Finger Lakes Freshet 2026 (May 2)
Welcome to the FINGER LAKES FRESHET!
freshet /freSHet/ noun – the springtime rush of fresh water from melting snow.
We are excited to begin registration and planning for year TWO of the Freshet!
Year one, 2025, was our first ever Finger Lakes Freshet, and it sure was wet! We had 52 people register. Big rain was forecast as the day approached, and we had some cancellations, but 27 riders showed up to ride that rainy morning! We had finishers on every route, and more details and pictures, as well as ride narratives and video documentary of the 2025 ride can be found here https://fingerlakesfreshet.ct.ws Much fun was had, despite the rain and tough conditions, it was a beautiful green spring ride, abounding with water, camaraderie, wildflowers, plenty of mud, some sublime moments, and some challenge.
This is a casual, unofficial, unsanctioned, and unsupported gravel bikepacking ride starting and ending in Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY, homeland of the Gayogohó:no people. Routes will follow gravel roads as much as possible. This will be a self-supported ride following the 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. One difference from other events is that we are encouraging (but not requiring) riders to go slow and ride together in groups. Riders of all three route options may elect to camp together the first night (about halfway through the short route or about 60-70 miles in for the other routes) in a private group campsite.
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 time posted on our upcoming website. If you don’t use a tracker and would like to be listed as “completed” just let us know after you finish the ride.
We are now in our second year and all routes have been ridden successfully. However, please check back in early April for the finalized routes. We have already begun making improvements from the 2025 routes based on feedback and our experiences. As for bike selection, it’s really your call, but we’d recommend knobby 38-55 mm tires. Wide tires will help on the two longer routes, which include more singletrack and rough roads. A burly gravel bike or a svelte mountain bike would be ideal. Note that the long route follows medium route until mile 135. The 500-mile route has a few single track sections that may require some hike-a-bike, but if this is a deal-breaker for you, contact us after you register and we can provide you an alternate route. Also be advised, the long route passes through the turf of rival Instagram bicycle gangs, but through intense negotiation, we have procured a hand signal that will ensure safe passage.
Tiny Trickle: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50231908
Swollen Stream: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50219498
Raging River: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50219378
Grand depart will be at 9am on Saturday May 2nd, 2026, from the dock along the Cayuga Lake waterfront of Stewart Park in Ithaca, NY, near the large pavilion. More details on parking, camping, GPS tracking, and other logistics will be sent to registered riders as the Freshet approaches!