The Peru Gazette

Classic road cycling event benefits Ausable River Association

WILMINGTON, NY (June 3) – The 10th Annual Ride for the River, benefitting the Ausable River Association (AsRA), will be held in-person on Sunday, July 18. Proceeds from this road cycling tour support AsRA’s work to protect the clean waters, healthy streams, biodiverse habitats, and scenic beauty of the Ausable River watershed.

Hosted by Bike Adirondacks (BikeADK), registration includes fully supported cycling routes of 30 and 45- miles, event t-shirt, a post ride BBQ, and live music. In addition to the in-person ride, a virtual ride option is also available allowing cyclists to experience the routes, or create their own ride. The virtual ride is separate from the in-person event day.

Full event details and registration are now available at bikeadirondacks.com/events/ride-river.

Ride for the River was created by AsRA in 2012 to celebrate the resilience of local communities following the devastating flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene. The 2020 Ride continues to celebrate our local communities and river while raising funds to restore damaged portions of the river and address the growing concern over road salt, particularly around Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, NY.

“With both the in-person and virtual option this year, it’s our goal to showcase the river in a way that works best for the most people.” said Tyler Merriam, AsRA Donor Outreach Associate. “It will be good to see riders again who’ve participated in all 10 years of Ride for the River, but it’s also fun to keep the event open to people who love the Ausable River but live outside the area.”

The event was held completely virtual in 2020. For that event cyclists from nine states and 42 different communities registered.

“One of the lessons from the past year is that people want to participate in something that benefits a good cause, even if they can’t physically be there for the event,” said Doug Haney, BikeADK Owner and Founder. “The Ausable River Association does amazing work, and whether you experience the watershed on July 18 or any time you visit the Adirondacks, it’s important to support it.”

BikeADK will also host the “Tailgater,” a late afternoon group ride starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 17 from the Hungry Trout Resort. The bonus event allows cyclists to experience an additional day of riding in the watershed and finishes with appetizers and drinks overlooking the Ausable River from the Hungry Trout patio.

From the highest positivity rate on the globe to one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation, New Yorkers have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe and show up for each other throughout the pandemic. With reopening underway, New Yorkers should be proud of themselves and start living life again, enjoying all that our beautiful state has to offer—especially now that it is officially summer. If you haven’t already, get your vaccine so you can safely go forward to make priceless memories with your loved ones.

Photo of the Day: The Smithtown High School East Honor Society visited the Stony Brook mass vaccination site to thank the staff (Photo by Aphrodite Montalvo)

1. COVID hospitalizations are at 485. Of the 58,372 tests reported yesterday, 251, or 0.43 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 0.37 percent. There were 114 patients in ICU yesterday, down four from the previous day. Of them, 62 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 10 New Yorkers to the virus.

2. As of 11am this morning, 71.0 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose, per the CDC. Over the past 24 hours, 31,101 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 20,605,726 total doses with 63.2 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State’s Vaccine Tracker.

3. Fourth of July fireworks celebrations will be held at Empire State Plaza and Jones Beach this year. The New York State Office of General Services and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation are joining with partners again to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and events from 6-10pm at the Empire State Plaza, including a pop-up vaccination site from 5:30-8:00pm and at Jones Beach State Park beginning at 9:30pm.

4. In the third round of the program, Nourish NY has spent $13 million to help New Yorkers in need. So far, over eight million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, along with over 3.4 million pounds of produce. Over 7 million meals have been made for households in need using products sourced from New York farms.

5. Some mass vaccination sites will downscale as the State shifts resources to local areas of greatest need. Given the statewide progress on vaccinations, certain State-run mass vaccination sites will begin to downscale and shift their resources for localized vaccination efforts. Over the course of weeks and months, a number of sites will downscale based on demand, proximity to other vaccination sites, and other locally-focused efforts. The transition reflects the State’s plan to focus resources on areas where zipcode data shows the vaccination rate is lower than the statewide average.

6. Remember, mental health resources are available for New Yorkers who need them. Even though it’s officially summer and New York continues to reopen and rebuild, we can’t underestimate the mental and emotional strain of the pandemic. New Yorkers can visit http://headspace.com/ny for free mindfulness resources or call our support hotline at 1-844-863-9314.

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: The Queens-Midtown Tunnel is a great option to get from Manhattan to Queens by car—but it’s an unusual route for a dog. Indie, a rescue who has been living in the Upper West Side, escaped from her dog walker and managed to end up in Long Island City by way of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, evading oncoming vehicles. A week later, Indie was reunited with her owner thanks to the help of fellow New Yorkers who rescued Indie from a warehouse following her cross-borough journey.

Ever Upward,

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo