pan ohio 2010

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Pan Ohio Hope Ride 2010 Journal
by: John Orben

The Pan Ohio is a charity ride from Cleveland to Cincinnati. The 2010 ride began on July 29th and ended on August 1st. On August 28th the Cincinnati Riders met the at the Cincinnati ACS, (American Cancer Society) Hope Lodge on Reading Road. A bus hauled us and a Penske truck hauled our bikes to the “dorms” at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. On the evening of Wednesday the 28th, there was a dinner and kick-of party at the Cleveland Hope Lodge.

Day 1, Cleveland to Wooster, 77 miles;
The weather turned to the cooler side overnight. I couldn't have been happier about that having ridden in temperatures near 100 degrees the previous weekend. Chris Cakes, the famous pancake slingers started off the day bouncing pancakes off of cyclists plates. I missed three, before I caught three in a row. This turned out to be the beginning of a limitless supply of drinks and food for the next 4 days.
I got my bike off of the rail in the athletics field at “Case”, the bikes were stored for us in the storage area at the field. There was a bike shop van waiting to pump our tires and fix virtually any conceivable mechanical problem. I geared up and shot some photos as I waited for the start.
The police seemed to be in abundance for the start of the ride. I didn’t expect them to shut down the city for the start of the ride. We had a police escort complete with blaring sirens, and people cheering as we rolled out of the city. 300 plus riders virtually all wearing the same colors. It was extremely cool!
Once out of the city we rolled through miles of park. I’m not certain of the park’s names. I believe it would have been the Cuyahoga Valley National park. The riders were pretty densely packed and you really had to keep you eyes on the bike in front of you, so I missed any park signs through this section of the route.
The rest stops were plentiful. 4 per day about 20 miles apart. I made sure to eat well through the first day because I knew we would have to pass through a range of hills on day 2.
Day 1 ended at the College of Wooster. I lucked out and managed to get skipped over for a room assignment due to some confusion. As luck would have it, I was assigned my own private room, I started hoping for mix ups the next two nights as well.
The evening closed with your choice of beverages in the student lounge, and a decent selection of food in the cafeteria. I skipped the live band after dinner and was asleep by 9:30.

Day 2, Wooster to Otterbein (Northeast Columbus), 98 miles;
My alarm started going off at 5 am. I grabbed breakfast when the cafeteria opened. Riders started rolling out around 7 am. I waited around and a friend showed shortly after 7am. I recall some moderate terrain on the morning ride, the temperature was nice in the upper 60’s, and there was light fog.

There are many Amish Families in this part if Ohio. As a large group of riders approached the Holmes County Trail, we were joined by a horse and buggy for a while. The group passed a wagon drawn by a pony a little later. The Holmes County Trail is easy riding and very scenic. At the Hipp Station rest stop, Amish Pastries and Peanut Butter Sandwiches are plentiful. I had an apple tort and loaded up with Gatorade for the up coming and much talked about Jackson Hill!

At Killibuck, the route seems to start gradually upward. The gears keep dropping until you get to Jackson Hill. I could see a line of riders, off and walking on the hill. My mind was already made up by that point. There was no way I would get off of the bike and walk. At one point, I looked down and saw 4 mph on my odometer, as I eased past the walkers. For sometime after that point the route rolled an occasionally I had to get out of the saddle to crest a hill. After rest stop, with cheering supporters, the route goes on to a 5 mile downhill cruise. After lunch in Danville, we took the Kokosing Gap Trail for an easy roll into Mt. Vernon.

After Mt. Vernon the ride carries on through the countryside, with a mix of rolling and moderate hills. In the town of Sunbury, cyclists have to be very observant of the laws! Continuing on toward Columbus, the route follows some interesting bike trails, which have more of the feel of riding on the sidewalk than bike trails. Gradually, we wound our way into Otterbein, after check-in, I found the crowded local pub handing out pitchers of beer to Pan Ohio riders. After a couple of “cold ones” I headed back to the campus with food on my mind. Dinner was a hard choice, but I wisely picked Parmesan Chicken, excellent stir fried veggies, and red potatoes.

Day 3, Otterbein to Wittenburg (Springfield), 67 miles;
Well, since this is an easy day, I set the alarm for later, 5:30 am. I took my time getting ready and eating breakfast. I went through the routine of stowing my bags at the drop off, to be hauled by truck over to Springfield. I got my bike off of the storage area and was soon on the road to second breakfast at the Dutch Kitchen.

The first rest stop at “DNV” a corporate building had rows of giant corn cob sculptures in front of the building. Moving on in a park we rode past a sculpture of 15 foot tall dancing rabbits. Most of the roads near the Dutch Kitchen are heavily marked bike routes. This area west of Columbus is flat. The wind is always giving a push back though. Breakfast at the Dutch Kitchen was very good, this was a planned lunch stop but even rolling out late, we arrived too early for lunch. Continuing on we stopped at Lake Choctaw, then on to Buck Lake.

We arrived early at Wittenburg as well, stowed the bikes, and checked into the dorms. I was surprised to find a very nice bar at the Wittenburg Student Center, I ordered a cold beer, while waiting for my wife to meet me for dinner. The awards ceremony was held on day 3 to expedite the end of the ride on Sunday. Dinner was steak or salmon, and very nicely prepared as well. I should have shaved.

Day 4, Springfield to Cincinnati, 82 miles;
Again I was up at 5:30 am, and on the road around 7 am. Most of this route would be familiar territory. After a short ride through Springfield, we were on the Little Miami Trail moving south quickly. Words of caution warned the group the night before, of how busy the trail could get. I rode all 4 days with a new friend, a fellow Cincinnatian, who knew the trail well so we quickly rolled off the miles into Xenia. Opting for the more challenging route from Xenia to Morrow we took back roads marked with familiar “CF” arrows. From Morrow we once again rode south on the Little Miami Trail. One gentleman asked me “where’s the fire?” I answered with “Pan Ohio”. A group of us carefully rolled into Loveland, and soon got back on the trail with our bottles topped off for the ride into Indian Hill. The route followed parts of Loveland - Madeira, Kemper, Plainfield, Montgomery. Side streets finally took us to Victory Parkway, (which seemed appropriate), and into the Sports Center at XU. 2 groups would finally ride to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge on Reading. The first group rode in, Sunday August 1, with an ambulance escort at 2:30 pm, which I was proudly a member of. The second group was escorted in a 3:30 pm.

Overall, the Pan Ohio Hope Ride is no doubt the best supported ride I have ever been on. While rides such as RAGBRAI are proud to be big, the Pan Ohio has cautiously grown by only hundreds. With 360 people in 2010, $400,000 were raised to help cancer patients receive treatment. Unlike RAGBRAI, your registration includes; gear transportation, food and drinks (there may be some costs for cash bars) , small bike repairs and air (you may have to pay for new tires, etc..). Personally, most of my distance rides are unsupported solo day trips. It is nice to be able to take a vacation on your bike, and have someone else do all of the planning. For 4 great days all I had to do was get on my bike and go!