in New York State. We have incredible scenery, unique scenery,` Empie said. `It’s like seven completely different rides. Each day is different and it has its own character.`
That’s because she plans the route to take in the diversity of the state. The fact the ride is 500 miles means it does a fair amount of winding about ` it’s only about a 300-mile trip via the Thruway, after all. Riders have made their way through Letchworth State Park, wine country, spent the night in Watkins Glen and, of course, toured parts of the expansive Adirondack Park.
They pack along tents and camping gear, though some elect to spend the night in hotels along the way. Delmar resident Rick Bird said the ride is always pleasant because it changes each year, and because Empie has a knack for finding eclectic stops, even in the rural countryside. Riders toured the Jell-O museum in Le Roy last year, for example.
`Karen takes us through some parts of New York state that you just don’t see unless you happen to be a local living in the area or on her rides,` Bird said. `I have no idea how she finds them, but they’re just pristine areas with little or no traffic.`
Riders also make a stop at the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne on their trek. The ride benefits the camp, which provides a summer camp experience for children with life-threatening illnesses.
While a portion of registration fees goes to the ranch, most of the funds raised come from voluntary donations from the riders. They donated $6,800 last year, enough to sponsor a weeklong camp experience for three children.
The idea to start the FANY ride struck Empie after she had completed another 500-mile trek through Iowa that ` after days of cornfields and flat roads ` left her thirsting for some more diverse scenery.
`I had a great, great time, but I said, I think we got a lot more in New York that’s interesting,` she said.
She organized the first FANY a decade ago, and it has since grown to include more and more riders. This year, she expects 125 to 130 riders from as far as California to participate. There’s even one woman who is flying in from Scotland for the occasion this year.
Registration is open to anyone through July 1, but it’s advised that a 500-mile journey is not for novices ` especially through New York’s often hilly terrain. Last year’s riders climbed a total 29,000 feet of elevation over the course of the week, the rough equivalent of Mount Everest.
But for those with the grit, the ride is well known among long ride lovers.
`I think it’s a fantastic ride,` said Bird, who first did the ride with his friend, Steve White. `There’s definitely a lot of camaraderie. … Along the way, we ended up meeting five or six other people who we’ve remained in contact with since then.`
Empie confirmed that it’s not unusual to see repeat customers on the ride, certainly one reason it keeps getting bigger as more people find out via word of mouth.
`Predominantly, that’s how people find out about us,` Empie said. `I think once people do it and realize they can achieve a ride like this, we have a lot of people come back because there’s a lot of camaraderie.`
To learn more or register, visit www.fanyride.com.“