Tag: South Carolina

Carolinas, here I come

I’m getting ready for my second big bike ride of the year along the East Coast Greenway.

East-Coast-Greenway-logoThis is the second big East Coast Greenway ride of the year. It’s 325 miles — similar to the fall rides of the past two years — but crammed into six days instead of seven. That’s what happens when hotels dictate where you can stop.

So I’ve got three days over 50 miles and one that is just under that. On the flip side, it’s mostly flat, unlike Maine, the hilliest section of the 3,000-mile route. I figure it will be cooler too — yay. There are 40 of us riding (plus staff and support), and I’m looking forward to seeing many people I know from previous rides. It’s going to be fun! Just hope we don’t have any big storms.

Here’s the itinerary:

Sunday, Oct. 2: We gather in Raleigh, NC, where we ended last year’s ride.

Oct. 3: 44 miles to Smithfield, NC.

Oct. 4: 69 miles to Fayetteville, NC

Oct. 5: 40 miles to Elizabethtown, NC

Oct. 6: 58 miles to Wilmington, NC

Oct 7: 66 miles to Ocean Isle, NC — after an early-morning boat cruise on the Cape Fear River.

Oct. 8: 48 miles to Myrtle Beach, SC and a celebration to mark a trail opening. Then we get shuttled back to Raleigh.

carolinas-routeAny suggestions for sights I should see out? Places to eat? If Maine was about lobster, this ride may be about barbecue…

After this, I can say I’ve ridden from Philadelphia (really just outside, in Conshocken) to Myrtle Beach — about 1,000 miles. Plus, of course, there’s the Maine ride earlier this year as well as training segments in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

I’ll be blogging every day of the ride, so check back for tales from the road.

Finally, this is a fundraising ride for the East Coast Greenway. If you’d like to support the cause, you can donate here. All the money goes to the cause; I’m paying for food and hotels.

TWO bike rides this year!

I’m riding twice for the East Coast Greenway this year — from the Canadian border to Portland, Maine, and from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

ecg maine border stoneThe East Coast Greenway’s Week-A-Year ride continues to roll down the coast — and another effort is starting from the top.

So I’ll be going from Raleigh to Myrtle Beach in October AND I’ll be going from the Canadian border to Portland, Maine from July 30 to Aug. 6. Each ride will top 300 miles — the Maine ride is closer to 350 miles.

I’m looking forward to being part of the 2016 version of this photo:

The 2011 version
The 2011 version

Since we’ll be shuttled from Portland to the border that Saturday late afternoon, you know I’ll be crossing into Canada for a stamp in my passport to mark the ride.

Better yet, I’ll be riding with three of my best friends!

The Carolinas ride is Oct. 2-8. And when that’s over, I will have ridden my bike from Philadelphia to Myrtle Beach on the East Coast Greenway. The plan remains to hit Key West in 2019.

This route is 100% mapped, but as I’ve seen on previous ride, there are many gaps between off-road trails. Some are quiet roads — almost as good as a trail! But in other spots, a trail is desperately needed, both for local residents and for long-distance riders.

Please help close the gaps by supporting my rides. The fundraising page (and pitch) is here.

As for me, I will still have gaps in my personal East Coast Greenway after 2016. My training goals this year include closing some of them. I want to ride several of the East Coast Greenway trails in Connecticut and go from Newark’s Ironbound section (Portugal!) to Metro Park’s Oak Tree Road (India!) and on to New Brunswick.  Any interest in joining me? Or on another training ride?