I can’t remember exactly when the idea to ride home from Pittsburgh took hold, but it seems like it’s been marinating in my brain for the better part of 4 years. I’d done the ride from home to Philly a couple times, and I wanted to check off the other half of the state. Then I worked on a new map for the Trans Allegheny Trails group, which only fueled my excitement when I realized how much of the route could be done on trails.
Part of why it took me so long to make the ride happen was that I wanted it to be my transit home from a work trip or other reason to already be in Pittsburgh. I didn’t want to travel there specifically so that I could ride home. Why? I’m not sure. I just liked the idea of it being organic. I go to the city for work on a fairly regular basis, but shortly after I concocted the idea, COVID hit and work trips stopped. Then just as they picked back up again, cancer happened. As I gained fitness back throughout the winter, I told myself that this ride was on my shortlist for completion this year, and I was determined to see it through.
A window of opportunity came when I learned I’d have to be in Pittsburgh for a conference in mid-June. My co-workers were going too and we’d be carpooling anyway, so I could get a ride out with them. It ended on a Friday around noon, so I was going into the weekend, and it was a weekend I didn’t already have any plans. Around the summer solstice, there would be plenty of light, and it would be warm. As the date grew closer, everything was shaping up to work out. It would be my first bike overnight in at least 3.5 years.
The Route
The spine of the route was the Westmoreland Heritage Trail (WHT), West Penn Trail, and Ghost Town Trail, which combined offered over 60 miles of off-road riding. I used about 10 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) south from Pittsburgh, as well as the Bell’s Gap Trail closer to home. Everything in between consisted of mostly low-volume paved roads. Between the GAP and the WHT, there was a section of rather sketchy on-road that was about 10 miles long (not all of that length was sketchy, but short sections throughout it were). On the other end of the spectrum, I also routed through gated gravel roads in State Game Lands 108 from the top of Wopsy to the Bell’s Gap Trail. I had input on my route from some Pittsburgh locals to help especially with the section between the GAP and WHT. Otherwise, I used a combination of studying various basemaps and prior knowledge for the rest of the on-road routing.
Bike Setup
I decided to ride my commuter rather than my Lynskey GR300 because we would be in Pittsburgh and riding around for a few days prior to me leaving to ride home, and I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting into. I felt better about potentially leaving the less expensive bike locked up in the city if need be. I also wanted to test out its comfort on a long ride. My current commuter is my old gravel bike frame (Raleigh Willard) but the setup is quite a bit different than it was when I was using it as my primary gravel bike, and the longest ride I’d done with its current configuration was about 40 miles.
It is set up with flat bars, and my position on the bike is a bit more bent over than on my Lynskey (I have riser drops, the Soma Condor bars, on it because I like that upright setup for long rides). The gearing is also slightly harder, with a 34/50t Shimano 105 crankset and 11-speed 11-34 cassette in the rear (versus a 32t small chainring up front on the Lynskey). The route wasn’t extremely climby, so I wasn’t too concerned about the gearing. Tire-wise, I’ve been running the 33 mm Vittoria Terreno Mix, which I like a lot. I didn’t change them for this ride. They are a narrower tire than I normally use for gravel (usually am on a 38-43 mm), and I was eager to test them on some of the chunkier sections of the route. The spoiler is that they were great on all the terrain that I encountered.
The Willard normally has a rear rack on it that I use with panniers for commuting, but for this ride, I decided to take it off and just run a large seat bag for a lighter setup. In the seat bag I put my sleeping bag and mat, and extra clothes. I went with medium-weight bag because it was supposed to go down into the low 50s and the lightest one I could bring would probably be too cold. I brought a long-sleeve shirt, lightweight leggings, and extra socks to sleep in. On the elastic straps on top of the seat bag, I stuffed my tool roll, which normally lives under my seat. The back of the seat bag has little hooks on it where I could clip my red blinky light.
A large bar bag held an external battery and charging cord for my phone, first aid kit, and most of my food. Snacks that I wanted to be easily-accessible went in the Nittany Mountain Works top tube bag along with chapstick and my wireless headphone. A NMW Manything Bag held my waterproof shell and arm warmers. Finally, the Fastpack Lite frame bag held my pump, a tube, my front light, phone, and a few extra bike repair items that didn’t fit in my tool roll. With the help of the King Cage top cap cage mount, I was able to carry 3 water bottles.
Deciding to Ride
When I’d checked the weather on Wednesday morning, it looked like I might see some showers on Friday afternoon, but they would subside and I would have plenty of time to dry out before making camp. By Thursday evening, the forecast looked a lot worse — 80% chance of thunderstorms all afternoon into the evening. I’m fine with some rain, but strong storms were another matter. I waffled, still leaning towards riding anyway, but telling myself I’d check the radar mid-morning and make the final call. I had a seat in the car heading home with my coworkers if I wanted it, but I didn’t want another excuse to put off doing this ride.
In the morning, the forecast looked a lot better. Pittsburgh got hit with some storms overnight, but the likelihood of thunderstorms in the afternoon kept getting less and less every time I checked. I committed myself to pedaling, packing my bags while sipping crappy hotel coffee in the gray early morning light. When my work commitments ended shortly before 1 pm, I changed into my chamois and handed my backpack full of everything I wouldn’t need on the ride to my coworker, setting off on my bike down the path from the Westin to the waterfront. The sun was out now, my ride home had left, and there was no turning back…
Continue the story: Day 1 of my ride
helena kotala 
Thanks for the details!
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