Crush the Commonwealth
380 miles; Pittsburgh to Philadelphia
A cross Pennsylvania Adventure by Bike
April 30, 2021
33 hours of wind, rain, sleet, cold, chafing, blisters, with little sleep...all just to "ride yer damn bike"
VIDEO of event- click on video to right to play
Or, for video you can click on this You Tube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA14vynxNFg
What prompted the Nankmans to do this? We aren't really sure. I guess Joël and I needed something different, something above and beyond the typical 24 hour mountain bike races we do. Something new, something that challenged us in a different way. Well, Crush the Commonwealth (CtC) was just that.
History
Logistics
But before we even pedal, what about logistics? Joël and I live in the Lehigh Valley, about a 60 minute drive north of Philadelphia. CtC is a one-way event from Pittsburg to Philadelphia. We were lucky enough to have a friend drive us and our gear to Pittsburgh on Thursday, the day before the start. We booked a hotel room for the night just a few minutes ride from the start. We took all "disposable" items with us to the hotel room; we didn't want to carry anything back to Philadelphia that we didn't need for the ride so we wore old clothing that we just left behind, food was all pre-cooked and warmed up in the microwave, and toiletries were at a minimum. When we finished in Philadelphia my mom and sister came to pick us up and take us back home. Talking to other riders having family members dropping off and picking up is common; others use one way car rentals, buses, and trains to get back and forth. Logistics are something to take into consideration and plan accordingly for.
Gear
The Ride
Now for the ride. 380 miles and 33 hours is a long way. There was so much that happened, seen, and experienced. Which was amazing and awesome. I was exhausted, painful, and delirious for parts of it, so my memory may not be right on. I apologize in advance if I get things mixed up. I'm going to try to break the ride into key moments.Starting 5am at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. So surreal to see the 25-30 riders gathered in the dark waiting to depart. Lots of friendly chit-chatting undermined by nervousness and excitement. A quick announcement by the ride organizer Ron and off we all went. Temperatures were nice in the low 50s and overcast, great for riding. First big portion of the course wove through the city and then out of Pittsburgh on paved bike paths. Talked to many other riders and saw the sun rise, great way to start the event.
Next big memorable part of the ride was the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). A crushed gravel trail following old rail road beds traversing rivers and valleys. One may think this is great, it's flat. Sure, no big climbs is nice but flat means never ending pedaling for what seemed like hours. In addition, hard rain the day before made the surface into a soft, energy sucking, peanut-butter consistency goo. Along here the winds also started to pick up; coming from every which direction making forward momentum difficult at times. But the scenery was beautiful, birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, and the sun would peek out every now and then.
After getting off the GAP trail, it was onto somewhat rural roads that followed the Pennsylvania Bike Route. Pulling into a Sheetz gas station to refill bottles and get some food the rain started. Not too bad at first, just a drizzle. But then as we were in the vicinity of the town of Somerset and surrounding areas the terrible weather hit. There was sleet and hail and downpours. The wind was coming from every direction. Joël and I stopped under an overpass to put on rain gear and warmer layers, I was so cold Joël had to help me pull gloves on and pull closed the zippers, my fingers would not work. Here came a big mental and physical break down for me, there were tears, cursing, and wanting to quit. After some pep-talking from Jo
ël and from myself we pedaled onward. After some sketchy riding in the rain and wind along 55mph roads we approached Breezewood where the rain began to stop. We warmed up and refueled in a Sheetz, talking to the checkout women and a motorcyclist who both saw other riders and were amazed at what we were all doing. Crazy or inspirational, not sure what they all thought of us. 
Next leg of the journey was the Abandoned Turnpike and rural roads to Chambersburg. The Abandoned Turnpike is just awesome. It was part of the original I-76 but when bigger tunnels were needed it was decided to reroute the road and redig new tunnels rather than retro-fit this section of turnpike. So now it's closed to automobiles but open to bikes and walkers. Graffiti covers the road and inside of the tunnels; which are long enough and dark enough to require lights to see when passing through. Just a surreal thing to experience; very apocalyptic. After this we hit rural roads through farm country where we watched the sun set and turned on our Lupine Lights for some night riding. Thank goodness the rain had stopped but temperatures were dropping, especially since we were in higher elevations.
Passing through Chambersburg was another gas station stop to eat and fill bottles along with putting some warmer layers on. After this we continued to follow along the Bike Route S on paved rural roads through Michaux State Forest and surrounding areas. We saw the moon rise, heard frogs, and saw some wildlife in the way of whitetail deer. Just beautiful scenery and Michaux is one of our favorite places to mountain bike, so we felt a little nostalgic there. We encountered another rider in this section of the course, it was nice to have someone to chat with for awhile and to ride with. He stopped for a snack break while Joël and I powered on but soon that enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. 
Somewhere between Chambersburg and York the winds picked up, it got really cold, and we got really tired. I have no idea exactly where we were when this happened. Joël and I stopped first at a Rutters gas station to put on even more layers. Between the wind and slowing down due to pure fatigue we were getting really cold. Out came the poofy jackets, hand warmers, and plastic bags. Plastic bags layered between socks with hand warmers stuffed in them make for warm feet. Hand warmers stuffed in pockets and sports bras help warm the core. Once situated we pedaled onward. But it wasn't the best forward momentum. We were tired. The wind was strong. I got blown off the road and ended up plopping over in someone's front yard. We got off and walked for awhile because riding was not safe. Hey, it may be walking but at least it's forward momentum. We tried to push through all of this but it just wasn't happening.
2:30am and along came another Rutters. We decided it was time to stop and rest, our safety was at stake. After consuming a ton of calories in the way of Combos and chocolate covered pretzels along with a big cup of coffee for each Joël and I propped our bikes up next to us and we both fell asleep in the hard backed chairs of the seating area. I was leaning up against a wall, Joël had his head slumped over on the table. Must have been quite the sight for truckers coming in and out at the wee hours of the morning. We awoke in an hour, felt so much better. A little food and warm caffeinated beverages along with a nap and we were like new again.Off we went pedaling along in the dark but not for too much longer. Dusk was soon upon us as we saw the sun rise for the second time during this ride. The tail end of the sunrise was seen while traversing a bridge over the Susquehanna River. Amazing to see. As the sun came up the temperatures went up and we were able to shed some layers. Feeling warmer and having daylight again helped the spirits rise, there wasn't as much doom and gloom as a few hours ago. We knew we were getting close to the home stretch.
The course now started to weave through more populated areas, still following the Pennsylvania Bike Route, as it got closer and closer to Philadelphia. York was one traffic light after another, I will admit not the best riding but at least we were passing through that area very early when traffic was light. We then worked our way into New Holland and Lancaster where the Amish farm scenery was amazing. But this is where the winds really picked up again, thus despite the beautiful views both Joël and I were a little grumpy and were just focused on the road in front of us. Pedal, pedal, pedal was the mantra. We worked our way through the suburbs of Philadelphia, riding on some busy roads, eventually seeing signs for Valley Forge which we knew meant the Schuylkill River Trail was close. As the miles slowly ticked away the discomfort of the hours and hours on the bike started to take effect. Muscles were sore. Bodies were tired. Blisters were forming. Chafing was occurring. But we were almost there and nothing would stop us from getting to the end.
Finally we hit the Schuylkill River Trail. About 25 miles to go of flat, paved bike path and we also had the wind behind us. It was so exciting, I was ready to just zoom to the finish. But there was no zooming. Too tired, too achy. It was just an easy pedal to the end. Joël and I cruised along Kelly Drive where a rowing competition was taking place. That made for some interesting riding, trying to weave around all the spectators and other trail users while exhausted and not well focused. Finally entering the city and on the way to the Liberty Bell, almost there, and we encountered technical difficulties. The cycling computer we were using to follow the route would not work in the city, too many tall buildings, we couldn't find the finish location. We asked a city worker who sent us the wrong way and then a police officer who sent us the proper direction. Joël and I had ridden 33 hours together with out getting upset or angry at each other but at this point when lost and tired some frustration did come out. Finally after riding circles around the city and giving ourselves a few bonus miles we arrived at the Bell. Ride completed!
The Aftermath
Once finished, immediate stop at a Wawa for sandwiches while Joël and I awaited our ride, my mom and sister, to take us home. As soon as we were in the vehicle we fell asleep. Once home, it was time to clean up ourselves and our gear and reward ourselves by stuffing our faces with pizza and beer. Then more sleep, and sleep we did for a good 12 hours. Now what did it feel like to wake up the day after? Terrible. Everything was achy, there was sunburn and wind burn along with blisters and chafing, and an insatiable urge to consume calories. As I am writing this five days post event, things still hurt and people are still telling me I look exhausted. Bending over and moving are still a challenge. How much recovery will be needed? Let's not hope too much, the Nankmans have a 24 hour mountain bike race in two weekends. Maybe not the smartest idea but one never knows how hard they can push their bodies until they try.
The big question many are asking us...will you do it again? Yes. We are already re-vamping our bike packing and logistics for a better performance next time. See you all again at the start line in the future.
-words by Jess
-photos and video by Joël
-support by: Saucon Valley Bikes, Liv Cycling USA, Bicycling Magazine, Lupine Lights, Honey Stinger, Saucon Valley Massage, Dr. Qureshi at Spine and Pain