VT2PGH: An 826.5-Mile Bike Tour

Sunset from the campground on Lake Durant, NY.

Last June, my clubmates Tony and Durwood left Pittsburgh in a rental van with their two bikes and - hopefully - all they would need to ride back to Pittsburgh on their own. Their intent was more than just to flex their cycling calves. The underlying reason was to check-in with themselves as they ward off the weariness of age and navigate their 60s. Tony had also been working non-stop as Dean of a University of Pittsburgh medical school since March 2020 when COVID-19 disrupted everyone’s lives.

Those of us left behind eagerly followed their daily rides on Strava and breathed sighs of relief as we saw them “check in” each night. We commented with words of support and encouragement as if they were out to sea or orbiting the moon. When possible, they posted a few photos, but it wasn’t until they returned almost two weeks later that we got some stories of what it was like.

The storyteller in me couldn’t let their journey go. I didn’t want their incredible experience to go the way of social media or just tales on a group ride. I knew there was much more to learn from them, so we sat down one summer night on Tony’s front porch and I recorded their stories. There was a lot of laughter as they revisited some challenging times that were only funny months later and hundreds of miles away.

I wasn’t able to complete their story at that time because my final semester at Duquesne ground everything else to a halt. Once I surfaced, I was eager to polish it off. I think the wait was worth it. There’s nothing better than daydreaming of long summer days on your bike while stuck in the middle of winter. And their story is an incredibly important reminder that you’re stronger than you think.

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