Nick Cornell (16): I will be fundraising for BreakthroughT1D (formerly JDRF) for my two brothers with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and every other family like ours that deals with the stress of T1D. For my brothers Ben and Zach, there are no days off from T1D. Ben and Zach have to make numerous decisions each day to figure out how they will manage their blood sugar during sleep, exercise and each meal. I want to raise money for T1D research in order to help research for a cure. Visit: nicksbiketrek.com to make a difference.

Finn Erlandson (16): Six years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. I luckily survived and was granted a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For me, this bike trip is the perfect opportunity to raise money and awareness for this foundation to help grant kids like me an unforgettable wish and replace fear with fun, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope. Please help me reach my goal of $1000, any donation is greatly appreciated. Visit: https://w.wish.org/imp28

Nathan Romboldi (17): I am starting a GoFundMe Campaign to support the incredible work of the American Cancer Society. This organization is dedicated to improving the lives of people with cancer and their families, offering hope and resources during challenging times. Together, we can make a meaningful impact. Visit: https://gofund.me/36c72406a

Visit: nicksbiketrek.com to follow their biking journey in real time this week.

This week, my friends, Finn Erlandson and Nathan Romboldi, and I will take a weeklong Biking Journey across New York State to Maine with three personal missions and fundraising goals.

When I start my Journey in Canalside Buffalo, I won’t just be determined to complete a trek across four states; I will also be determined to bring the community together to push for a future without Type One Diabetes, one donation at a time. A future where every family like mine can live without the stress T1D causes every day.

This ride is my senior year project at Gould Academy with a big goal and vision. At Gould, students build their senior project around the school’s core values of curiosity, courage, creativity and kindness, and I wanted mine to be something that mattered to me. Riding 700 miles for my brothers checks every one of those boxes, and it lets me turn something my family lives with every day into a way to help other people. Finishing this ride on its campus, with my hometown behind me, means everything to me.

I won’t be making this trek on my own. My good friends, Finn Erlandson, son of Amanda and Drew Erlandson and a junior at Maple Grove, and Nathan Romboldi, son of Litza and Rusty Romboldi and a senior at Gould Academy, will join me. Finn is riding to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation after surviving his incredible fight against Stage 4 Cancer in elementary school, while Nathan is riding to raise funds for the American Cancer Society, a cause close to his family’s heart as well.

We will bike across four states over seven days, through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some days we will probably get tired of pedaling mile after mile just to reach the next stop on the journey. But we will remember that every destination is one more step toward our missions.

700 Miles for my Brothers

My mission is about the future for Ben, for Zach and for everyone living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Ben was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was just 10 years old, and it changed his life overnight. He learned that he would now be responsible for his own insulin doses, counting his carbs and tracking his glucose levels to keep himself steady. Then, barely a year later, lightning struck again. When Zach was 9, he received the same diagnosis. But that wouldn’t be the only major diagnosis Zach would face. When he was 13, he was also diagnosed with Epilepsy after having several seizures in a short stretch of time, usually when his blood sugar ran low. Managing his blood sugar was already a huge responsibility, and Epilepsy added a whole new layer of health challenges on top of it.

Through the years, my brothers have gone through many middles of the night wake ups and emergency hospital visits because of dangerous blood sugar levels or seizures. They fight all these challenges and work toward a solution by gathering the local community through JDRF walks to raise awareness. Ben is now 21, and Zach is 18, and they still show courage every day. Ben and Zach have shown me what resilience looks like over the past 10 years; I can complete this bike journey if I am resilient like them.

Please check out my friends’ websites to learn more about their important missions too.

The Great meaning about our 700-Mile Route:

The first four days follow the Empire State Trail, which is the longest multi-use trail in the country. Most of those early miles trace the path of the old Erie Canal. When the canal first opened in 1825, it connected Buffalo and the Great Lakes to Albany and the Hudson River, and almost overnight, it turned New York into the gateway of a growing nation. The flat path we ride was once a towpath, where teams of mules pulled heavy boats east and west. As we roll out of Buffalo toward Palmyra and Marcy, past canal locks like Lock 20 just beyond Rome, where we will camp for the night, we get to travel the exact route that built the canal towns we pass through. It is quiet and beautiful, and it makes all that history feel close enough to reach out and touch.

At Albany, the trail turns north and becomes the Champlain Valley route, carrying us toward the small town of Whitehall. Whitehall is known as the birthplace of the United States Navy, where an American fleet was built in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The Champlain Canal, which opened in 1823, once linked the Hudson River to Lake Champlain right here, another early “superhighway” that moved people and goods long before real highways existed. Standing in a town that small, knowing how much American history started there, will be humbling indeed.

From Whitehall, the easy canal miles end, and the real climbing begins. We cross Vermont in one long day through the Green Mountains, grinding up hills that never seem to end and flying back down into valleys full of farms. We reach Hanover, New Hampshire, resting on the banks of the Connecticut River, before turning east into the White Mountains. This is the most stunning stretch of the entire ride. The peaks of the Presidential Range, including Mount Washington, will rise up all around us, and the roads twist through forests and mountain notches that feel wild and endless.

The final day carries us from Gorham, New Hampshire, across the Maine border and into Bethel, the home of Gould Academy. Here, the mountains soften into the western Maine woods, and after 700 miles, the finish line finally comes into view. Ending on that campus, where I go to school, ties the whole journey together.

Every mile matters. Please join us. Visit our websites listed here to donate and follow all seven days of the ride. Together, even across the miles, we can make a difference!

With its rolling hills and ample public land, Chautauqua County is a prime location for outdoor adventures on a mountain bike. In 2019, the Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association (WNYMBA) signed a Volunteer Stewardship Agreement (VSA) with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to design, build, and maintain new and existing singletrack trails in Whalen Memorial State Forest and Harris Hill State Forest. These trails offer a variety of experiences for beginner riders to seasoned veterans. In addition to the miles of trails on the State Forest Lands, there are also trails at Long Point State Park and at Loud Performance, both located in Bemus Point, NY. All the singletrack trails in Chautauqua County are groomed for winter fat biking during the colder months, which means that Chautauqua County has the most miles of groomed winter fat bike trails in New York State!

For beginner riders, the best places to start are at Loud Performance and at Long Point State Park in Bemus Point, NY. These trail systems are separated by a mile of road, so it is possible to string together a nice 10-15 mile ride on more mellow terrain. The Trails at Loud were machine built and offer a variety of features without too much elevation. A spin around “Day Trail” or “Bubba’s Back 40” provides new riders with a taste of mountain biking without much in the way of roots or rocks. Advanced riders can check out the jump lines at Loud Performance, which offer wooden features, big berms, and opportunities to get huge air. Just down the road at Long Point State Park, riders can find a bit more elevation, more roots, and longer, “flowier” stretches of trail. A spin out to the point opens amazing views of Chautauqua Lake and its incredible sunsets.

The trails at Whalen Memorial State Forest, just outside of Sherman, NY, offer a good deal of variety for intermediate and advanced riders. This trail system has a mix of machine-built flow (“Amish Buggy” and “Blue Heron”) to rocky technical sections that provide plenty of challenge for even the best riders (“Thursdays” and “Friday Afternoon”). Even more, the singletrack trails at Whalen Memorial State Forest connect to the Fred J. Cusimano Westside Overland Trail, which thus allow the truly adventurous to put together epic rides of 60 miles.

The trails at Harris Hill Extension, just outside of Gerry, NY, have the most advanced sections of singletrack trail in the county. Primarily designed by Thom Wright, and built over the past seventeen years by numerous WNYMBA volunteers, these trails connect to the Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail and are perfect for huge rides with friends. Most riders warm up with trails close to the main trailhead: “Flo’s Frolic” and “Too Tall Paul” are machine-built and are perfect for getting your blood pumping. Venture farther from the trailhead, and you’ll find the stellar trails called “Myrtle’s Romp” and “The Gut,” with more difficult trails fanning out from the bottom of the Folsom Creek Ravine.

In early fall, I typically park my car at the new lot on Eggleston Hill Road, adjacent to Whalen Memorial State Forest. I’ll ride the singletrack trails at Whalen and then head north on the Westside Overland Trail to Sherman, where I pick up the Chautauqua Rails to Trails on Titus Road. Heading north on the Rails to Trails, I’ll ride a loop at Chautauqua Gorge State Forest and then head south on the Overland Trail in Mount Pleasant State Forest and on sections of private land before arriving at my car to refuel. After refilling by hydration pack, I’ll continue south on the Overland Trail through North Harmony State Forest, Panama State Forest, and Brokenstraw State Forest, before turning around and heading back. All told, this ride is close to 65 miles, and it passes through rolling meadows on private property, beautifully wooded areas along the six State Forests, and a few road sections to link everything together. It is quite an adventure!

For more information about our mountain bike trails in Chautauqua County, visit wnymba.org. To plan your next adventure on a bike, check out chqtrails.org. Adventure awaits in Chautauqua County!

The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) brings together public and private leaders to focus on county-wide and regional economic development. It serves as the catalyst and broker of resources for advancing economic prosperity efforts and is the central coordinating entity for the formation, retention, development, and attraction of quality jobs and advancements to the quality of life in Chautauqua County.