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A bike is pictured at an overlook just before Ohiopyle. (Cris Forelli)
Depending on the route, it takes more than five hours to drive from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. Now imagine making that trip on a bicycle. Over the weekend, a group of 25 riders attempted to do just that.
The rules of the Crush the Commonwealth ride are simple, yet extreme: Meet at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, be there for a 5 a.m. start, and then “ride yer damn bike.”
Since 2005, the annual 380.3-mile ride has taken cyclists from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in odd years and back the other direction in even ones. The 2020 event was canceled thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, so there was a just-let-me-pedal mentality amongst the riders this year.