To the Editor:

On Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 2, residents of Albany County and the Hilltowns may have been wondering about the little motorcycles, piloted by riders with numbered vests, plying the scenic backroads. I hope that few residents were disturbed by this spectacle, and more than a few actually enjoyed watching these colorful machines pass by.

The event is called MotoGiro, patterned after a competition that originated in Spain.  We headquartered this spring at the Sunny Hill Resort in Freehold.

The machines must be older than 1968, and under 305 cubic centimeter displacement. The average speed is usually 24 to 26 miles per hour, which is regulated by time checks every 40 miles or so.  There are classes from 50 cc to 305 cc, plus scooters and sidecars.

The competition part involves navigation following a route sheet; timing regulated by the checkpoints; and, most importantly, agility tests.  These tests require navigating a serpentine course marked by cones, timed to the thousandth of a second.  Remarkably, the winner of this year’s Giro lost fewer than three seconds from a total of seven agility tests.

The Saturday lunch, time checks, and two agility tests were held at the Township Tavern in Knox.  Paul Centi and his crew deserve a huge thumbs-up for the amazing spread they produced.  Most of the riders I spoke with said it was the best lunch ever presented.

They were also very impressed with the roads and scenic beauty the area has to offer.

This year there were about 140 entries, with riders coming from the New England states, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina, as well as Canada.  Average age of the male competitors probably qualifies them for Social Security, although there are several younger females who do very well, as well as the sidecar dog “Marty.”

Next spring, the event will be held in North Carolina, but we hope to return back here within the next few years.

Jake Herzog Jr.

New Scotland