RMU Students, Faculty Trek to Washington DC on Area Bike Trails

It started out as a trip Todd Hamer would take each year with his father—a chance to bond over the 340 miles of bike trails that snake between the Pittsburgh area and Washington DC.

But this year, Hamer, who is the head strength and conditioning coach for , will take a few others along for the ride. Hamer alongside RMU architect Bill Joyce are leading a group of RMU students and faculty members on a five-day bike trip down the Great Allegheny Passage and Cumberland Trail. 

This year marks the second RMU-sponsored bike trip to Washington DC.

The group gathered earlier today at RMU's Moon campus, but they will begin the trip in Confluence, PA. They plan to bike nearly 70 miles a day, and stop to rest at motels and bed and breakfasts along the way. 

"We let everybody move at their own pace and we're fine with that," Hamer said. "And we'll stop in the evenings and have a beer and talk about the day and sort of review what we saw." 

Hamer said more than 25 students and faculty members have signed onto the scenic trek, which will wind through former railroad towns, Civil War battlegrounds and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. 

"It's very similar to the Montour Trail but more rustic," Hamer said. "You'll see some great old bridges, old train trestles. When you get through Maryland it's almost all woods and you basically look at a lot of trees." 

Joyce, who serves as the director of the university's office of design and planning, said for many bikers in the group, the ride will serve as their first long-distance trip. He said bikers traveling at similar speeds will likely pair up, but the group will come together each day to discuss the ride over dinner. 

He said the Great Allegheny Passage can serve as the perfect get-away. 

"In Pennsylvania the trail is crushed limestone and in very good condition," he said. "And in Pennsylvania it's really scenic; you go through beautiful wooded areas; you'll see rivers and streams and some cool towns with a railroad heritage." 

The group spent the weeks leading up the trip prepping for the ride—Hamer said a bike shop owner in Ambridge met with the group to show them how to make basic bike repairs and pack for the ride. 

"Just to teach us all how to be self-sufficient," Hamer said. 

The group will be bused back to Moon Township after arriving in Washington DC in the coming days. 

Hamer and Joyce said the camaraderie formed between bikers on the trail makes the trip worthwhile.

"It's one of the top trails in the country and the riding is spectacular at every turn," Joyce said. "But it's really the bonding and the camaraderie. You get up every morning on the trip and it's a new adventure."