STONE RIDGE – Are four wheels better than two?
Ulster County is finding that cycling has become a solid economic driver, and Wednesday local elected and tourism officials gathered at SUNY Ulster to discuss a study that finds that two-wheeling on the Empire State Trail here generates $74 million annually through nearly 400,000 visits.
“I have almost 300 riders riding from Troy, Albany, all the way to New York City in six days,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Parks & Trails New York. “So, it’s a traveling bicycle celebration, and these people are coming from other parts of the state, the country and a few international folks as well.”
And Steely White, surveying the natural, culinary and riding opportunities in Ulster County, understands why the county is so popular.
“It’s just showing how people are flocking to Ulster County, enjoying our cultural and natural heritage and spending money,” he said.
The release of the study is also part of a five-day event, Cycle the Hudson Valley, promoted by the state for cyclists to use the Hudson Valley Greenway, and riders ventured from Hudson to the community college in Stone Ridge Wednesday before departing Thursday for Carmel.
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