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helena kotala

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Tag: endurance riding

Posted on October 31, 2018January 24, 2020

Unks to Tinker Hill: My first solo double century.

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 …

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Posted on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018

Rite of passage.

Three years ago, Evan and I rode 200 miles from Huntingdon, PA to his parents house near Phoenixville, PA, just west of Philly. We did it on a tandem, in one shot, through the night. Ever since, I've wanted to do the ride again, but on my own. So when we decided to go to the …

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Posted on September 11, 2016October 1, 2016

Hug the lake.

Caleb and I have been talking about doing a century all summer. I'd never done one on my own bike. I've done a 100-miler and the 200-mile ride to Thanksgiving on the tandem with Evan, but somehow I feel like that's different. I needed to do one myself. Caleb had never done one either. I …

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Posted on December 4, 2015April 12, 2016

Ride to Thanksgiving: The Bike & Gear 

Since we purchased our Salsa Powderkeg tandem in June, it's seen several different incarnations. First, we set it up as a full-on mountain bike, but a plethora of mechanicals proved that it's a ride way more suited for mountain touring than singletrack shredding, and so that's the direction it's been moving. Then we decided to …

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Posted on November 27, 2015January 24, 2020

Ride to Thanksgiving. 

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 …

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Posted on November 3, 2015November 3, 2015

To ride 200 miles.

In three weeks, Evan and I plan to ride our tandem from our house to his parents house for Thanksgiving. It's about 200 miles away. We are going to do it in one shot. It's a tradition for him, riding down for the holidays. For the past couple of years I've been envious, but this is …

Continue reading "To ride 200 miles."

Helena Kotala

Outdoor adventurist. Mostly bikes, also runs, paddles, hikes, and more. Map-maker & other duties as assigned at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Central PA based.

An H in her natural habitat — deep in the middle of the woods, staring off into the trees. Snowy flowy goodness in Shingletown last week before the thaw. Moody day on the Little J yesterday. Water was rippin’ fast and our usual run flew by. Much-needed new PFD, paddle, and helmet courtesy of @pennsylvaniagray holiday gifts. 👌 Best way to start 2023! Wow, what a year. Sometimes I can’t believe it all actually happened. It was somehow the worst and best year all at once. “Feels like -25” Happy Solstice! 🌞 🌙 I wasn’t really thinking about it much until I was, until the anxiety hit me seemingly out of nowhere this morning. Then I realized that it had been slowly creeping in the past couple of days, quietly eroding the general happiness and exuberance I have been feeling about getting back to being strong and feeling good and enjoying fall. I love bike commuting.

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