Gearing up for adventure Local groups attract cyclists of all skill levels
With sunshine now regularly in the forecast, bike riders are making a “brake” for the outdoors with local cycling groups.
“The right time to find out if you fit with a ride group is often early in the season,” said Jim Logan, president of the Western Pennsylvania Bicycle Club (WPABC). “(F)or people who are enthusiasts, when the clocks change, the season begins.”
WPABC, founded in 1969, offers two ride groups. Fitness enthusiasts can join the ride departing from the Cecil Municipal building at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Logan said. The second group, Team Decaf, is split into slower or more fast-paced rides and leaves from Highland Park Reservoir at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Robin L. Woods works with WPABC and also runs Women at Work Cycling Club.
A job loss during the pandemic led to the North Side resident’s decision to retire and begin a new career teaching bicycle safety.
Her rides, Woods said, “are at a slower pace” and take place both in city and suburban areas.
Mondays at 6 p.m. she leads a group ride starting from the Second Avenue parking plaza downtown along the Eliza Furnace trail, known as the “jail trail” in Pittsburgh. On weekends, her rides leave from the same location or from Bicycle Heaven in Manchester. She also leads rides that extend into suburban areas including the Panhandle Trail as well as routes in Verona, Oakdale and Ambridge.
While not his original intention, John Palmieri of Upper St. Clair is bringing together mountain bike riders of all skill levels and ages.
When he returned to the sport in 2015, Palmieri said, he really didn’t know any other mountain bikers. By chance, he met people while riding in South Park. That small group continued to expand until Palmieri asked his wife to help him set up a Facebook group for what became known as High Speed Dirt Mountain Bike (HSD MTB). The group’s grown to nearly 4,000
members.
“At the heart of it, we are really a grassroots meet up,” Palmieri said of the no-cost, no-waiver group. “HSD is for any new rider or existing rider looking to catch up with a group, meet new people and ride new trails.”
HSD meets Mondays at the South Park Ice Rink on Corrigan Drive at 6 p.m. and divides into skill level groups.
In Fayette County, mountain bikers have some great options at Ohiopyle State Park. The Ohiopyle Biking Club creates, maintains and rides the trails in the park.
The nine-mile Clay Mine Mountain Bike Trails are among the newest of the park’s 25 miles of bike trails, said Jesse Wilson, club board member and one of the ride leaders. A professional building company helped with the project, which includes about six miles of machine-built trails. Less rocky and technical, they are more beginner friendly, Wilson said.
Spring through fall, the club has Wednesday night rides that can also double as trail work nights.
Ride times and details are announced on the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
“We’d love to get more people out to the park to ride and experience the state park,” Wilson said.
As the name suggests, members of the Mt. Lebanon Cycling & Caffeine Club stop for a cup of brew while they cycle the roads of Pittsburgh and Washington County.
The group, comprised only of road riders, has existed for the better part of 35 years, said Dave Bodnar, one of the founding members. They set out at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, starting at the Coffee Tree in Mt. Lebanon on Beverly Road. Saturday rides last about three hours as they head to the Pittsburgh Zoo, crossing over Mt. Washington and stopping at La Prima coffee shop near the Convention Center. Sunday rides span between two-and-half to four hours as the group rides from Mt. Lebanon out to Cecil and Midway in Washington County, with the option to return or extend on a longer route.
Donning bright red, yellow and white matching jerseys, the Fort Couch Potatoes was formed by a group of teachers at Fort Couch Middle School in Upper St. Clair.
Ride captain and Fort Couch science teacher Greg Calvetti describes the group as friendly and noncompetitive with an average pace of 12-15 mph and a “no drop” policy, which means they will wait for riders who fall behind.
Saturday morning rides typically last one to two hours, meeting in different locations to ride on various routes including the Panhandle Trail, the Montour Trail, South Park roads and trails in and around downtown Pittsburgh.
Calvetti said riders range in age from 20s to 70s and new riders are welcome.
INFOBOX
For more information
Western Pennsylvania Bicycle Club: http://wpabikeclub.com
Women at Work Cycling Club: https://womenatworkcyclingclub.com/.
High Speed Dirt Mountain Bike: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hsdmtb/
Ohiopyle Biking Club: https://www.ohiopylebikingclub.org/
Mt. Lebanon Cycling & Caffeine Club: http://mtlccc.org.
Fort Couch Potatoes: email fcpcycling@gmail.com