SARANAC LAKE — One of the biggest bike events of the year brought its tent city to town this week as Cycle Adirondacks spent the last two nights set up on baseball fields at Saranac Lake Middle School.

The week-long event made some changes for 2017, and organizers say the modifications have been well received.

“The biggest change that we had, which is the reason things are going so well, is we changed the format,” Matt Van Slyke said. “We used to move every day and then just have a layover day in the middle of the week.

“Now, we stay two days in each of three towns, and it makes for a much more relaxed atmosphere. It allows us to offer more off-bike activities, [like] paddling trips and hiking trips.”

VanSlyke and Doug Haney are the driving force behind Cycle Adirondacks, which also raises money for projects in each of the host communities of Schroon Lake, Keene Valley and Saranac Lake. The Wildlife Conservation Society in Saranac Lake also spreads its message as part of the bike event.

Haney said the new format will allow more people to participate because the several hundred-mile-long route is broken up by rest days. He added that due to the longer stays in each town, more of the roughly 200 cyclists are choosing to stay in local lodging options rather than tent city.

The ride starts in Schroon Lake and meanders through the Adirondacks to Keene Valley and then on to Saranac Lake before heading back to Schroon Lake. VanSlyke and Haney said this year they partnered with Adirondack Gives to fund three separate projects in the host communities.

Haney said the group funded a device that should prevent the athletic fields in Keene Valley from getting flooded by beavers, and for a chicken coop as part of a farm-to-table program in Schroon Lake.

In Saranac Lake, Cycle Adirondacks and Adirondack Gives have partnered with the Saranac Lake Youth Center to raise money to purchase bikes for area youth who may need them to get to school, work or just for exercise.

“What that’s done is really connected our event close to the communities we utilize as overnight hosts,” Haney said. “It allows us to have more of a lasting impact with the communities. The best part about that is each one of these projects was generated by the community, it was something they wanted.

“That is really impactful to our guests, to know that some of their registration money goes to have this lasting impact.”

Haney said that he and VanSlyke hope to expand their cycling event repertoire in the future. The pair also partners with other groups to put on bike rides such as Bike the Barns and Ride for the River. They also plan to hold a family-friendly weekend event in 2018.

“Matt and I, looking at Cycle Adirondacks as a brand, want to expand that so more communities can look at taking cycling as a vehicle to not only promote healthy infrastructure, but promote bicycle tourism,” Haney said. “Because it’s a fast-growing sport, and anyone can do it.”

Haney and VanSlyke said that registration for next year’s Cycle Adirondacks opened today. For more information on Cycle Adirondacks, go to www.cycleadirondacks.com.

To learn more about Adirondack Gives’ bike campaign, visit www.adirondackgives.org/campaigns/cycle-adirondacks-youth-center-bike-fund.