For Immediate Release: July 8, 2005
CANAL CORPORATION SPONSORS 400-MILE BICYCLE TOUR FROM BUFFALO TO ALBANY ORGANIZED BY PARKS AND TRAILS NY
Cycling the Erie Canal Tour to Begin Sunday, July 10
ALBANY, NY- Carmella R. Mantello, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, is proud to announce the Canal Corporation is a sponsor of the seventh annual Cycling the Erie Canal Bike Tour, organized by Parks and Trails New York (PTNY). The 400-mile bicycle tour will run from Sunday, July 10 through Sunday, July 17 from Buffalo to Albany, New York. Approximately half of the 400-mile route is on the completed portion of the Canalway Trail, which, when completed over the next four years, will become one of the longest continual trail systems in the United States.
“Thanks to Governor Pataki’s continued support, completion of the Canalway Trail will provide a tremendous tourism, economic and recreational opportunity for communities along this scenic and historical Corridor,” said Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello. “We’re pleased to sponsor this worthwhile event. For seven years, the Cycling the Erie has been a fun and healthy way to explore part of New York State’s rich history- the New York State Canal System.”
The New York State Canalway Trail System is comprised of a network of more than 240 miles of existing multi-use, recreational trails across upstate New York. The 348-mile Erie Canalway Trail between the Hudson River and Lake Erie is now approximately two-thirds complete thanks to a $35 million program announced by Governor George E. Pataki in 2002.
“The seventh Cycling the Erie Canal Tour promises to be a very exciting event,” said Parks and Trails New York Executive Director Robin Dropkin. “We have riders from 37 states and two countries, Australia and Canada, plus several hundred volunteers in communities along the route ready to welcome riders and help them discover what makes the Erie Canal and Upstate New York unique.”
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for establishing the Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, the Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force will conduct an outreach campaign to gather input and ideas, and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations will be delivered in a report to the Governor by December 2005.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
For more information about NYS Canals, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
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