At 12:10am I was woken up by my wife Megan and her friend Kia from a dead sleep. Our mattresses were infested with BED BUGS! I could barely keep my eyes open as I tried to gather my things and pack up all of my cycling gear that I had neatly laid out for my 5am wakeup that morning. After deliberation and back-and-forth with the front desk, we chose to get the heck out of that hotel and move to another one a few minutes up the road. We settled back in and back to bed I went, changing my wakeup time from 5am to 6am to try and make up some lost time sleeping.

Let me back up real quick. About two years ago, I saw that a couple had cycled the Great Allegheny Passage in one day on Strava. The Great Allegheny Passage (or GAP, as I will refer to it from this point on), is a 149 mile continuous multi-use trail built on old railroad beds spanning from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 99.9% of people elect to take 2-5 days to tour it on their bikes, stopping at the cool little trail towns along the way and going at a comfortable pace. Unfortunately for me, I’m in the 0.1% when it comes to doing this stuff and I have a tendency to make scenic & pleasurable experiences into grueling personal challenges. I decided back then that I wanted to do the entire GAP end to end in a single day and built the route. It sat in my “future bike rides” folder for quite some time, and this spring I decided that I was going to finally do it. I had a few somewhat major hiccups along the way, including debilitating back pain that kept me from doing the amount of cycling that I wanted to, but I’ve been getting that sorted out and was back in the right mindset to tackle another long ride. I moved the date once, but finally landed on June 27th, rain or shine.

On Friday after work, Megan and I packed the car up and headed down to Cumberland. I figured that I would prefer riding from Cumberland to Pittsburgh instead of the other way around. It made more sense to me logistically to start in Maryland and finish close to home. Kia lives about an hour from the start, so we invited her down to get dinner and stay the night with us so we could visit with her before I set off the next day. We got food at City Lights and then came back to the hotel. I stretched for a while and prepared all of my gear for the next morning while the ladies looked at our wedding pictures and video. I hopped into bed around 11pm and fell right asleep, only to be woken up shortly thereafter due to the whole bedbug debacle. As previously stated, we got the hotel situation straightened out and I went back to sleep.

In the blink of an eye, it was 6am. I got out of bed, got a shower, and started stretching and fueling up. Megan and Kia woke up and we drove back into town to the start of the GAP Trail. They snapped some pictures of me, and then at 7:07am, I was off! The first 23 miles are a continuous 1,787 foot uphill grind to the Eastern Continental Divide. Lots of people that don’t cycle that much sometimes have trouble with this portion, but I typically do that elevation gain in as few as 8-12 miles on my normal training rides, so it was all in a day’s work for me. The riding and views going up Mount Savage were awesome, and there were a bunch of cool little sites and pull offs along the way. A special treat is passing through the Big Savage Tunnel. It was constructed in 1911 (opened for railway access in 1912) and is 3,295 feet long. It was closed in 1975 and reopened for GAP Trail use in 2005 and has lighting the entire way through it. The morning was pretty humid, so going through the tunnel and getting a cool breeze felt great. A handful of minutes later, I reached the Continental Divide! I’m a big geography nerd so this was pretty cool to see by bike. On one side of the divide, water flows south to the Gulf of Mexico Watershed and on the other side, it flows east out to the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. I snapped some pictures, admired some giant windmills, and continued on.

Excited and a little nervous at the start

Up and out of Cumberland along the railroad

About 8 miles later, I reached the town of Meyersdale. Meyersdale is a premier “trail town” along the way that has all the necessities for bike touring and is a popular stop in either direction. I topped off my water at the visitor center, ate a quick snack, then continued riding. Around the 40 mile mark just outside of Rockwood, I realized that up to that point I didn’t have any physical issues with the ride. Back in March, I started having terrible pain in my lower back that was preventing me from even standing up or getting out of bed some mornings. I had xrays done and it turns out that I have mild arthritis in my lower lumbar joints as well as dysplasia-like symptoms in my hips where one hip was 10mm higher than the other, pulling on lots of nerves and muscles in my lower back and causing severe pain. Dr. Olsen and Dr. Sharick at Olsen Chiropractic in Kittanning have been helping me out tremendously and I’ve been able to get back to training because of them. My buddy Anthony Sylvester over at D1 Training North Pittsburgh helped out a great deal too with a bi-weekly stabilization and core program that I’ve been doing since March to keep me stretched out and my core tight. With their help and more consistent training, I’ve been feeling good on the bike lately. And just outside of Rockwood was when I realized that I was holding up perfectly fine and I knew I was going to complete the route as long as nothing major happened on trail. I started to tear up a little bit and took a quick break to eat and enjoy a happy moment.

I played leap-frog with a gentleman on a nice single-speed bike from Rockwood to Confluence before I eventually got out in front of him. On the other end on Confluence, the wind picked up significantly and my stomach was starting to feel crappy. I was getting tired of eating power bars and gummy snacks and it was sucking some of life out of my legs. I stopped briefly to stretch and snack a bit more, then rode through rain for the remaining 8 miles into Ohiopyle, a bicycle touring paradise. Ohiopyle is the halfway point for riding the trail end to end, and has lots of little shops and restaurants to refuel at. I stopped at the Falls Market to get some real food and take a break. I ended up getting a jumbo cheese dog & fries, plus a Powerade and a root beer (I don’t drink pop anymore, so I figured I’d treat myself on this ride). I sat there in a drizzle for about 45 minutes, watching cyclists and hikers filter in and out of the cafe area and admired lots of the bikes they were riding. The single-speeder pulled in and we shared a laugh together about leap-frogging one another for the past 30 miles while we ate. He showed me the radar on his phone (it wasn’t looking good) and then he got back on his bike and continued on. Ohioyple was my bail out point where Megan would pick me up on her way home if anything happened to me or I knew I wasn’t going to make it. I texted her and let her know that all was well and I was going to continue on, and then mounted the bike once more and took off into the rain.

The cheese dog, fries, and root beer combo hit the spot at just the right time and I was feeling rejuvenated. I passed a group that I saw at the Falls Market and chatted with the one lady briefly (Lori). She had a nice Cannondale that I complimented her on we shared a few anecdotes on the day before I got out in front of them. I got into the aero-bars and hammered the pedals through the Laurel Highlands as the crowd thinned out. I was really in a groove and feeling good. The wind, however, was getting stronger and I could tell it was going to start raining pretty hard at some point. A gentleman (Mark) on an e-Bike came up next to me and we chatted for a bit about my ride. He was from Youngstown and came out this way a lot just to ride the trail. I asked him how fast his ebike went, and he told me 24mph, so I told him to max it out and pace me into Connellsvile. I rode with him going between 20-24mph for a few miles, and he offered to let me into the hotel he was staying at so I could top off on water. Thank you Mark for your generosity!

Only 100 and some odd miles until the ‘Burgh

My bike, Lori’s, the mysterious single speeder’s bike, and Tom’s lined up at the halfway point.

On the other side of Connellsville, Lori and her gang caught back up to me and I rode with them for about 10 miles. We chatted about cycling, traveling, and I got to hear some cool stories about how she went to France and followed the tour route and cheered on the riders. She lives out near Mercer and invited me to come ride sometime! It started to rain harder and I needed a break, so I peeled off and let them drop me so I could stretch and eat. I was sitting under a little trailside hut and then it just started to downpour. I sat there for a few moments contemplating what I should do next. The trail wasn’t going to ride itself, so I figured I’d just suck it up and push through the rain. A short while later I passed Lori and crew at the entrance of Cedar Creek park as they were calling it quits under a pavilion. I waved and continued on.

The rain started coming down harder and harder, and it was getting increasingly difficult to maintain an efficient pedal stroke and speed on the trail-turned-muck. I got just outside of the other end of Cedar Creek Park and then a huge lightning bolt crashed down up in front of me. It took a moment for me to rationalize in my head that I was exposed out in the open riding on a big hunk of metal. I turned around and rode quickly back into the park and took shelter under and awning for a little event center. There was a birthday party going on inside the building, and I peered in jealously watching all of the dry, happy people eat real food. I sat on the ground there for a good 30 minutes watching lighting spark all over the sky above me and listening to the rolling thunder. After a couple minutes of zero lightning passed by, I started thinking that if I could just ride the next 3-4 miles into West Newton then I would be ok. I could take better cover there and resupply food and water. I walked out under the awning that had endless water flowing off of it and literally took a shower in the rain water, washing all of the sand and mud off of my clothes and body while a bunch of people inside the event center were looking at me like I was crazy. I threw my soaked-through rain jacket back on to keep me (slightly) warmer and mounted the bike again, trekking out into the storm.

The trail was complete slop at this point, and I was using way too much energy pedaling as hard as I could and not going anywhere fast. I pulled over again a few miles later to clean my drivetrain off and send some text updates to family and friends, then continued on and finally made it to West Newton. I stopped in the bike shop and gave the workers there a good laugh explaining to them my single day ride and how bad the trail was with the rain. They hooked me up with some Gatorade and then I rode over to Rite Aid to get a new phone charger cable and some kit-kats. I was beyond soaked and dirty at this point and the lady in Rite-Aid helping me was looking at me funny. I didn’t even care at this point. I went out into the parking lot and laid in the rain while I ate my kit-kats and thought about the remaining checkpoints I had before finishing this ride. I figured that I would be finishing shortly after 8pm now, so I called Megan and let her know to be down at the Point around that time, and that I was finishing no matter what. Time to get back on the bike, in the rain, again. My derailleur started to jam up with sand and silt in it, and I could only reliable shift into three different gears. This wouldn’t have been an issue, but once I finally made it through Boston and the trail turned to pavement, there were a bunch of punchy littler roller hills that I had to grind up in a tiny gear. That really got the blood pumping in my legs again!

The rain finally stopped, the clouds cleared, and I was on solid ground when I arrived in McKeesport. I took another short break to clean my chain off, re-lube, and eat a snack. I was feeling great, rejuvenated by the sunshine, pavement, and the near finish. I rode past Kennywood, the Waterfront, and then Sandcastle. I haven’t been to Sandcastle since probably late elementary school days, and the park looked way smaller than I remember. I was then taken by surprise that I was in the South Side all of a sudden. I peddled for a little bit more and then my IT bands in both legs started hurting pretty bad out of nowhere. I was so close to the finish, just 4 more miles. I laid down in that little empty field next to the Hot Metal Bridge and took a quick break. I texted Megan and let her know I would be there very soon, and she let me know that they brought J&S pizza for me! I updated my buddies in our Slack chat and they were all cheering me on. About ten minutes later, I felt totally fine, remounted, and crossed the Hot Metal Bridge. This is the first time you can really see all of the buildings in downtown, and that gave me some more power to finish.

First view of downtown crossing the Hot Metal Bridge

I weaved in and out of walkers and other riders on the Eliza Furnace Trail, and then I was down by the river. One more tiny ramp up and over a road and back down to the river and then I could see the Point. I made it! The sun was an absolutely massive orange fireball in the sky, creating the most perfect sunset finish for any bike ride I’ve ever been on. I looped around the fountain and went up the ramp to the second level and saw Megan, Janine, my mother, and Clint cheering me on and taking pictures. I took one more victory lap around the fountain, dodging pedestrians along the way with a huge smile on my face. I pulled back in where my cheer team was at, climbed up on the fountain, and hoisted my bike over my head for the celebratory finish photo. A ton of people were looking at me, probably wondering why this mud crusted vagabond in spandex was gleefully waving a bike over his head. One kid up on the steps that had no idea what I was doing put his hands up and celebrated with me anyway and I gave him a head nod. It brought me back to when we topped out of the Grand Canyon crossing on the Arizona Trail. There were tons of people there living their own lives in their own bubbles completely oblivious to the struggle / feat that I just accomplished. It’s a really surreal feeling that I’ve been chasing ever since then, and it was cool to have it back in that moment at the Point on this new adventure.

I put my bike back down and rested. Everyone brought me food and drinks but I couldn’t stomach any food for a little bit, so I just sat there taking it all in while telling stories from the day. I still couldn’t believe how great my body felt. Aside from a few pains here and there, all of my usual problems were non-existent on the ride and that made me incredibly happy. I’m not often truly proud of myself, but today day I was. I started to cry some happy tears but everyone thought I was in pain or something. I assured them I was fine, just emotional from the day. We checked my stats out; 9hrs 54min moving time, 13hrs 27min total time with stops factored in, good for a 15.1mph average. 10 hours of riding time was my goal and I hit that, couldn’t be happier. It wasn’t the fastest single day ride on the GAP but that doesn’t matter to me, it was about finishing it and finishing strong. We chatted for a little while longer as the sun went down, then packed everything up and I was in the car on the way home before I knew it. A tremendous thank you to my family and Clint for coming down to see me finish and to my friends who cheered me on via Slack, Instagram, and texts throughout the day. Your messages gave me a boost on the ride and made me very happy.

People are asking what’s next. I’m not too sure yet. I definitely want to do some more bikepacking on my mountain bike this summer and fall. I created a nice route out near the Dolly Sods in WV that I’m eyeing up for August, and potentially a traverse of Escalante in Utah with my brother-in-laws via bike in November if I head out there for a long weekend. I want to come back to the GAP with Megan and do a shorter overnight trip with her too. My one brother in law, Seth, said he’d like to do the GAP in a single day, so I would do it again with him at some point. I also developed a route from the southernmost point in PA to the northernmost (214 miles / 14,000+ ft elevation gain) that I would like to do in 24 hours or less, but I’m going to save that for next year as part of my training for another run at the Arizona Trail. All I know is that I get a great deal of happiness and accomplishment from pushing myself as hard as I can doing stuff like this, so I’m not expecting to slow down any time soon. Thanks for following along!

- Lee

Final Stats

Miles: 149.04

Moving Time: 9:54

Elapsed Time: 13:27

Elevation Gain: 2,530ft

Avg Speed: 15.1mph

Avg Heart Rate: 144bpm

Calories Burnt: 7,908

Pedal Revolutions: ~42,000

Weight Lost: 7 pounds!

My Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/3680918122

Notes:

People asked me what I would have done differently. Other than maybe packing a sandwich or something along those lines, absolutely nothing differently! Everything from my bike to gear to clothing was perfect. The rain and mud slowed me down with 28mm road bike tires, but I’d rather have the speed for 120 fast miles and deal with the other 30 muddy ones at a slower pace than the other way around.
I talked to so many friendly people on the trail throughout the day. I said hello to every single person I passed. That is not a lie. It’s important to be friendly when cycling. Riding bikes is a great sport and lots of times, cyclists from different disciplines can be snooty towards one another and we don’t need to be like that.
I saw a pretty diverse set of people while on my ride. Black, white, hispanic, Asian, Indian. That made me really happy and was very encouraging to see. Riding a bike is so much fun, and it was encouraging to see a wide array of people all enjoying the same thing, especially in today’s climate. Cycling is a long way from being a super inclusive sport, but the industry is taking the steps to get there and I’m happy about that. I also saw way more women than men while I was out, which rocks! The GAP Trail seems like a very safe and comfortable trail from beginning to end and it was encouraging to see lots of women on bikes doing anything from a short ride to multi-day touring.
My #1 piece of equipment on the ride was my BELL! I threw a bike bell on my aero bars at the last minute Friday when packing up and it proved to be a great decision. I absolutely hate having to yell “on your left!” a ton of times when passing people, and on a 150 mile ride on a very popular trail, you pass a TON of people. I would just ring the bell loudly a bunch of times before my pass and everyone moved right over. I thanked them / said hello and kept going.

Bike & Bits: Giant Contend road bike / 28mm Specialized Espoir tires / Profile Designs aero bars / Twin Six water bottles x4, Wahoo ROAM cycling computer.

Bags: Rapha waterproof bar bag / Revelate Designs Tangle frame bag / Woho anti-sway bar with bottle mounts / Rockbros saddle bag.

Kit: POC helmet and jersey / The Black Bibs Ultimate Adventure Bibs with pockets (awesome) / Twin Six socks / Shimano XC31 cycling shoes / Siroko K3 sunglasses / lightweight rain jacket.

Food: Miscellaneous Pro Bars (calorie dense for how small they are, 370-450cal per bar x4 bars) / Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel drink mix (800cal worth of the best endurance workout mix on the planet) / miscellaneous candy and snack bars + a Red Bull.

Tools & Other Pieces: iPhone X / Canon M3 camera (didn’t use as much as I’d like due to rain) / iPod touch / bike tool / chain lube + rag / spare tubes x2 / mini pump + Co2 / tire boot + levers / portable phone charge / mini spray on sunscreen / wet ones wipes.

Great Allegheny Passage - Single Day Cycling Adventure

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