About
Fundraising underway for trails at Fahnestock
Sam Lee is head of the Putnam Westchester Mountain Biking Association, but he thinks that one county is getting the short end of the spoke.
Westchester has sprawling mountain bike trail networks at the Blue Mountain Reservation, Sprain Ridge Park and Graham Hills Park, to name a few, plus bike shops and a mountain bike culture that has thrived for decades.
Putnam has scattered trails for those in the know. Most casual bikers must settle for the pedestrian and horse paths at Fahnestock State Park.
Lee, who lives in Putnam Valley and works in pharmaceuticals, is enthusiastic about changing that. Why else would he venture to Canopus Lake on a 100-degree morning with a weed whacker?
"This is a perfect spot," he said while standing on the slopes between Route 301 and a parking lot, where 2 miles of abandoned access roads are being converted into a tight tangle of bike trails. The parking lot, a drag to hikers seeking to escape pavement, will give bikers a place to tailgate and unwind after a ride, as well as take advantage of the changing rooms for the Canopus Lake beach.
Until now, Lee and a handful of volunteers have done the work. But now he's getting professionals involved.
Walking the slopes, Lee points out lines of small orange flags placed by biologists from the New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, marking sections where the trails can't go — a remnant of an environmental review that was part of the project approval. With the blessings of the state Parks Department, the Putnam Westchester Mountain Biking Association recently launched a "Funstock" fund at bit.ly/CanopusMTB to raise $45,000 to hire a trail-building crew.
And this is not just any crew: Lee plans to bring professional mountain bike racer David Kahn from North Carolina with his Pisgah Trail Co. Khan grew up in Putnam Valley in a biking family (his father owns several Westchester bike shops), so he jumped at the chance to build the trails he wished he'd had as a kid.
The association has raised about $23,000, which is enough for a down payment. The hope is that the trail can be open by year's end. Lee and other volunteers have gotten the trails into shape for testing, but they are not sturdy enough to withstand erosion or heavy use.
Lee rode a bit in college, but only got serious while rehabbing a knee injury that sidelined him from playing basketball. He passed the time watching videos of riders in the Scottish Highlands and the landscape reminded him of the Hudson Highlands. However, he quickly discovered "riding" in Putnam referred mostly to ATVs and dirt bikes.
Lee has been working with state parks and other riders to prepare and legalize unofficial trail networks. He imagines hot summer days when parents teach their children to ride at Fahnestock, then cool off in the lake.
This part of the park is underutilized. Most of the year, the parking lot is closed. It's open only in the summer for lake access and, if there's enough snow, for a few weeks of snowshoe and cross-country skiing. With bike trails, the lot could remain open year-round. Lee envisions events and races, with music and food trucks.
Until then, he's coming when he can to cut back undergrowth. "I'm looking for areas to keep it rolling, so you're not constantly pedaling uphill or braking," he says. "You don't want to tire yourself out, because these trails don't have a lot of mileage. You want to focus on doing less and improving each time."
Sam Lee is head of the Putnam Westchester Mountain Biking Association, but he thinks that one county is getting the short end of the spoke.
Westchester has sprawling mountain bike trail networks at the Blue Mountain Reservation, Sprain Ridge Park and Graham Hills Park, to name a few, plus bike shops and a mountain bike culture that has thrived for decades.
Putnam has scattered trails for those in the know. Most casual bikers must settle for the pedestrian and horse paths at Fahnestock State Park.
Lee, who lives in Putnam Valley and works in pharmaceuticals, is enthusiastic about changing that. Why else would he venture to Canopus Lake on a 100-degree morning with a weed whacker?
"This is a perfect spot," he said while standing on the slopes between Route 301 and a parking lot, where 2 miles of abandoned access roads are being converted into a tight tangle of bike trails. The parking lot, a drag to hikers seeking to escape pavement, will give bikers a place to tailgate and unwind after a ride, as well as take advantage of the changing rooms for the Canopus Lake beach.
Until now, Lee and a handful of volunteers have done the work. But now he's getting professionals involved.
Walking the slopes, Lee points out lines of small orange flags placed by biologists from the New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, marking sections where the trails can't go — a remnant of an environmental review that was part of the project approval. With the blessings of the state Parks Department, the Putnam Westchester Mountain Biking Association recently launched a "Funstock" fund at bit.ly/CanopusMTB to raise $45,000 to hire a trail-building crew.
And this is not just any crew: Lee plans to bring professional mountain bike racer David Kahn from North Carolina with his Pisgah Trail Co. Khan grew up in Putnam Valley in a biking family (his father owns several Westchester bike shops), so he jumped at the chance to build the trails he wished he'd had as a kid.
The association has raised about $23,000, which is enough for a down payment. The hope is that the trail can be open by year's end. Lee and other volunteers have gotten the trails into shape for testing, but they are not sturdy enough to withstand erosion or heavy use.
Lee rode a bit in college, but only got serious while rehabbing a knee injury that sidelined him from playing basketball. He passed the time watching videos of riders in the Scottish Highlands and the landscape reminded him of the Hudson Highlands. However, he quickly discovered "riding" in Putnam referred mostly to ATVs and dirt bikes.
Lee has been working with state parks and other riders to prepare and legalize unofficial trail networks. He imagines hot summer days when parents teach their children to ride at Fahnestock, then cool off in the lake.
This part of the park is underutilized. Most of the year, the parking lot is closed. It's open only in the summer for lake access and, if there's enough snow, for a few weeks of snowshoe and cross-country skiing. With bike trails, the lot could remain open year-round. Lee envisions events and races, with music and food trucks.
Until then, he's coming when he can to cut back undergrowth. "I'm looking for areas to keep it rolling, so you're not constantly pedaling uphill or braking," he says. "You don't want to tire yourself out, because these trails don't have a lot of mileage. You want to focus on doing less and improving each time."