Why is cycling so much on my mind right now? June 7 & 8, 2025, will be my 23rd year of riding 150 miles over a two day period. Why do I do that? We’re raising money for the National MS Society. So far, since I’ve been riding, with the help of so many people, I have been able to raise over $42,000.

Now, most people would have a difficult time getting on a bike and ride that distance without the proper training, and I’m almost in that category this year! Lots of rain, combining a downed tree, a Kubota Tractor, and. a little stupidity resulting in two cracked ribs, made for difficulty in getting more training in! Have you ever ridden an e-bike?!

We’ve had multiple people stay at Chapel Valley Estate that had done some long distance riding. One of the couples, Ken & Patty stopped here on day 17 of their cross country trip in 2015. They blogged their 115 day, 3070 mile trip on Tandem TransAm 2015. So, if you ever want to cycle across the country, their blog is well worth checking out! They took advantage of the Adventure Cycling Association and utilized their maps for their planning. One of their routes goes right through Ellwood City! The Adventure Cycling Association has tons of great information if you have any interest in longer bicycle trips. Did you know that they have 52,047 miles of routes listed?

Another rider who rode across country in 40 days is Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race. He did this in 2011 and actually rode through the Pittsburgh area.  They did a documentary of his ride, which he raised $500,000 for the MS Society. My understanding is that when asked what part of the country was the toughest, he said Pittsburgh, because of the hills (up and down, up and down), traffic, and narrow shoulders.  No, he did not stay with us, but a friend of ours was able to ride some distance with him, but lost him when he got to some of the steeper hills.

Over the last several years, the city of Pittsburgh has become more and more bicycle friendly. (we’re only 40 minutes away!) They have added multiple bike lanes and have improved bicycle safety. One of the organizations that have been one of the driving factors is Bike Pgh. They have updated maps of bike routes in and round the city of Pittsburgh and much more valuable information about riding in the “Burgh”.

One of the things that I have enjoyed on multiple occasions is Pedal Pittsburgh. They offer this every year, usually in August with various routes through 90 distinct neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Depending on your desire, you can choose between the 10, 25. 40, or 62 mlle routes. It is a well supported ride and highly recommended! A little too far to commute from Chapel Valley Estate, is the Five Boro Bike Tour in NYC, which I have done twice and is usually offered in May. Great ride, no hills, streets are closed to vehicle traffic, but there are many cyclists! Thought that I’d mention it as I have experienced it!

What if you’re up for a real challenge! I have a suggestion, of which I have never participated in and never will! It is called the Dirty Dozen. It is about a 50 mlle race going up 13 of Pittsburgh’s steepest hills. It is held on the Saturday before the Halloween holiday. If you want to watch, not ride these steepest hills, Mitch Boyer did a 27 minute video of the 2024 ride. He has a short interview with Danny Chew, who with his brother, Tom started the Dirty Dozen in 1983. He suffered a paralyzing accident in 2016, but still rides, shooting to ride 1,000,000 miles! I find the video pretty fascinating, but not enough to try it!

OK, so maybe you’re more of a “let’s stay off the road kind of a person”. No problem. Even though there are no rail trails next to Chapel Valley Estate, there are multiple ones within an hours drive or so. A well known trail is the GAP Trail or Great Allegheny Passage which can be started in Pittsburgh and it will take you to Cumberland, MD where you would pick up the Tow Path to continue riding to Washington DC. Of course this entire trip would take some planning and some time. There are various places on this trail that you can do much shorter rides and still get a great flavor of the beautiful scenery. Pat & I actually took a day trip several years ago to Niagara Falls and rode our bikes on trails near the falls.

There are multiple trails in and around the Pittsburgh area, where you can actually park for free and ride around the rivers and various points without riding on the roads. I’ve ridden on the Stavich Trail located in New Castle and extends into Ohio. It is about 12 miles and is paved and flat. If you ride the Panhandle Trail, most of it in Washington County, you could ride through the back yard of Jack Eckenrode. He will likely have water available for you on the trail. Jack is a 97 year old Sr Olympian Gold Medalist. He recently wrote a book with his granddaughter, “Road to 100” and is featured on a 46 minute podcast with Joie Miller. Great interview even if you don’t ride! One of my favorite trail starting points is located in Franklin, PA, about an hour north of us, the Samuel Justus Trail which is a 5.8 mile paved trail that takes you to Oil City and connects with other trails to form the Erie -Pittsburgh Trail which consists of about 270 miles of trails, many of which are paved and flat!

Even though Western Pennsylvania is known for the hills and valleys, there are options for bicycle riding from the novice to the long distance, experienced rider. I have taken guests on short rides around Chapel Valley Estate, so if you you bring your bike, I’ll ride with you, providing Pat will let me off from my duties for a bit!