Brrrrr … the winter biking challenge!

Clarification: Venture Outdoors is not a sponsor of this event. We are not accepting registrations or coordinating the event in any way.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
By Kate McCaffrey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Freezing temperatures, biting wind, slick roads, black ice, snow, rain, sleet, frozen stiff fingers and toes … It’s all part of the daily commute for dedicated — really, really dedicated — winter cyclists.

To help keep bicycle commuters on the road through the cold weather, Venture Outdoors has issued a challenge. The Solstice Cycling Challenge is simple: Ride to work as often as possible over the next few months and occasionally share a brewski and swap hell-on-wheels stories with fellow commuters at the OTB Bicycle Cafe on the South Side. Serious bikers are encouraged to throw $20 into a pool. Whoever commutes to work by bike the most between today and March 20 will take home half the cash. The rest pays for prizes and parties.
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Venture gets grant from L.L. Bean

Friday, November 14, 2008
By Karen Price,TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Venture Outdoors has long identified the lack of minority participation in the outdoors as a problem, not just in Western Pennsylvania, but nationwide.

Now, with help from a $30,000 grant from L.L. Bean, the nonprofit group believes it may have found a solution with its Family and Community Programs Initiative.
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Retailer backs urban outdoors initiative

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
By Randy Lieberman, Special to the Post-Gazette

“In [L.L. Bean's] efforts to establish a store in Pittsburgh, they did research here to find out about the area and found us,” said Sean Brady, assistant executive director of Venture Outdoors. “In our discussions with them, we discussed the Family and Community Programs Initiative and they thought it very closely matched their corporate goals here.”

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Photographer wants minorities to connect with natural treasures

Tuesday, October 07, 2008
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The 7 p.m. program titled “In Celebration of Wild Places: Connecting People to Nature,” is co-sponsored by Venture Outdoors, the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pitt’s Center for Minority Health, Three Rivers Birding Club, Recreational Equipment Inc. and the National Aviary.”

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Legacy bike riders stop in McKeesport

October 6, 2008
By JENNIFER R. VERTULLO, Daily News Staff Writer

“Relay riders made the trip in 24 hours, and those on the Venture Outdoors ride traveled the scenic route for eight days.”

“You pass through the old locks-and-dams system along the C&O Canal Towpath,” Sean Brady of Venture Outdoors said. “You get all this great scenery. You see old buildings and the lock masters’ houses. Then you move from the canal age to the agrarian age. You see farmland for miles.

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Pedaling to the Point a ride for the ages

Hundreds of bicyclists join forces to honor city’s 250th birthday
Sunday, October 05, 2008
By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The relay ride was part of the Pittsburgh 250th celebration, which included 85 cyclists riding 335 miles from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh and 18 teams of relay riders who covered that distance in 24 hours. They were later joined by hundreds of cyclists in Mc- Keesport and Pittsburgh.”

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Livable Pittsburgh steps from haze

September 25, 2008
By Ginny Prior - Columnist

“One of the best ways to see Pittsburgh and at least a dozen of its bridges is by kayak. After a brief tutorial, Kayak Pittsburgh puts you on the river for an easy paddle that lets you take in nature and see the cityscape from a unique perspective.”

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Bike tour to mark reopening of Point State Park, city’s birthday

Pittsburgh cyclists to participate in 335-mile trek
Sunday, September 21, 2008
By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The Venture Outdoors 250 Bike Tour, a group of 85 cyclists, will leave Saturday to ride from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh in eight days along the C&O Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage. Most will camp along the way.”

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Mural artists hard at work throughout trail towns

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
By SANDRA LEPLEY
Daily American Correspondent

“Celebration Saturday will coincide with the start of the Venture Outdoors 250 Bike Tour, from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh the week of Sept. 27.”

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3 wheels keep on turnin’

Donated trikes mark upcoming trail rides
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The first one, (PNC Legacy Trail Rides) organized by Venture Outdoors, will depart Washington on Saturday and arrive in Pittsburgh on Oct. 4.”

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