This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Black Fly Challenge. On July 11, 1000, participants road 40 miles to see who could come out on top of this biking challenge. We’re going to highlight what happened at this year’s event.

What is the Black Fly Challenge?

The Black Fly Challenge is a race that changes direction every year, with the starting line and finish line alternating between Indian Lake and Inlet, NY. Over half the course traverses the Moose River Recreation Area, so racers faced mountain roads composed of dirt, gravel, sand, exposed boulders, and several steep elevation changes.

While this competition did start as a challenge for mountain bikers, it’s now become a top choice for cyclocross racers, tandem bikes, and even unicycles!

The Purpose of the Race

Along with seeing who can win, the Black Fly Challenge aims to promote, maintain, and preserve multi-use recreational trails in the West-Central Adirondack region and beyond. All race proceeds go into reinvesting in local communities, supporting the cycling community and outdoor recreation efforts, and having a positive impact on the local economy.

For the past 25 years, this event has seen an impressive turnout, and we expect this to stay the same for next year’s event.

The Results of the Race

This year, we want to give a big shout-out to Anne August and Trevor August. These two were the first to cross the finish. Trevor finished with a time of 1:48:12 and Anne with a time of 2:00:36. We also want to show support for the oldest and youngest competitors of this year’s race. Paige Sherwood was the youngest challenger at age 9, and Roger Gocking competed at 79.

Sponsors

Each year, the Black Fly Challenge receives sponsors from local bars and cycling shops to help get this even up and running. And this year, North County Subaru, here in Queensbury, NY, is again proud to have been the title supporter for this event.

Categories: Community Events