Plans for the week

September 8, 2022

My itinerary for the 7 days across Ohio

Overview of the 326-mile Ohio to Erie Trail

I love touring my world and beyond on my bike. My most common method of touring is a self-supported credit card tour with a small group of friends. I am usually the planner of these tours. A credit card tour is a bicycle tour where the overnights are in a B&B or hotel. Hence, the name credit card tour. Self-supported is a tour on a bike where you carry your clothes and other essentials on your bike. I occasionally camp overnight. As I age, I gravitate more to a warm comfy bed every night.

This tour is the Moffitt Memorial Ride that benefits the Ohio to Erie Trail. The tour is named in memory of Dr. Thomas Moffitt, the longtime president of the Ohio to Erie Trail. The tour is designed to highlight the trail and the Buckeye State at a pace that accommodates almost any cyclist’s abilities. Overnight stays are in cities and towns with ample amenities.

I am a volunteer on this ride. I am a member of the trail’s board of directors and lead the trail’s all-volunteer marketing team. Fellow members of the board and other friends of the trail staff the ride. The ride is designed to accommodate 50 cyclists supported by 9 volunteers. As a volunteer, I will not cycle every day. I will ride on some days, be a sweep on other days, and drive the luggage truck on a few days. Other volunteers include a bike mechanic, a daily tour scout, and SAG support who is also the tour director and organizer.

One of 3 deer statues along the Scioto Greenway near the Ohio to Erie Trail in Downtown Columbus

The itinerary of the week

Saturday - The Ohio River @ Downtown Cincinnati to Xenia - 67 miles
Sunday - Xenia to Downtown Columbus – 59 miles
Monday - Downtown Columbus to Mount Vernon – 51 miles
Tuesday - Mount Vernon to Millersburg – 41 miles
Wednesday - Millersburg to Massillon – 38 miles
Thursday - Massillon to Downtown Akron – 30 miles
Optional: Cycle Akron to Penninsula (+-13 miles) and ride the CVSR train back to Akron
Friday - Downtown Akron to Lake Erie @ Cleveland – 40 miles

Quote of the Day

There is an almost Zen-like quality to bicycle touring, where the journey by bike is just as important, if not more so than the destination. -Unknown

Today's Trivia

Ed Honton was the founder of the Ohio to Erie Trail and the organization’s first president. It was his vision in 1991 to have a recreational path from Cincinnati to Cleveland mostly using former railroad and canal corridors. Through Ed’s dedication and hard work, the Ohio to Erie Trail became a reality.

Follow the Tour

No need to jump on a train or canal boat as I pedal the tracks of steam locomotives and canal boats across the Buckeye State. You can just check me out on social media at Cycle Blaze and Instagram with hashtags #OH2Erie and #Moffitt22.

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marilyn swettYour journal will be interesting to follow as we rode and fully enjoyed sections of this trail this summer near Columbus and Akron. We had never heard of the trail before, so were surprised to discover it. I didn't even know about this supported group ride although when touring we've always preferred doing them self-supported so we can do shorter distances.
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