The past week has made us realize just how long and diverse Pennsylvania is as a state. It gave us choirs of mountains, flowing rivers, lush green wheat fields, lovely mountain towns, dusty coal mines, and much much more. Crossing the border into Ohio is definitely a huge milestone, and the variety of the Keystone State has given us a true sense of what we will see and the miles we are up against. Ride on I4K, ride on.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 67.5
Elevation: +2841’/-2832’
General Direction: Proceed northwest and turn left onto Washington Street, at mile 4.4 move onto the bike trail and take it across the Ohio border until mile 14.3, pedal through some residential streets to westbound Midlothian St. south of downtown Youngstown, turn northwest at Newport Lake and turn left onto U.S. 62, make three turns to end up on Kirk Rd., make two more at miles 30-32 to ride on Palmyra Rd., turn left and cross Lake Milton via Route 18 at mile 38.7 and remain on this road until mile 62.9, turn left onto the Freedom Rail Trail, ride this for three miles, and route to the stayover at Arlington St.
Points of Interest: Stavich Bike Trail, Mill Creek Park, Lake Milton (Udderly Sweet Treats), Freedom Bike Trail
Tales of the Trail
As promised, parishioners of New Castle’s Christ Lutheran Church were up assembling our breakfast of ham, potato casserole, eggs, and more as we were just beginning to wake up. The respect and awe we have for such a feat at that hour is immense, and this couples with the respect and awe we had for the potato casserole. A chilly morning circle followed by a wave goodbye from the pastor and parishioners sent us on our way. The Stavich Rail Trail seemed to appear out of nowhere (some of us even missed the initial turn) and we took it quickly through the brisk morning air as a few freight trains passed on neighboring tracks. As we passed a very unceremonious Ohio state sign (number four, the Buckeye State) in 50 degree weather, the atmosphere seemed to change along with, almost instantly, the road conditions.
Our rest stop in Youngstown saw Patrick attempt to down an entire Dunkin’ iced coffee, followed by city roads that eventually turned into country and our first true taste of the midwestern environs. Still rife with hills, the route took us westward to Lake Milton and a delicious ice cream/lunch stop at Udderly Sweet Treats. The final 25 or so miles mostly kept to one road that passed through a small town every so often, and ran toward our long awaited turn onto the Freedom Rail Trail nestled between groves of trees and overgrown rails.
We arrived into Akron and our stayover at the University of Akron’s Rec Center before 3 PM (this team is faaaast) and there was plenty to enjoy. Many riders took to the pool which had an adjacent hot tub, whirlpool, and a short and sweet lazy river! A quick run to Aldi for dinner supplies (okay, and some snacks) and some culinary magic by Hanna netted us some tasty hummus wraps for dinner, complete with music thanks to Patrick’s DJing skills. We settled in just a little while after; the hours seem to evaporate at our stayovers before the next morning’s ride. Speaking of the next morning’s ride, we are riding for Lake Erie on our longest route yet: 89 miles.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Nina Rosas, Ride Leader
How are you today? I’m feeling pretty great! I also think overall I’m starting to feel the exhaustion of riding for nine days straight.
What make and model of bicycle are you riding? A gray Trek SL 1000 with blue accents.
What is your favorite aspect about the ride so far? Why is it your favorite? The camaraderie between the team. They have been such a fun group to hang with. Everyone is easygoing, easy to talk to, and the ride would not be as fun otherwise.
How much cycling did you do before training for I4K specifically? I have a trail by my house and I used to go on short rides with my dad on it. My longest ride before I4K was 32 miles I believe; definitely a huge difference in mileage from then to now.
Is there anyone you are riding for today and would like to share a few words for? Today, our ride dedication was for Jenny who we met at the [New Castle] stayover. I thought about her on some of the tougher climbs today. Overall, for the duration of the ride, I am riding for Alvaro Chavez, my grandfather, and Armando Rosas, my dad. Both have dealed with or are currently battling cancer.
Where on today’s route (generally or specific mile marker) was the most memorable for you? What happened? Definitely the ice cream stop. It was really fun and I loved sitting on the little cow. Little shops and places to pull off the road really make this trip fun and memorable.
Anything you’d like to say to those cheering you on? I couldn’t have done this without all of your support and I love you.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
~Dictionary of I4K~
Rail Trail: A common form of multi-use or bike-specific trail. Often converted from discontinued railroad tracks and paved over. Make up a small but noticeable percentage of I4K routes and found nationwide.
