Buffalo, NY to Bethel, ME. One bike, seven days.
Hi, I’m Nick Cornell. From August 10 to 17, I’m riding my bike from Buffalo, New York to Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine to raise $5,000 for Breakthrough T1D. My brothers Ben and Zach both live with Type 1 Diabetes. Every mile is for them.
600+ mi
7 days
600+
miles
Buffalo to Bethel
7
days
camping along the way
$5,000
goal
for Breakthrough T1D
2
brothers
the reason for every mile
the two reasons are named Ben and Zach
The Cornell crew
Ben, 21. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 10, on January 4, 2016.
Zach, 18. Diagnosed at age 9, on August 25, 2017. In 2021, he was also diagnosed with Epilepsy, with most seizures coming when his blood sugar ran low.
Mom, Lori. Driving the follow car the whole way.
Dad, Chuck, and Nate (19). Top supporters on the homefront.
Nick. Youngest of four boys. The one on the bike.
I’m the youngest of Lori and Chuck Cornell’s four boys, and two of my brothers live with Type 1 Diabetes. Ben was diagnosed on January 4, 2016, when he was ten years old. Zach was diagnosed on August 25, 2017, when he was nine. In 2021, Zach was also diagnosed with Epilepsy, and most of his seizures came when his blood sugar ran low.
Growing up in our family, I saw what this disease asks of people every single day. I have felt the stress it puts on the kids who brave this lifelong burden and the parents who help support them.
But I have watched something else happen too. In the years since my brothers were diagnosed, I have seen the real advancements that JDRF and Breakthrough T1D have made in technology and care, and I have seen how much lighter those advancements make the load our family carries.
Every dollar helps lift some of the weight that people with Type 1 Diabetes and their families carry on their back.
That is why I’m riding. This trek is my senior project at Gould Academy, and every dollar raised goes to Breakthrough T1D so they can keep pushing research forward, for Ben, for Zach, and for every family like ours.
three riders, three causes, one road
I am not doing this alone. Finn Erlandson and Nathan Romboldi are riding every mile with me, and each of us is raising money for a cause that has touched our own lives. Here is why they ride.
Age 16
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Six years ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. I survived, and I was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This bike trip is the perfect chance to raise money and awareness so they can grant kids like me an unforgettable wish, replacing fear with fun, sadness with joy, and anxiety with hope.
Goal: $1,000
Support Finn's ride ↗
Age 17
American Cancer Society
I am raising money for the American Cancer Society, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with cancer and their families, offering hope and resources during challenging times. Together, we can make a meaningful impact.
Support Nathan's ride ↗
Please support my friends as well!
seven days, four states, one very loaded bike
Day 1
The start line. Rolling out on the Erie Canal path of the Empire State Trail.
Day 2
Canal miles all day, following the old towpath east.
Day 3
Canal towns and locks, deeper into the Mohawk Valley.
Day 4
Through Albany, then north onto the Champlain Valley route toward Vermont.
Day 5
Into Vermont and up into the Green Mountains.
Day 6
The rest of Vermont, then up into the White Mountains.
Day 7
The home stretch to Gould Academy. The finish line.
Finn and Nathan are riding with me and we are camping each night along the route.
My mom Lori is driving support the entire way with gear, food, and backup.
Gould Academy’s four core values, carried the whole way
This trek is my senior project at Gould, and it runs on the same four values the school does. Here is what each one looks like from the saddle.
could I actually do this?
This whole trek started with a question. Could I really ride from Buffalo to my school in Maine? Mapping the route, studying the trails, and learning what it takes to live on a bike for a week has been one long lesson, and I signed up for it on purpose.
for Ben, for Zach, for every T1D family
This ride is for my brothers and for every family that carries the load of Type 1 Diabetes. Every conversation on the trail, every shirt, and every dollar raised is a small act of kindness pointed at a very big problem.
a fundraiser on two wheels
A fundraiser does not have to be a bake sale. Custom shirts with a QR code, this website, a journal from the road. I am using every creative tool I have to get people to care about this cause.
my brothers show me how
Seven days of weather, mountains, and unknowns takes some nerve. But real courage is what Ben and Zach show every single day of their lives. When the hills get steep, that is what keeps the pedals turning.
history under our wheels
This route is not just a line on a map. Almost every mile of it runs through a piece of American history, and we get to ride straight through the middle of it.
Buffalo to Albany
The first four days follow the Empire State Trail, which is the longest multi-use trail in the country. Most of those early miles trace the path of the old Erie Canal. When the canal first opened in 1825, it connected Buffalo and the Great Lakes to Albany and the Hudson River, and almost overnight, it turned New York into the gateway of a growing nation.
The flat path we ride was once a towpath, where teams of mules pulled heavy boats east and west. As we roll out of Buffalo toward Macedon, Rome, and Amsterdam, past the old canal locks still standing along the way, we get to travel the exact route that built the canal towns we pass through. It is quiet and beautiful, and it makes all that history feel close enough to reach out and touch.
Albany to Whitehall
At Albany, the trail turns north and becomes the Champlain Valley route, carrying us toward the small town of Whitehall. Whitehall is known as the birthplace of the United States Navy, where an American fleet was built in 1776 during the Revolutionary War.
The Champlain Canal, which opened in 1823, once linked the Hudson River to Lake Champlain right here, another early “superhighway” that moved people and goods long before real highways existed. Standing in a town that small, knowing how much American history started there, will be humbling indeed.
Whitehall to Gorham
From Whitehall, the easy canal miles end, and the real climbing begins. We cross Vermont through the Green Mountains, grinding up hills that never seem to end and flying back down into valleys full of farms. We cross the Connecticut River into New Hampshire before turning east into the White Mountains.
This is the most stunning stretch of the entire ride. The peaks of the Presidential Range, including Mount Washington, will rise up all around us, and the roads twist through forests and mountain notches that feel wild and endless.
Gorham to Bethel
The final day carries us from Gorham, New Hampshire, across the Maine border and into Bethel, the home of Gould Academy. Here, the mountains soften into the western Maine woods, and after seven days on the road, the finish line finally comes into view. Ending on that campus, where I go to school, ties the whole journey together.
Every mile matters. Please join us.
Follow all seven days of the ride, and donate to any of our three causes. Together, even across the miles, we can make a difference!
follow the dotted line
Photos and updates posted from the road as we ride. Newest update first. Scroll down the trail to ride back in time.
Whitehall - Bethel, VT
We started off the day great waking up right on Lake George and going for a swim. Then we went to a diner on the way to our drive back to Whitehall where we ended the day before. But when we started biking things started to turn south. About 5 miles in my chain snapped while I was going up a hill. My mom picked me up to go to a bike shop nearby. By the time I got back on the road it was already 3:00. I cruised through the next 20 miles to catch up to my friends. After we past Rutland it felt like the uphills were endless. We were on a very remote rocky and gravel road which was tough to get through with our road bikes. We were able to see very cool views along the way. Once we were back on paved road we were cruising downhill but as it became dark it was too dangerous with the fast traffic to keep going. We had to cut our day short after completing just 60 miles. The next two days will be tougher with the extra mileage but we will get good rest tonight.
Amsterdam - Whitehall
Today we biked about 77 miles on sections of, hilly roads, gravel roads, canal path. We got off on our bikes at 8:00 from our first hotel of the trip. We biked 27 miles to an amazing diner in Saratoga springs. But I had to spend about an hour at a bike shop to get my breaks fixed. This was the first day we started to see some mountains. We arrived in Whitehall around 7:00, then we drove to eastern shore of Lake George and camped at a beautiful spot. Probably the most fun day of the trip so far.
Amsterdam
Day was alright we only went 94 miles. We had a slow start after 40 miles my left knee was very swollen. I took an hour and a half break to ice my knee and I told the group to go ahead. In little falls I was able to catch up to them while they were at a bike shop. From there we went 50 miles without a stop, arriving in Amsterdam before 9. There we stayed at a motel which was great. We are now done with the Erie Canal.
Lock 21, Rome
Day was a tough 214 miles lots of gravel but we also switched to some road riding which was fun. I reached $2,500 for breakthrough T1D meaning we are 50% of the way to our goal. Let’s keep riding!
Lock 30 canal park near Palmyra
Today was a tough day. I woke up at 5am but as soon as I went to pick up my friend the hitch holding our bikes bent. Luckily the bikes were alright, we replaced the bike rack with a smaller one and squeezed a bike in the trunk. We didn’t arrive in Canalside till 9:30. We biked about 4 or 5 miles towards a bike ferry that was closed, which was a bike 8-10 mile detour. Once we got out of Buffalo the riding was pretty smooth but it was very late in the day. We ended up arriving at lock 30 at midnight. But tonight we are staying right on the canal, hopefully tomorrow we can get a sooner start even though we are tired.
the trail continues, more posts on the way
every single dollar goes to Breakthrough T1D
My goal is to raise $5,000 for Breakthrough T1D, the organization that has been changing life with Type 1 Diabetes for families like mine. Your donation funds research, technology, and hope.
Send it to a friend, post it in the group chat, or mention it at dinner. Every visit helps.
Riding the Empire State Trail this August? Look for the T1D shirts with the QR code and come talk to us.
The trip is being documented on Instagram and Facebook. Links are coming soon.
