Ligonier. Almost.

LIGONIER, PENNSYLVANIA

With apologies to Joanna Freeman for borrowing her blog title, Made it to Ligonier (Almost).

This was the day that I really looked forward to. I was meeting a cancer group, Team Portland, and escorting them from Bedford to Ligonier. It was a cold 43 degrees (6 ℃) as I rode out of my parents’ house in Friedens for the ride over the mountain to Bedford to meet the group.

Out of the box, I hit the mile-and-a-half climb on Pompey Hill Road and its 18% grade. Damn it. My legs weren’t ready for that shock. But once that was over, it was a matter of getting on US 30 and making my way, mostly down, to Bedford.

I joined the group at the Cannondale plant tour, already in progress. It took me just a few minutes to ask someone if this was a plant or a museum, as the guide kept explaining how they used to make bikes there. They still do – just not as many. And it missed how much of the work is now outsourced.

Although the planned route was listed as 62 miles, I knew that with two major climbs, it would be a long day in the saddle. I had hoped to go around the first small climb that goes to Schellsburg on US 30 by going to Manns Choice on PA 31 and over the lake at Shawnee State Park. It would add three miles but avoid the nasty climb. Instead, we did the nasty climb and stayed on 30.

We were joined for the first five miles by some employees from the Cannondale plant. See, they don’t make as much there as they used to, above. It was great having them ride with us.

After leaving Schellsburg and passing the Buffalo farm, it was a six-mile climb up Allegheny Mountain. Four miles up, we stopped at Lookout Point. I told anyone who listened that there used to be a “Ship Hotel” here years ago. It was hard to explain.

As we rolled out for the final two miles, I was delighted that we passed the only building on the route, an antiques barn, and it had a painting of the Ship Hotel. You don’t see those things when you fly by in a car.

After summiting the climb, we continue on the stretch of road known as Seven Mile Stretch or Longview. At the end, we descended to the Flight 93 Memorial. I had arranged a visit with the National Park Service on a tight schedule and was a little nervous when only one group entered the park. I rode back up the hill to Longview and saw more riders on the side of the road. At first, it appeared they were taking a break. I was not happy as we needed to move the group along. But then I saw they were talking to someone, and that made me smile.

On some days, schedules and speed are important, but the mission is talking with people. And they had met a woman from the Flight 93 Memorial Garden. In fact, after they left, I stayed and talked some more.

Eventually, we gathered all the riders and the Park Service let us out at a back gate onto Buckstown Road. Hoping to make time, I also routed the group over a small road called Covered Bridge Road.

Call it my screw-up because my local intel failed to mention that it was a gravel road, and I hadn’t pre-ridden it. And it would get worse.

Gobblers Knob Road was also gravel, but it was actually closed. The temporary road had heavy gravel on it. It was only 200-300 yards, and I powered through it, but most riders walked their bikes through it.

We got through Friedens and took Bicycle Road over to Beulah Church, where Pattie and Margaret Cramer served a full picnic “lunch” even though it was 5:00 p.m. They had been chilling for five hours at the picnic area. After lunch, the team leaders knew some riders could not make the final climb. Some were unsure, and some certainly could. But the leaders wanted to have a team meeting as it was only Day 3, and they had yet to do that. They decided to shuttle all the riders to Ligonier.

I would take anyone who wanted to go with me, and some wanted to, but the team was all for one and one for all. I went on solo. In retrospect, I would have had the team shuttle the riders to the top of Laurel Hill and let them ride the remaining six or seven miles to the host in Ligonier. That would have saved the shuttle from going all the way to Ligonier with riders who were willing and capable of riding a bike down a mountain.

I stopped for pictures and kept thinking they would pass me. It was only between Laughlintown and Ligonier that they passed me, and I soon arrived in Ligonier as they were unloading their first group.

I had almost 90 miles on the bike while my friends had 40. I got the bragging rights.

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DISTANCE: 87.4 miles (141 km)
AVERAGE SPEED: 13.4 mph (21.6 kph)
ELEVATION GAIN: 8,697 (2651 m)

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