Tribune-Review features VO Bike Tours

The word is getting around–we have expanded our bike tour schedule for 2010. Check out this great Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article by Karen Price. It’s all about our bike tours!

The article notes that we are continuing our most popular trips from last year, like the NYC Five Boro Bike Tour, Fall Foliage Bike Tour and the 24-hour Relay, but adding a new series of tours called the RAP Tour (Ride Across Pennsylvania) saying:

In addition to return trips to New York in May and Washington, D.C., in the fall, Venture Outdoors has added a 225-mile, four-day trip from Erie to Morgantown, W.Va., in August.

Read the full article

For more information on any of our 2010 tours, including packing lists and frequently asked questions visit, ventureoutdoors.org/biketours.aspx, or click the Bike Tours link on our homepage.

7 vests left for the Five Boro Bike Tour!

The Five Boro Bike tour sold out of regular entry slots in just 25 days! If you’re still looking for a chance to join the ranks, we have 7 spots left in our group registration! Join us and 30,000 others from around the country for a 42-mile car free ride in New York City.

The Five Boro Bike Tour is just a one day ride, but we’re making it more like a mini vacation. We’ll take care of transportation, tolls and lodging, so you can simply enjoy the ride. Read more

First ever RAP Tour now open!

Did you know Pennsylvania has 9 state bike routes – including 4 that span north and south, and 3 that travel east and west? Pretty cool, right?

Venture Outdoors is excited to announce a new series of bike tours on the BicyclePA Routes. Our first ever RAP (Ride Across Pennsylvania) Tour will be this August, and we’ll be traveling BicyclePA Route A from Erie, PA to Morgantown, WV.

Registration is now open for the RAP Tour. Sign up before May 31st to receive an Early Bird Special. For more details on the ride CLICK HERE.

But be sure to check out this cool map of Keystone State Bike Routes below. We’ll be one of these routes each year!

Sign up starts now for 2010 bike tours

Registration is now open for our first bike tour of 2010, the NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour: a 42-mile car free ride around the Big Apple. This year we’ve lengthened the trip to give you more free time in NYC.

We’ll leave from Station Square on Saturday morning, May 1 to allow for free time that evening, giving you the chance to explore NYC on your own. Sunday we’ll join the 30,000 other riders from across the country for the 5 Boro Bike Tour. On Monday, May 3 we’ll leave NYC at noon and return to Pittsburgh around 7:00 PM.

This trip usually sells out 30 to 60 days in advance so reserve your spot today!
For more information on the tour and to sign up: CLICK HERE

Best Time to Bike!

Despite the soggy start, the Fall Foliage Bike Tour which traveled from Connellsville, PA to Cumberland, MD from Friday, October 9 through Monday, October 12, was a great success. From downtown Pittsburgh, a small and enthusiastic group set off for Connellsville to ride the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). Though the weather wasn’t sunny, our dispositions were. One participant said, “Well, at least the trails won’t be crowded.”

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335 Miles in 24 Hours: G-24 Relay Photos

In celebration of the G-20 Summit coming to Pittsburgh and to raise money for the Allegheny Trail Alliance, Venture Outdoors sponsored a G-24 Relay September 22-23. Fifteen cyclists rode 335 miles in 24 hours sustaining a speed of 15 mph for the entire trip! The riders rode through the night along the historic C & O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage, from Washington DC to Pittsburgh enjoying the wildlife and scenery the entire way!
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Be a G-24 Relay Rider!

What better way to celebrate the G-20 Summit and the green renaissance of Pittsburgh then with a bike tour! Venture Outdoors is sponsoring the our second annual 24-hour relay from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, and in honor of its timing we coined it the G-24 Relay.

We are looking for a few more cyclists to come along on the ride. You will be joining a small group of cyclists who will alternately cycle then ride in vehicles. Each cyclists will ride every 4th-5th leg of the relay, riding approximately 4 legs (80 miles) over the 24 hour period.

Relay riders will have to pay a small entry fee, just $30, and will be encouraged to raise $1 per mile for each of the 335 miles of the trail. Money generated will be donated to the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

Each rider that generates $335 will be rewarded with a custom cycling jersey made just for the event.
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Summer Cycling Tour raises needed funds for the YMCA and the Allegheny Trail Alliance

In the heat of the August, 15 adventurous souls headed into the wilderness to ride the Great Allegheny Passage while raising money for two great causes. The four day tour was organized by Venture Outdoors. Cyclists were rewarded for their work with breathtaking views of mountains, tunnels, viaducts, wind farms, and the occasional kayaker floating down the lazy rivers.

Money provided by the riders combined with funds from Venture Outdoors totaled $250 and will go directly to the Allegheny Trail Alliance (ATA), the all volunteer group that maintains and builds the trail. Venture Outdoors encourages all the outfitters, shops, restaurants, hotels, B & Bs, cyclists and anyone else benefiting from the trail to make a contribution to finish and maintain the trail at www.atatrail.org. Together, we can create a sustainable source of income that will keep the trail a world class asset for decades to come.

Eric Mann, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, took it upon himself to ride every mile to raise money for his organization and the youth it serves. 130 miles and four days later found him smiling from ear to ear with over $7,000 in pledges. He had so much fun that he’s already planning to expand the ride next year to include over 50 cyclists from the YMCA. The impact of a large number of cyclists generating funds for youth programs will be substantial. Eric had this to say, “Venture Outdoors does an unbelievable job, the YMCA is planning it’s 2010 Great Ride for children with special needs.”

The fun is not over yet for 2009. There’s still one more chance to vacation with Venture Outdoors on the Great Allegheny Passage in October. But, there are only 8 spots left for the Fall Foliage Bike Tour, a relaxing 4 day bike tour that is perfect for cyclists and their non-cycling spouses and friends. Details and online registration can be found at www.ventureoutdoors.org or by calling 412.255.0564 ext 35.

3 Ladies, 310 Miles, and a lots of fun!

Venture Outdoors can provide a range of support services along the Great Allegheny Passage and the C & O Canal Towpath. Just a few short weeks ago one of our trip leaders provided support and gear (SAG) to a group of three that rode from Boston, Pa to Washington, DC in just 5 days. They had a great time and took the time to write the wonderful letter below.

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Dear Seth,
I just wanted to reiterate what Kay has already said about our trip last week. We had a fantastic time, and the trip was so much better because we had Joel to help us out, and to provide interesting conversation (and humor) along the way! He was there whenever we needed him, and the extra things he did, like drying out our tents each day and arranging lodging when we were tired of camping (great B&B in Harpers Ferry!), were very much appreciated. It was particularly nice to have someone to meet us at the end of the ride to help find the campsites, and to drive us all to our final destinations in DC/Pitt. I am also happy that you can handle special requests like ours, because I also enjoyed the fact that we pretty much had the trail to ourselves for 5 days and our busy schedules could be accommodated. I would definitely recommend Joel as a guide and Venture Outdoors to anyone looking for a great trip! Now I want to go back and do the ride in reverse!!

Thanks for everything!

Christy

Eating & Biking Across Iowa

July 19-25 marked the 37th Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) and I, Seth Gernot, was there with the word VIRGIN tattooed down my calf. The VIRGIN tattoo is standard issue for all first-timers on this week-long ride. My team and I were joined by the other 15,000 riders traveling the 450 + miles west to east from the Missouri River to the mighty Mississippi. While it’s a leisurely ride and not a race, we still pedaled an average of 68 taxing miles a day over Iowa’s surprisingly varied topography.

Actually, only 10,500 riders were able to secure an official RAGRAI wristband, but the roads are public domain and 4,500 more riders decided to crash the party. This year there were so many entries for RAGRAI that a lottery was held to determine who would officially ride. Our team, the hearty MolassesAsses (MA), was among the lucky ones.

Our team consisted of 15 veteran RAGBRAI riders and 7 first-timers, including myself. The trip began in Council Bluffs in Western Iowa, and on the first morning we rose at 6am, got ready, received our VIRGIN tattoos, and embarked by 8 am.

Summertime in Iowa is reportedly tar meltingly hot, but we were lucky as Iowa was experiencing record lows and temperatures never spiked past 90 degrees. The moderate weather made the 53 miles and 3700 feet climb seem easy the first day.
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