Recorded live from Paris, France [check out PSP022 for more on pedaling Paris!]... it's a podcast about bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage in western Pennsylvania! It all makes sense, trust me. In this episode we chat about all the amazing things in store while bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage (or "the GAP" as you'll usually hear) including an interview with Doug Riegner from the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

Shownotes at pedlashift.net/051

Hey it's the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 051: Bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage (mp3)

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Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet - all welcome. Email the show at [email protected] or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal: Bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage

• Section riding! Biking the GAP
• First real hot weekend this season
• Weekend gave me opportunities to ride but not camp, so I chose a couple of sections I liked the most near PGH
• Boston - West Newton (RT - 30 miles)
• Connellsville-Ohiopyle (RT-34 miles)
• When it's hot and super sunny both of these sections are great ways to escape the heat. The ride to Ohiopyle in particular is largely covered in green tunnel foliage and the cooling impact of the Youghiogheny River is apparent as you roll.
• Interested in hearing more about the GAP? Check out Pedalshift Project 021 from last year's ride.

The Interview

Interview with Doug Riegner, Director of Community Relations & Sales at Allegheny Trail Alliance

Total serendipity... ran into Doug on the trail collecting data on trail users and got an opportunity to chat with him about the GAP... tons of great info here! Also, some birds and train noise, so you'll get a real flavor of the GAP sounds between Boston and West Newton.

GAP news:

• Pinkerton Tunnel done
• New campsites on the way... first up is Ohiopyle
• New campsites on the way... first up is Ohiopyle

Bonus C&O news:

• Working on trail surface on the C&O? GAP engineer is at the table as a consultant with the Park Service.
• All water will be untreated on the C&O as of 2017. Get your Sawyer pumps for next year's rides!

Bike touring route passports?

Links + resources

• TrailGuide (print guide with good info - $10 from ATA)
• gaptrail.org
• 911trail.org (great DC map he mentions)

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus an angel gets her wings every time a new member of the Pedalshift Society joins. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you're interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the GAP talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC - PGH with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2015. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields' album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason's new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!