Finger Lakes Freshet

Welcome to the FINGER LAKES FRESHET! 

freshet /freSHet/ noun - the springtime rush of fresh water from melting snow.

BIG NEWS:  New DATE for 2027- Grand Depart is May 29, 2027!

Also, in 2027, all routes will be in the reverse direction from previous years!

This is a casual, unofficial, unsanctioned, and unsupported gravel bikepacking group or solo ride starting and ending in Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY, homeland of the Gayogohó:no people.  We have four routes available from 40ish miles up to 500ish miles!  The pace you set is your own, so take your time or ride fast, it's your call.  The terrain between lakes and around the southern tier of the Finger Lakes tends to be very hilly, so expect plenty of climbing, sometimes on the order of about 100' per mile, or 1,000' per 10 miles in the more rugged sections.  This is especially the case as we have sought out quieter gravel roads through state forest lands, as well as single track sections to spice things up.  The routes are certainly challenging, and less than half the riders completed it in our first two years ('25 and '26 results are below). Sometimes that is due to weather adding extra challenge (year one), and other times, it is mechanicals or what have you, but do not fear, many friends are near to provide moral support.  We avoid traffic as much as possible in our routing, but that means you can also expect some rough gravel, some singletrack, and some steep snowmobile trails.  We have eliminated most of the hike-a-bike spots in favor of rideable sections, but we've kept in some tough sections as they connect areas nicely.  On most routes there will be a little bit of walking.  We'd rather hike-a-bike than share the road with cars, to be honest.  A burly gravel bike or a svelte mountain bike would be ideal.  We'd recommend knobby 38-60 mm tires.  

This ride follows the self-supported ethics of other bikepacking events like The Adirondack Trail Ride, Vermont Super 8, Catskill Bikepacking Route, or the Tour Divide – meaning it's an unmarked route, with no sag wagon, no planned feed stations, etc, but you can utilize any publicly available services. And there probably won't be anyone at the finish line other than your friends and family.  If you wish to be “compete” for a fast time, the rules of self-supported races apply, where you can't receive aid from friends or family, but may utilize food, lodging, repair stations, as long as they are publicly available resources.  Otherwise, if you're touring it at your own slow pace, “cheat” as much as you like to ease the time.  

You can certainly ride fast – but we also encourage riders to go slow and ride together in groups. To this end, we will identify a group campsite or two, the previous two years, groups of riders stayed at event director Paul's place, and we'll probably do that again, but the routes will all be in the REVERSE direction this year.  Route maps will be updated around Dec ‘26 - Jan ’27 to reflect the new directions, and some minor route tweaks to optimize the experience will be added, as usual. And regardless of which route you sign up for, you can switch routes if you're feeling more or less ambitious on the day of the ride.

Riders who wish to push themselves physically and mentally may choose to do so, but will need to agree to be safe about it and be respectful of everyone they encounter en route – especially on rail trails where cyclists need to yield to all other users. If you want friends and family to be able to follow your progress in real-time, we'll have the routes on Trackleaders and facilitate SPOT rental (about $85) or the PING phone app (about $15). But riders aren't required to do this unless you want your official time posted or you hope to set an official FKT (Fastest Known Time) for a route. It's the only feasible way for us to fairly and accurately record times. As a bonus, the Trackleaders webpage holds an archived event replay for all tracked events, where you can follow along with the race and ride flow!  What a fun record!  

In our first two years, the event was held the first weekend in May, but for a few reasons we are shifting the date in 2027 for a grand depart on Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 29, 2027.   More details on routes, parking, camping, GPS tracking, and other logistics will be sent to registered riders as the Freshet approaches. Also, all registered riders who sign-in will receive a Freshet 2027 handmade print in the mail.

Photos, including Rigs of the Freshet portraits, can be found on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/fingerlakesfreshet/

Past results:

In 2026, out of 75 registered riders, we had 31 intrepid finishers (listed below). Full replays can be found at https://trackleaders.com/freshet26. These were the courses in 2026:

Dew Drop:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54446566

Tiny Trickle: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54433808

Swollen Stream: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54433931

Raging River:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50554703

NameRouteTimeBarry DerfelDew Drop5 hours, 28 minutesBenjamin MossTiny Trickle5 hours, 29 minutesBryan BrownTiny TrickleCompletedDakin HendersonSwollen Stream1 day, 7 hours, 30 minutesDonal FittererTiny TrickleCompletedJacob MeyerTiny Trickle6 hours, 28 minutesJames GravesSwollen Stream20 hours, 31 minutesJason CeresoliSwollen Stream1 day, 7 hours, 30 minutesJenny VanEttenTiny TrickleCompletedJoseph KraushaarDew Drop4 hours, 45 minutesKat EshenourDew Drop8 hours, 47 minutesKathy StenehjemTiny Trickle1 day, 4 hoursKati VanEttenTiny TrickleCompletedKiern FeeneySwollen Stream15 hours, 50 minutesLynde MetzlerSwollen Stream2 days, 5 hours, 17 minutesMadison MushamSwollen StreamCompletedMaggie CoulterTiny Trickle1 day, 3 hours, 36 minutesMarty ChristoffersonRaging River3 days, 13 hours, 4 minutesMatt MogckTiny TrickleCompletedMeike van LeerdamTiny Trickle1 day, 4 hoursMike SigonaDew DropCompletedNat HughesDew Drop8 hours, 47 minutesPaul KingsburySwollen Stream1 day, 12 hours, 36 minutesPaul VidovichSwollen Stream2 days, 33 minutesRob JoyceTiny Trickle7 hours, 47 minutesSam Rimm-KaufmanTiny Trickle1 day, 4 hoursSeth DeaneTiny Trickle1 day, 3 hours, 36 minutesShawn AlexanderSwollen Stream15 hours, 44 minutesSteve GomezSwollen Stream19 hours, 24 minutesTrevor AugustSwollen Stream15 hours, 44 minutesYvette de Boer                                     Tiny Trickle                         Completed                                        

In 2025, out of 52 registered riders, only 17 courageous riders finished (listed below). Much fun was had, despite the rain and tough conditions, and it was a beautiful green spring ride, abounding with water, camaraderie, wildflowers, plenty of mud, some sublime moments, and some challenge. Kudos to TJ, who rode from his house for a total of 190 miles! Full replay here:  https://trackleaders.com/freshet25. Also see the links on rider names for articles or videos of their 2025 Freshet experience.

NameRouteTimeAce RepkaTiny TrickleCompletedAusten Mack-CraneTiny TrickleCompletedBryan Brown*Raging River6 days, 7 hours, 5 minutesChris St. ClairTiny TrickleCompletedDavid TremblaySwollen Stream1 day, 15 hours, 18 minutesErin HassettSwollen Stream1 day, 11 hours, 54 minutesJake MeyerRaging River5 days, 11 hours, 24 minutesJohn DennisTiny TrickleCompletedJonas BirenTiny Trickle5 hours, 21 minutesKeith SurrenaSwollen Stream19 hours, 15 minutesKenneth RuddellTiny TrickleCompletedNat HughesTiny TrickleCompletedPablo GrossSwollen Stream2 days, 8 hours, 45 minutesRyan DunawayTiny TrickleCompletedSimon IngallSwollen Stream1 day, 16 hours, 3 minutesTJ JoyceSwollen Stream19 hours, 15 minutesYoav MaorTiny Trickle5 hours, 2 minutes

*Not entirely self-supported (stayed at a friend's house one night)