500 Miles

In the 6 months from June to November 2011 I biked 850 miles, probably more than I had ever biked up to that point. It started with a simple bet to bike 500 miles in a summer, but it came to mean so much more. This is a story of how biking and the local rail trail became sources of fun and therapy after experiencing tragedy, of reaching that 500 mile goal and more.

Up until the Spring of 2010 I hadn't ridden my bike in probably over ten years since I had gotten my driver's license at 16. I simply lost interest, but one Sunday afternoon during a weekly visit to my parent's house for lunch, my sister and I decided to get the bikes out. I don't remember whose idea it was, but we thought it might be a fun thing to do. She was always finding ways to have fun. So, we dug them out of the shed, my dad helped inflate the tires, and her and I headed down the road for a short ride.

We had such a good time that we started visiting the York Heritage Rail Trail that runs 21 miles from downtown York, PA to the Maryland line. It's a beautiful trail and to me it was a hidden treasure right in my own town. The above photo was taken on our first ride from the city to Howard Tunnel and back, a distance of about 10 miles. We visited a few more times, although my sister a little more than I. Before the summer was over she would have biked the entire trail in sections.

As Summer 2011 was approaching we all started thinking about plans for things we could do in the months ahead, and biking was top on the list. We were getting excited, and my sister who was to be a senior in college next year was eager to get a brand new bike as soon as she landed a paying internship. My parents had road bikes that were over 25 years old, and my sister and I had basic mountain bikes. But we decided that if we were going to be doing more biking we might as well upgrade and get some good ones. We all jumped on the idea and were soon looking and trying out new bikes at the local bike shop.

I remember being at the bike shop that last week of May when we were finally getting our bikes. I was getting excited, so much that I proposed a little bet to my sister that the first one to bike 500 miles would have to buy the other ice cream. She later told my mom that she didn't really care about the ice cream, she just wanted me to get out since I sit in an office all day. Every day for the next week I would leave early in the morning for a short 2-4 mile ride around my neighborhood. It felt great to get outside and be active, and I was getting a good head start on the bet.

That night at the bike shop was the last time I would see my sister this side of Heaven before she would be taken from us in car accident a week later.

I wouldn't have the chance to go biking with my sister again, but no matter what I had to get to 500 miles. I began riding the rail trail every chance I got slowly increasing the length of rides from 12 to 20 to 30 and eventually 40 miles at a time.