Tour Overview
Our week-long tour this year features a trip of about 450 miles along the southern portion of Pennsylvania, taking a similar path to Route 30, the original turnpike for the commonwealth. You'll start your tour in Greensburg, which is just outside of Pittsburgh, and travel on terrain that includes mountain passes as well as flat and rolling farmland into historical Valley Forge. Since the early part of the week features some of the mountain ranges western Pennsylvania is known for, you may find the terrain challenging, so plan to bring your triple. Half day riding options are available for you when you want it. Once we’re through the mountainous part of the state, the terrain changes into rolling and flat roads.

Along our route, you'll see sights such as the Johnstown Flood Memorial, Blue Knob State Forest, the Super Highway Trail (a.k.a, the Bike Pike), Cowan's Gap, Michaux State Forest, many of the forts instrumental in the French and Indian War, as well as scenery galore! We’ll end our tour with a visit to one of the nation’s most historically important venues, Valley Forge National Historical Park and celebrate the week’s ride with a farewell party on Friday evening. On Saturday, our last day together, we’ll provide cue sheets for those participants who are staying in the area to take optional on-your-own rides into eclectic Manayunk or the City of Philadelphia where you can celebrate the nation’s birthday with the annual Fourth of July festivities.

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	Accommodations at air -conditioned apartment-style housing at prestigious colleges and universities, with two overnight stays in hotels
	Breakfast, lunch and dinner on full tour days, dinner and an ice cream social at Greensburg
	Rest stops at planned intervals, with water, energy drinks, snacks and fruit.
	Post-ride refreshments
	SAG and mechanical support vans by Bikeworks (parts are extra)
	Cue sheets with maps
	Marked roads
	Farewell party on Friday evening, including dinner and a show
	Tee-shirt
	Tour kit
	Daily meetings
	Baggage transport daily
Available at Additional Cost:
	Shuttle transportation
	Charter bus (including passenger, baggage and bicycle)
	Parking of your vehicle for the week of the tour
	Shipment of your bike via UPS
	Massage therapy
	Pedal Pa Jersey ($65.00)

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Tour Details

We'll be staying in air-conditioned, apartment-style housing at prestigious colleges and universities and two hotels along the way and providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. The tour fee includes double occupancy accommodations; if you are vacationing alone, Pedal PA will pair you with a same-gender roommate. Single occupancy is available at an additional cost. Children (under age 18) of participants are welcome to come along and you will receive $50.00 off of the total registration cost.

At the end of each day’s ride, we’ll provide post-ride refreshments so you can replace some calories and spend a little time socializing with other tour participants. Each night after dinner, we’ll have an informal meeting to talk about the next day’s cue sheets, hear a weather report, review area attractions and keep our participants up to date the daily schedule. Attendance at the meetings, while optional, is recommended.

Tour participants can either arrange their own transportation to the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg or they can take the charter bus—arranged by Pedal PA—from Valley Forge, at an additional cost. If you travel to Greensburg with Pedal PA, we will transport you, your baggage and bicycle—each bicycle is padded separately and secured against movement for transport by truck. If you ship your bicycle via UPS, we will gladly assemble it for you upon our arrival at Greensburg and dismantle and ship it for you at the end of the tour. If you plan to arrive at Greensburg or Valley Forge via some form of public transportation, we will pick you up/drop you off with our shuttle at an additional cost. Participants meeting us in Greensburg for the start of the tour can either arrange their own return transportation to Greensburg at the end of the tour or they can take the charter bus—arranged by Pedal PA—from Valley Forge, at an additional cost.

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Itinerary

Saturday, June 25
Meet at University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg
Mileage: 25 (optional)
We begin our tour at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Saturday includes check in and cue sheets for an optional tune-up ride on your own, giving you a chance to stretch your legs, meet other tour participants and see a bit of the area. Following dinner, you’ll get a chance to meet the Pedal PA staff, hear about the first day’s ride and get acquainted at an ice cream social.

Sunday, June 26
To: University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown
Mileage: 52
Our route to Johnstown gives you a taste of the western Pennsylvania mountains, the small towns, fast descents and history of that characterizes the commonwealth. You’ll be touring through the beautiful Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania.

Monday, June 27
To: Best Western, Bedford
Mileage: 53
On the way out of Johnstown, we’ll stop at the Johnstown Flood Memorial, see Blue Knob State Park and go through many small towns with country stores. Our route takes us into historic Bedford, home of the Cannondale Bicycle production facility. For a change of pace, the overnight stay will be in the Best Western, which features an outdoor pool and a large outdoor hot tub you can use to ease your aching muscles. Since this is the shortest mileage day of the tour, we planned additional routes on the backroads that show off the covered bridges that Bedford is also known for.

Tuesday, June 28
To: Shippensburg University, Shippensburg
Mileage: 88
The longest day of your week features many things, including long climbs, a mountaintop lake and small towns with interesting names, such as Burnt Cabins. One of the highlights will be a route using the Super Highway Trail, also known as the Bike Pike, along the original Pennsylvania Turnpike. The trail features two of the original tunnels used until the late 1960s to move traffic through the mountain passes. A half day riding option is available here if the terrain and/or the miles are more than you are ready for. All in all, the day’s mileage should inspire you to think of France…think Alpe d'Huez.

Wednesday, June 29
To: Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown
Mileage: 75
Our ride today takes us through beautiful Michaux State Forest, which was once owned by iron companies whose furnaces made cannonballs used in the Revolutionary War, and which also houses 39 miles of the famous Appalachian Trail. Once through Michaux, we cross the Susquehanna River and ride into quaint Elizabethtown, which features a beautiful college setting and an active Main Street atmosphere for dining, shopping and relaxing.

Thursday, June 30
To: West Chester University, West Chester
Mileage: 72
We take a trip back in time as we travel through Lancaster County, home for centuries to the Amish. The Pennsylvania Dutch countryside features scenic farmlands, horses and buggies, covered bridges and rolling terrain.

Friday, July 1
To: Radisson, Valley Forge
Mileage: 62
Leaving West Chester, we ride out of the corn fields into the horse country of Chester County. Our route will pass by Longwood Gardens and Winterthur Gardens as we briefly pass through the state of Delaware and the Manayunk section of Philadelphia on our way to historical Valley Forge. Our day’s end will be in beautiful, historic Valley Forge National Historical Park. In the evening, we’ll have a cocktail hour followed by dinner and a show at Lily Langtry’s restaurant and dinner theatre.

Saturday, July 2
Mileage: 25 to 50 (optional)
Saturday is a transportation day for those returning to Greensburg. For tour participants who choose to stay in the Valley Forge area or are local, we’ll provide cue sheets for 25- or 50-mile optional on-your-own rides into Manayunk or the City of Philadelphia where you can celebrate the nation’s birthday with the annual Fourth of July festivities.

Note: The yellow and red line on the map below is a point-to-point illustration of the tour route.

If you encounter any problems while trying to book your tour, please email us or call us at (215) 513-9577.

© 2004 Pedal PA Every attempt has been made to ensure that the information provided herein is reliable; however, Pedal PA assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies or omissions. Tour details, including prices, are subject to change.