After much discussion, debate, backroom horse trading (no pun intended), and some arm twisting the Alfred University “reunion bikers” were able to come up with this year’s theme name for their week-long bike ride back to campus.
The name—"From Saratoga’s Turning Tide to Saxons’ Ride: 250 Years of Pride”—captures several aspects of our cycling event including Saratoga Springs’ history as a turning point in the Revolutionary War and our celebration of America250. The bike group was torn between this theme name and “Gallop and Glide: The America250 Ride” which may serve as a shorter “nickname” for the ride. Short and sweet and so “catchy.” The group is hoping to associate both names with this year’s ride. Many thanks to Anne Cornell in Alfred University’s Advancement office and her technology skills in using AI to develop several intriguing ideas as our starting point in the naming process.
In recognition of America250, our nation’s 250th birthday, the Alfred University Reunion Bikers have chosen the historic Saratoga Springs, NY as their pedal off point for this year’s journey back to campus. The area offers a unique variety of historical, cultural, and recreational opportunities. The city’s official slogan is “Health, History, and Horses.”
In previous articles organizers shared some interesting local history facts related to Saratoga Springs. This article shares some interesting historical events associated with America’s birthday: July 4th.
- The Founders’ Coincidence: During the nation’s 50th anniversary in 1826, Founding Fathers and former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the exact same day: July 4th.
- The Concorde Debut: Supersonic passenger flight officially arrived in 1976 when British Airways and Air France launched commercial Concorde flights cutting transatlantic travel time to under 3.5 hours.
- The personal computer revolution took a major step forward when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer on April 1, 1976.
- And who can forget “Rocky”? The biggest box-office phenomenon of 1976 was the original Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Broke at the time, Sylvester Stallone wrote the iconic script in just three days after watching a Muhammad Ali boxing match. It was made on a shoestring budget of just under $1 million in 28 days. The pets in the movie, two turtles, Cuff and Link, and a dog named Butkus were Stallone’s real-life pets.
- And finally, the theme song to the original Rocky, “Gonna Fly Now,” made to number one on the pop charts the following year in 1977.
The group will start gathering in Lake George and Saratoga Springs the weekend before Reunion Weekend on Saturday, June 6. The first bike ride will take place on Sunday, June 7 and will take riders on back country roads from Lake George to Fort Ann on the Hudson River. From Fort Ann bicyclists will head south along the Champlain Canalway Trail (part of the Empire State Trail) to Hudson Falls and Glens Falls where they will pick up the Warren County Bikeway which will take then north back to Lake George. On Monday, June 8, they will bike the Saratoga Battlefield loop from Saratoga Springs. Tuesday’s journey includes a ride around the city of Saratoga Springs and through Saratoga Spa State Park. After Tuesday’s ride they will drive to Penn Yan and stay at the Mansion on Keuka for two nights. On Wednesday, June 10, they will bike around Keuka Lake; a traditional favorite choice of the Reunion Bikers. On Thursday, June 11, they will orbit Conesus Lake one or two times (fielder’s choice).
The final “Victory Ride” is on Friday morning, June 12, from Hornell into Alfred with an anticipated arrival at the King Alfred Statue at noon. Participants include Mary Bouchard ’73, David ’77 and Regina Holleb, Terry Kiff ’84, Dave ’61 and Kate Perry, Jim Randall ’77, Harry Wilhelm ’74, and Conor Walsh ‘01. All are veteran bikers having participated in one or many previous reunion rides.
Reunion bikers welcome alumni, faculty and staff, students, and friends to join them as they ride through your local area, or for part or all of their trip. They also enjoy having lunch or dinner with friends of the University throughout our travels. Anyone interested in taking part in Friday’s “Victory Ride” that needs accommodations in Hornell is encouraged to make reservations early as the area hotels quickly fill up. Please email Jim Randall ’77 at [email protected] for additional information.
