OWASCO - Colorful tents dotted the banks of Emerson Park, and most trees had a few campers sleeping under them Sunday evening.
The Owasco park hosted the first night for the week-long 11th Bon Ton Roulet bicycling tour.
The Auburn YMCA-WEIU and Cortland YMCA sponsor the race with 368 participants, ranging in age from 3 to 81, Bon Ton Roulet committee member Robb Bonilla said. The starting point alternates between the two cities each year.
The noncompetitive bike tour has grow in the past few years, as has the sport of biking, he said. This tour allows people to see the Finger Lakes region at their own pace. In fact, it was the landscape that attracted some riders to join.
John and Liz Ford, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, said they first joined the tour because of the hills. They are used to flat land and wanted the challenge.
"You can watch your dog run away for two days," John Ford said of the central Canadian terrain "We call a bridge a hill."
However, they came back for their second year because of the friendliness and positive organization of the ride.
"They really take care of you here," Liz Ford said.
Organizers offer entertainment each night, including a talent show with the riders showing their skills such as singing, writing and reciting poetry. They also can get massages, go swimming and sightseeing throughout the voyage.
Cape Cod resident Peter Kirwin too joined to see the scenery the Finger Lakes offers, but credited his two children for giving him the motivation to tackle the 350-mile ride.
His 22- and 24-year-old children said the Albany native was too old to make the run.
While he and two other riders missed an orange sign marking the way and got lost for a bit, he looked forward to the rest of the trip.
He set out to take the shorter route, 40 miles from Cortland, but ended up traveling longer than the traditional route of 57 miles. New this year, organizers added alternative, shorter paths each day to encourage two levels of riders, or just to allow more time for sightseeing and relaxing.
They will spend Monday night in Geneva, before heading out to Hammonsport, then Seneca Falls and Ithaca, and back to Cortland.
The Auburn YMCA-WEIU and Cortland YMCA sponsor the race with 368 participants, ranging in age from 3 to 81, Bon Ton Roulet committee member Robb Bonilla said. The starting point alternates between the two cities each year.
The noncompetitive bike tour has grow in the past few years, as has the sport of biking, he said. This tour allows people to see the Finger Lakes region at their own pace. In fact, it was the landscape that attracted some riders to join.
John and Liz Ford, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, said they first joined the tour because of the hills. They are used to flat land and wanted the challenge.
"You can watch your dog run away for two days," John Ford said of the central Canadian terrain "We call a bridge a hill."
However, they came back for their second year because of the friendliness and positive organization of the ride.
"They really take care of you here," Liz Ford said.
Organizers offer entertainment each night, including a talent show with the riders showing their skills such as singing, writing and reciting poetry. They also can get massages, go swimming and sightseeing throughout the voyage.
Cape Cod resident Peter Kirwin too joined to see the scenery the Finger Lakes offers, but credited his two children for giving him the motivation to tackle the 350-mile ride.
His 22- and 24-year-old children said the Albany native was too old to make the run.
While he and two other riders missed an orange sign marking the way and got lost for a bit, he looked forward to the rest of the trip.
He set out to take the shorter route, 40 miles from Cortland, but ended up traveling longer than the traditional route of 57 miles. New this year, organizers added alternative, shorter paths each day to encourage two levels of riders, or just to allow more time for sightseeing and relaxing.
They will spend Monday night in Geneva, before heading out to Hammonsport, then Seneca Falls and Ithaca, and back to Cortland.
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