Last Sunday 5:30 AM found me biking to the Battery where, with a few hundred others, I helped put on BikeNY’s Five Borough Bike Tour. My main job was to ride very slowly, fix flats, gears & chains, hand out water, snacks and encouragement to 30,000 riders. In a previous post I suggested low-key NYC rides you can still go on. Below, I suggest somewhat more adventuresome multi-day rides in order of their physical demands.

When I was a very young teen, I rode on multi-day bike trips organized by the 92nd Street Y and American Youth Hostels. We carried our gear and food; rode 30 or so miles a day on fairly unforgiving 3-speed English touring bikes. I loved it. Heavy duty exercise, lots of unsupervised time on the road for making out, group meals. My dream – never achieved – was to lead those trips.

Fifty years later, in the course of courting, I’ve been getting my wish. On a dare, a couple of years ago I signed up to help put on a multi-day bike ride in the Adirondack Mountains. I practiced and practiced until I could get up the steepest hill in Central Park without collapsing. (Of course, in the Adirondacks, most every hill was steeper and longer than those in Central Park.). Since then, I’ve been on a number of multi-day rides and I want to invite you along.

The following three rides – sponsored by non-profits --, in order of increasing difficulty,  read more »

The Journal-News has endorsed
John Hall for Congress over Republican incumbent Sue Kelly. The Journal-News, which is read in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, is the third newspaper with major circulation in the 19th Congressional District to endorse Hall. Previously, he was endorsed by the NY Times and the Middletown Times-Herald-Record which has circulation in Orange and Rockland counties.

The Journal-News in a careful assessment of both candidates stated:

"We recommend Hall, a musician-activist and former school district and local-government official, to district voters in the Nov. 7 election. Driving our call for change: Need for more independence, more critical thinking, less slaving devotion to party ideology - and party mistakes. Kelly has offered none of this"

UPDATE: Elliot Spitzer will campaign with Hall Tuesday and Hillary Clinton will join him Wednesday. (Bill Clinton campaigned for Hall Monday.) And -- a possibly realistic Majority Watch robo-poll (via Kos) pegs Hall leading Kelly 49-47 within the margin of error.

In addition, the Campaign reported raising twice as much in the recent reporting period as Sue Kelly (About 220,000 as compared to 120,000)  read more »

Congressional Quarterly has decided that the John Hall-Sue Kelly race in NY's 19Cd is more competitive and adjusted its assessment of the district to "leans Republican." The shift was based, in part, on Kelly's connection to the problems of Mark Foley. When issues of Mr. Foley's contact with House Pages first was brought to the attention of Republican leaders in the House of Representatives in 2000, Sue Kelly was the Chair of the committee overseeing the House Page program. Review the CQ article, here. Sue Kelly's failed leadership in the Foley fiasco gets local coverage as well: (via Ben Smith) the Middletown Times-Herald Record has this report.

See Sue Kelly's reply in Susan Elan's article in the Journal News.
Sue Kelly's votes against veterants were at issue at a Beacon, NY veterns' speak out and press conference Wednesday. The Hall campaign outlined Sue Kelly's anti-vet. votes:
"*Cut access to disability and retirement benefits (HR 1588,  read more »

Important developments in the race to face 19th CD incumbent Sue Kelly over the last week showed lots of added steam to the campaign of folk-rock performer John Hall and some to another of his Democratic Party Rivals.

John Hall was endorsed by Jim Martorano, the Yorktown democrat who dropped out of the race four weeks ago. Jim M’s supporters in Westchester and Yorktown may give Hall an assist there. Democracy for Westchester also endorsed Hall. Most importantly, the New York State United Teachers which represents public school teachers in the district endorsed hall today. If the teachers and hospital workers really put effort into their Hall endorsements, that will multiply his already extensive resources. Finally -- folk and rock performers who support Hall will participate in a NYC Town Hall fundraising Concert on August 20, 2006. Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith (See the Events Notice, for more details).

Judy Aydelott, who has had the lead in fundraising among the Democrats, has been hosting free community dinners around the District in which voter dissatisfaction with Sue Kelly has been the subject of discussion. Aydellot, an attorney and Iraq war opponent was formerly a Republican.  read more »

Update on Petitions and Endorsements in the 19th CD race to replace Sue Kelly.

1) Judy Aydelott has been endorsed by the National Women’s Political Caucus and by Emily’s List.

Her campaign stated that it filed petitions containing 3,554 signatures and that the Hall campaign had filed a “general” challenge to her petitions.

2) John Hall was endorsed by the County Democratic Committees of Orange, Duchess and Rockland counties; The American Federation of Musicians and its Local 802 (orchestra, theatre, club and studio musicians); Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (skilled electricians); United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 (supermarket and grocery store employees); and the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 1. (stage hands etc.) in addition to SEIU 1199

His campaign said it filed more than 4200 signatures on designating petitions.

3) Darren Rigger’s campaign stated that it filed 1,871 signatures and that it expected a “general" challenge to its petitions as well.

4) Ben Schuldiner’s campaign stated it had been endorsed by Vassar College Democrats (a 500-member group) and that the campaign had filed petitions containing more than 2,800 signatures.  read more »