adventure daily.
When I learned of a work commitment in Scranton the Thursday before a family commitment in Malvern, my brain that has been jonesing for another long ride adventure started scheming. The D&L Trail travels a big chunk of the length from northeast PA to southeast, and it just seemed silly to drive 3 hours back …
Winter camping is not for the faint of heart. Especially not winter bike camping. You ride all day, get sweaty (read: cold when you stop), then need to try to stay warm all night using only what you can carry on your bike. Then wake up in the morning and ride some more. But there's …
Continue reading "Always forward: A weekend of biking and camping in the Pine Creek Gorge."
I knew around mile 50 that, barring anything catastrophic happening, I would make it. The first quarter of the ride flew by. Evan and Shannon joined me for the initial 10 miles, then left me to fly solo as I headed due south down Rt. 522. The sun was dropping, the clouds turning pink and …
Continue reading "Unks to Tinker Hill: My first solo double century."
The things we are most scared of are often the things most worth doing. Evan reminded me of this last week as I was having a meltdown and freaking out about going on a 3-day bikepacking trip with a group of women that I barely knew. I was scared I would somehow be in over …
The air is still and the world is quiet except for the occasional bird song. My own breath and the sound of feet on dirt keep a steady rhythm in my head, a beat that keeps me going, step after step. I don’t know how many miles in I am but the pain is starting …
Riding my bike is my best attempt to defy my weaknesses. This thought popped into my head one morning earlier this summer as I was enjoying a solo "ride before the ride" on the Allegrippis Trails. Later, I'd be meeting up with some friends for what I knew would be a pretty casual roll, so …
I went to Interbike for the first time this year. It was my first time in Vegas, my first time at a bike show this big, my first time trying to write so many articles in such a short amount of time and see so many different products within the span of a couple of …
I stood, slightly chilly, under the big top tent as the rain poured down outside. My heart was pounding already. My stomach was in a knot. The other ladies all stood in a group, all friends from previous races and events. Most of them raced for the same team. They were all kitted-out, matching bibs …
The sun dipped low on the horizon as we pedaled out of Huntingdon and down Rt. 22. It set as we crossed the Juniata River, tossing cotton candy hues into the sky and bathing the few puffy clouds in a pink glow. The world grew darker. The first 40 or 50 miles flew by. Through …
I sat in my car in the parking lot, tired, hungover. It was early, too early for how late I had gone to bed the night before. I felt more like snuggling in the warm covers than hopping on a mountain bike and pedaling through the snow for a couple hours. But I refused to …
helena kotala 