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The 6th annual Bon Ton Roulet tour was sponsored by the Cortland and Auburn (NY) YMCA's. This year's tour was similar to last year's, and would be staying in different places while traversing some of the same roads (and hills).
We arrived on Saturday at the starting point - Tompkins / Cortland Community College in Dryden (near Cortland). We quickly registered and picked up our tour polo shirts. No cheap t-shirts to commemorate this ride... they give you a nice embroidered polo shirt. If you're planning to go on this ride, be warned... the shirts are HUGE. We learned our lesson last year and ordered 2 sizes down from T-shirt size. Some of the ever-helpful volunteers greeted us and welcomed us back. There were about 350 people on the tour last year, and about 300 this year, so you never had to stand in a long line for anything and the volunteers soon know everyone's faces, if not their names.
The ride staff had a laptop computer and projector set up showing a flyover of the upcoming route over a 3-D terrain map that had been developed at a local college. They might eventually put it up on their web site if they can afford to buy the software.
We drove into town (a few blocks) and saw that the first two diners were packed with cyclists. We continued a little further and found the world's dirtiest Chinese restaurant. Ok, maybe not the dirtiest, but certainly in the top 3. Luckily the food was better than their housekeeping, and we survived without any ill-effects.
The night's weather was exactly what we were hoping for in coming to this area to tour... the sleeping bags came out to keep us warm and we woke to cool, comfortable weather and clear skies.
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