The ride began on July 18, and the morning started off on the wrong foot. The entire town of Georgetown conspired against us to close down all the early-morning breakfast shops. We had no choice but to chow down 10 minutes before the start of the event—not ideal when you’re about to ride hard all day and all night.

And ride hard we did: the first few legs on the C & O Canal Towpath put us, surprisingly, ahead of schedule as we rolled into Cumberland. This was pivotal as we stood before a 24 mile climb up to the Eastern Continental Divide. As we climbed this hill the sun set on our day but the cycling continued. We were slowly losing our lead on time, and things turned sour on the longest leg of the relay.

The second-to-last leg from Confluence to Connellsville is a daunting 27-mile task in the wee hours of the morning. Throw in an electrical storm brewing in the distance and the ride is nothing short of epic. Unfortunately, our riders made a wrong turn in Confluence and were a mile away before they righted their course. We lost nearly 30 minutes there.

As the team waited in Boston for the final leg, it was obvious that we were in jeopardy of missing the 24 hour deadline for the first time in the history of this ride. It’s 23 miles from Boston to the Point, for which we’d scheduled 97 minutes. As the riders approached the handoff point, we were left with just 79.

We would have to fly like the wind to pull it off. I rode the last leg with a friend who is 28 years my senior. I still remember his wife ordering me on no uncertain terms to “bring him home alive.” I really wanted to follow her order.

But I really, really wanted to get to the Point in time. So we rode hard. Hard up the hills and even harder on the flats. We flew over bridges and through intersections and found ourselves on the Eliza Furnace Trail with 3 miles to go and 20 minutes remaining. We had ridden 20 miles in 59 minutes. And my friend did great.

As we arrived in Point State Park at 7:20am on Sunday July 18th we were all smiles. Incredibly, and despite what always seem like insurmountable odds, we pulled it off again!

I want to thank all of the riders that made this happen: Todd Owens, Tim Inglis, Mark Susany, Jonathan Kersting, Tricia Chicka, Mark Rawlings, Mike Welsh, Lou Testoni, and Mike Shafer. With their legs, lungs, and never-give-up attitude, we once again made it 335 miles from Washington to Pittsburgh in less than 24 hours.

We’re still collecting donations for the ride, and we’d love to have your support. Proceeds will go to benefit the Allegheny Trail Alliance and help cover the cost of the ride. You can contribute online at www.ventureoutdoors.org/relay.aspx

-Story by Seth Gernot, Venture Outdoors Bike Tour Coordinator

Check out some great photos of the adventure by Mark Susany, Seth Gernot and Tricia Chicka.

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Be one of the first to view the film! The preview party is Wednesday, July 7th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland. This is the first opportunity to see the film, and meet John Urman afterwords.

Hors d’oeuvres, wine & beer will be offered for free and everyone who attends gets a free DVD of the film. The Melwood Screening Room is located at 477 Melwood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Order your ticket on our Activities Calendar!

We offering three great tours this summer and fall. Each with a different level of difficulty and intensity. Let’s start off with the easiest:

Fall Foliage Bike Tour

Sunday, October 3 – Friday, October 8
This tour is fully supported and is geared to cyclists and non-cyclists alike. The six day tour includes all of your accommodations and some meals. You’ll have the option to ride a lot or a little each day as we make our way from Rockwood, PA to Washington DC. Enjoy the relaxed setting, the history, and the incredible views as you travel from Laurel Highlands to our nation’s capital.
More information

RAP Tour

Thursday, August 5 – Sunday, August 8
Don’t let the name confuse you, this in not a music tour, it’s a Ride Across Pennsylvania (RAP) Bike Tour. Pennsylvania has 9 State Bicycle Routes and on the first ever RAP Tour you’ll ride on PA Bicycle Route A from Erie, PA to Morgantown, WV over 4 days. This is a moderate bike tour, with riders averaging 56 miles per day.
More Information

24 Hour Cycling Relay

Friday, July 17 – Saturday, July 18
Watch out beginners this bike tour is not for you. We’re looking for serious cyclists who are up for a challenge: ride the entire length of the C & O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage (335 miles) in 24 hours. It can be done, and this year you can do it while supporting your favorite charity.
More Information

If you have questions about any of this year’s bike tour or would like to schedule a custom tour contact our Bike Tour Coordinator, Seth Gernot:
Email: seth@ventureoutdoors.org
Phone: 412.255.0564 ext. 35

Before this ride, I’d never biked more than 25 miles in one go. I’ve long enjoyed both the outdoors and biking, but ever approached both with one thing in mind: leisure. Well, leisure to be accompanied by a post-leisure ice cream cone.

But I decided to do the ride for the personal challenge of biking further in one day than I ever have, the opportunity to see the city from something other than a cab or photographs, and the promise of being on the back of a tandem bicycle with our Bike Tour Coordinator, Seth “I Bike Uphill for Giggles” Gernot. What could go wrong?

Sunday morning we rolled out of bed around 6:00 AM with the sun and balmy morning air as our cheerleaders. Nothing, not even a waffle (okay, maybe a waffle), could have energized me more. Although the ride wouldn’t begin until 8, thousands of people had already lined up by the time we took our place between the starting point and Battery Park. Being surrounded by that many bikers—eventually, the number would reach over 30,000—was one of the most incredible parts of the ride.

Even in the crowd, we were able to keep track of each other with the footlong flags we decorated our helmets with. We also saw helmets with fluffy pink flamingos, sparkly red streamers, and Star Wars bobble heads. The force was definitely with those riders.

A few New Yorkers apparently hadn’t heard that we were coming. My favorite quote was at a crosswalk as a girl waited impatiently, talking on her cell phone. “There’s like, a thousand bikers here blocking my way,” she said, “and they aren’t stopping.” Poor gal. I bet she was standing there awhile.

With Seth’s surplus of charisma and our 4 well-tuned engines (two right legs and two left in total), I’m pleased to report that the 40 miles flew by pretty comfortably—even on a heavy Huffy tandem made in the ‘80s. That evening, I was also able to get my sweets fix with some “mascarpone” gelato from a little market near our hotel. Mmmm.

I ended the ride with only one complaint. Seth made me bike uphill, and he graciously volunteered to manage the downs. That’s fine—he’s old and needed my help.* But where in the heck did he get this picture?

Someone is trying to sabotage my career as a serious biker. Come on—I pedaled myself, and Seth, up the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn.** You can be sure I’m tough.

Personal experience by Whitney Philipps, Venture Outdoors Development Intern

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*Seth definitely isn’t old! But he did celebrate his birthday with us on the day of the ride, and during the drive to New York with some delicious cupcakes from Dozen.

**Including immediate approaches, the bridge is about 2.7 miles long—the first half of which is uphill.

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.

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.

Our group will leave Saturday morning, May 1st, from Station Square and spend Saturday night, Sunday and Monday until noon in the Big Apple. We’ll return to Pittsburgh Monday evening, May 3rd. Sign up today, these last spots will be gone soon!

MORE INFORMATION

Check out some photos from previous years below:

Riders crossing the bridge to Manhattan.

The man on the right is none other than Todd Owens, Chair of the Venture Outdoors Board of Directors

Lining up for the ride to begin. Photo by Mike Vindler.

The ride is ready to start! Photo by Mike Vindler.

Photo by Mike Vindler.

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!

In days one and two we got a thorough history lesson in Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Wright’s well known Fallingwater is in a story book setting; peaceful and romantic, but perhaps not really practical for everyday living. But, his lesser known, yet no less beautiful, Kentuck Knob had all of us ready to move in and settle down in the country. Some other significant sights along the way included: Garrett Wind Farm, Salisbury Viaduct, Big Savage Tunnel, the Eastern Continental Divide and the Mason & Dixon line.

Each evening, after a good days ride, we relaxed in unique Bed & Breakfasts immersed in small town Pennsylvania usually with no televisions and no cell phones. Everyone agreed that playing games was much more fun than TV anyway! Our final evening was spent in The Castle; a historic B&B resembling a Scottish castle located just outside Frostburg in Mount Savage, MD. At the castle we enjoyed an elegant dinner followed by a fun evening bonding again over board games and cards… which sadly Seth lost.

In the end, we made it to the junction of the GAP and the C & O Canal Towpath. We were all sad to have the vacation be over, and grateful for an unforgettable weekend. Our little group of now good friends vowed to have a reunion tour next year and all agreed to meet again for the Fall Foliage Bike Tour in 2010.

Thanks to Seth for a job well done!

Story and photos by Ivy Steinberg.

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The story touts the trail’s amenities that we all know and love like even terrain, beautiful views and exciting tunnels, but also speaks to the economic opportunities for towns along the trail and the money to be made when over 700,000 people travel the passage.

Read the article at, www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/affordableamerica/2009-10-08-great-allegheny-passage_N.htm

While your there check out the Venture Outdoors link along the left side. Our Fall Foliage Bike Tour is out there riding the Great Allegheny Passage right now!